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11.1K views

A Country Without Tellers: How Scotland Lost Its Banks

13 August 2026
In little more than a decade, Scotland has watched a familiar piece of civic life disappear from hundreds of communities. The story begins with quiet rationalisation, passes through mass closures and parliamentary revolt, and ends (for now) with a new

Policy & Government

Clear reporting and explanation of Scottish Government, councils, public bodies, FOI releases, public policy and institutional decision making.
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Energy

Coverage of Scotland’s energy system, including renewables, grid infrastructure, oil and gas transition, energy policy and energy security.
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Infrastructure

Reporting on the physical systems Scotland depends on, including water, roads, ports, public buildings, grid, broadband, construction and civic facilities.
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18.8K views

The Two Water Systems Of Scotland

3 August 2026
Thousands of people in rural Scotland rely on private water supplies, but ministers have never assessed how their costs and responsibilities compare with those of households connected to the public network. A

Transport

Coverage of Scotland’s roads, rail, ferries, buses, airports, ports, active travel and transport infrastructure.
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Economy

Reporting and analysis on Scotland’s businesses, industries, investment, employment, manufacturing, rural economy and commercial life.
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Environment

Reporting on Scotland’s land, water, climate, biodiversity, conservation, pollution, agriculture and natural heritage.
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Heritage & Arts

Coverage of Scotland’s historic buildings, museums, archives, archaeology, language, culture, landscapes and public memory.
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Community

Local and national stories about Scottish communities, public life, voluntary work, social change and everyday civic issues.
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12.8K views

American Coffee and Other Emergencies

I was back at the wee fish shop somewhere between Thurso and Scrabster last Thursday, minding my own business, as I generally am when other people happen to be speaking loudly enough for me to hear them. Effie was standing by the haddock having a very quiet conversation with Elspeth. It was one of those conversations conducted at precisely the volume required to make every woman within twelve feet immediately interested. They both stopped talking when they saw me coming. I looked at Effie. I looked at Elspeth. “Well, spit it out,” I said. “What’s the matter?” Effie sighed. “Elspeth

Scotland In Focus

63163512 black fruit of alexanders plant

Forgotten Scottish Gardens: The Older Table

25.8K views
Alongside the structured discipline of the Scottish working garden, there existed in Scotland a quieter and older tradition of cultivation, one that did not always conform to formal planting, yet was no less important. This was a looser relationship with the land, where certain plants were allowed to remain and return year after year with minimal intervention. Skirret, Good King Henry, sorrel, and sea kale belonged to this older table, as did the more readily overlooked nettle and dandelion. These were not confined to ordered plots, but found near walls, along paths, and by the coast, where they became part

Clothes Don’t Make The Woman

19K views
I had finished afternoon tea at a lovely establishment in the Highlands and was sitting on a bench outside, waiting for Mr Gunn. It had been a very satisfactory afternoon tea. The sandwiches had been small enough to suggest refinement, the cakes had been large enough to restore confidence, and the bill had been folded discreetly inside a little leather wallet so that one could discover the consequences in private. Mr Gunn had gone to fetch the car. This sounds like a simple undertaking, but Mr Gunn does not merely fetch a car. He checks it. He walks around it.
Women in scottish history

Women in Scottish History

160.8K views
Women in Scottish History, or WISH, is a project funded and developed by the University of Guelph, and it’s a fascinating effort that originally launched in 2000. The WISH database strives to collect and maintain four types of Scottish records, including: – Bibliographies of Scottish Women – Biographies of Scottish women – Documents relating to the Women in Scottish History – A list of researchers specializing in the field of Women in Scottish History The database can be searched by keywords or by selecting a specific date range. While it’s not the easiest archive to navigate, the hunt is well