Scottish ministers will be forced to publish legal advice they received around a second independence referendum amid accusations of “stifling scrutiny” following a ruling the government breached Freedom of Information legislation.
View email online | | | | | | | | | | | Apr 29, 2022 | | | | | | | | | | | Neil McIntosh | | Editor of The Scotsman |
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Hello from The Scotsman, It's easy, this week, for me to point to The Scotsman stories that have had the greatest resonance with you, our other subscribers, and the wider world. Our reporter Conor Matchett earned an important, and hard-fought, victory when the Scottish Information Commissioner ruled the Scottish Government had broken Freedom of Information legislation, and ordered it to publish legal advice it received around a second independence referendum. Conor had been working on this story for 14 months, since an initial refusal to release the advice. He successfully argued the advice would have obvious, significant public interest - a position on the legality of an independence referendum could, after all, have an impact on every one of us who call Scotland home. The Commissioner agreed. Thanks to his efforts, we should now see the advice sometime soon. It was a story followed up on front pages and news bulletins across the country that day and the next, and we were delighted to bring it to you - our subscribers - first. As we said in our leader on the day, yes - digging out these stories on behalf of our readers is our job. But it should not be so hard to find out vital information about matters of huge public interest. Nor was that a one-off. The next day, Conor was back with another exclusive - he got hold of an unredacted document advising ministers of the risks of their deal with GFG Alliance to save the Locaber smelter, worth £586m. As the story revealed, the deal may have breached state aid rules. And to complete a fine hat trick of stories, he also got an exclusive interview with Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, in which Ross said he believed Boris Johnson was "fit for office" despite calling for his resignation in January. It's not just Conor who has been in fine form. Hannah Brown continued our series on the local issues that matter in the forthcoming local elections, with her in-depth look at Fife and its hopes of recovering from the Covid pandemic. Jane Bradley reported on the refugees who arrived from Ukraine to find an unmanned Welcome Hub at Glasgow Airport. And Martyn McLaughlin watched Piers Morgan's interview with Donald Trump so you didn't have to... and it sounds like he did us all a service, describing the spectacle as "an all-too predictable slice of reality TV-style entertainment designed to propel two desperate provocateurs back into the headlines". His full review is worth a read. Our columnists (and guests) have also been in fine form, with Joyce McMillan wondering about the "Tories' moral meltdown", Labour leader Anas Sarwar branding the SNP's "culture of secrecy" damaging to democracy, and Laura Waddell writing powerfully about sexist attitudes putting women's rights at risk. There were many more fine contributions from across the political spectrum this week - you can find them all on our Opinion pages. So, all told, a strong week for The Scotsman, and it won't stop there - tomorrow's weekend package is shaping up well, with a preview of Sunday's final Old Firm league match, a Saturday magazine featuring TV presenter Anne McAlpine talking about Scottish Homes of the Year, a delicious-looking lamb recipe from Neil Forbes (will I find time to give it a go?) and Allan Massie's review of the latest tartan noir thriller, May God Forgive, which sounds like it may get a place in my summer holiday reading pile. We hope you've had a productive week, and that tomorrow's package helps you ease into the weekend. Thanks, as ever, for your support - it is what makes our journalism possible, every day of the week. Best wishes, Neil McIntosh Editor, The Scotsman | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Why the Scottish Government needs to stop being so secretive – Scotsman comment | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Any government that repeatedly tries to keep secrets from its electorate should be a cause of concern for all those who care about the health of democracy. | | | | | | | | Read more + | |
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