ThinkScotland

Founded in 2006 by Scottish entrepreneur Robert Kilgour, ThinkScotland began as a virtual think tank aimed at promoting dialogue in Scotland regarding economic, social, and constitutional issues, primarily from the viewpoint of Scottish Conservative writers. In July 2012, the platform was relaunched as an independent, not-for-profit discussion forum, expanding its reach to engage a wider audience. It offers a diverse range of daily political, cultural, and topical content. While ThinkScotland maintains a right-leaning editorial stance that seeks to explain and champion free markets and a liberal society, it does not support any specific political party or adopt a corporate perspective.

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Twelve months of Stormont restored has achieved next to nothing

2 months ago | thinkscotland.org | Owen Polley |Brian Monteith |Stuart Crawford |Christine Padgham

ONE YEAR AGO this week, the Stormont Assembly was restored, after the DUP struck its Safeguarding the Union deal with Rishi Sunak’s government. The unionist party had boycotted power-sharing for two years, due to its opposition to the Irish Sea border. And during that period, its critics argued it prevented all sorts of progress by the executive and made Northern Ireland’s problems worse.
Farmers’ protests need to avoid hacking off the public

2 months ago | thinkscotland.org | Stuart Crawford |Brian Monteith |Owen Polley |Christine Padgham

I HAPPENED to be travelling along Edinburgh’s City Bypass last Saturday on my way to Glasgow at the same time as the farmer’s protest against Starmer’s inheritance tax (IHT) had taken to the busy route. Since 1984, agricultural property relief has allowed land used for crops or rearing animals – as well as farm buildings, cottages and houses – to be exempt from inheritance tax. But the UK government has now announced that a 20% rate, will apply ver a £1m threshold from April 2026.
Can we just be left to choose for ourselves?!

2 months ago | thinkscotland.org | Brian Monteith |then Scotland |Southern Asia |Stuart Crawford

ARE THE WAVES of collective hysteria that wash across social media from smart phones and tablets making us lose our marbles? Does the heightened sense of immediacy and intimidating volume of comment undermine our sense of proportion and ability to reflect before we are tempted to react?
How Reform can now say “Vote Tory - get SNP”!

Jan 18, 2025 | thinkscotland.org | Linda Holt |Jill Stephenson |Ian Mitchell |Ewen Stewart

TWO STRIKING – and related – news stories have hit Scottish headlines this week. A Survation poll for Holyrood Sources on the 2026 Holyrood election put the SNP on 53 seats, Labour on 25, and the Conservatives and Reform on 15 each. Meanwhile, the Conservative Group Leader on Glasgow Council, Thomas Kerr, has defected from the Scottish Conservatives to Reform. Reform overshadowed Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay’s keynote New Year speech earlier in the week.
Why so many nationalists disparage experts in Scotland

Jan 16, 2025 | thinkscotland.org | Jill Stephenson |Ewen Stewart |Ian Mitchell |Christine Padgham

MANY WILL REMEMBER Michael Gove, as a cabinet minister, saying, in relation to Brexit, ‘I think the people of this country have had enough of experts’. While this was provocative and extravagant, there was some sense in it. After all, trust in experts had been eroded by prominent cases of experts getting it wrong or even doing wrong. This has included cases of damaging surgery carried out on blameless patients, and the crashing of financial institutions by their directors.
Rachel Reeves and the parable of the last one holding the parcel

Jan 15, 2025 | thinkscotland.org | Ewen Stewart |Ian Mitchell |Christine Padgham |Regina Erich

IT SEEMS people like parables. Even those not familiar with the Bible can probably tell you about the parable of the Prodigal Son, or the parable of the Lost Sheep. 2000 years later it seems we still need simple stories to highlight complex ideas.
As an agent of change, Reform UK has no peers

Jan 2, 2025 | thinkscotland.org | Linda Holt |Christine Padgham |Regina Erich |Jill Stephenson

CHANGE, the title of its manifesto, was the stand-out slogan of Labour’s campaign earlier this year against a lost fourteen years of Conservative rule. But when didn’t a political party or candidate promise change? Voters’ thirst for political change seems to have accelerated in the last year as, in democratic elections across the world, incumbency has ceased to confer an automatic advantage. So what of the change promised by Keir Starmer?
Why Reform UK is making an impact in Scotland

Dec 5, 2024 | thinkscotland.org | Ewen Stewart |Ian Mitchell |Christine Padgham |Regina Erich

LAST SATURDAY I had the pleasure of speaking at the Reform UK conference in Perth. It was actually Reform’s fourth Scottish Conference, but the three previous ones might have fitted in the backroom of some pub. This one was rather different. 350 attendees, an overflow room, a hugely enthusiastic audience and a dozen speakers including one of two former Tory councillors that had defected to Reform UK that very day.
James David Vance - Who is he really?

Nov 13, 2024 | thinkscotland.org | Hamish Gobson |Christine Padgham |Regina Erich |Jill Stephenson

THE NEXT President of the United States is 78, and has already been shot at once while under secret service protection. He happened to turn his head as the bullet flew past him, which almost certainly saved his life. What if the next assassination attempt is successful? The chances are small but, given American history, not that small. Seven of the 46 presidents to date (15 per cent) have been shot and 4 of those killed, which is just under 10 per cent.
Climate change and the political utility of a “Crisis”

Oct 22, 2024 | thinkscotland.org | Ewen Stewart |Hamish Gobson |Christine Padgham |Regina Erich

ANYONE who has followed the development of the windfarm industry in Scotland will have been struck by the effort which the Scottish government puts into further impoverishing both underprivileged city dwellers and all rural ones. The former suffer from artificially high power costs, and the latter from that plus the desecration of their visual environment by giant white turbines and giant grey pylons.