Columnist
Ranald Bain
Ranald Bain writes the Review's opinion column on Scottish public life. He argues that most of Scotland's hard questions are administrative rather than constitutional, which has not made him popular.
Beat — Scottish public policy, commentary · 23 articles
Westminster's gambling shake-up brings card payments to machines and stricter age limits
Opinion · 4 August 2026
Scotland's council crisis exposes the limits of devolved democracy
Opinion · 4 August 2026
Westminster's gambling reforms consultation could reshape Scotland's betting landscape
Opinion · 3 August 2026
Scotland's £250m empty homes plan faces delivery test
Opinion · 3 August 2026
Scotland's Council Tax Reckoning: A Long Overdue Reality Check
Opinion · 30 July 2026
British ISA plan raises questions over who really benefits from £2.5bn scheme
Opinion · 29 July 2026
Westminster asylum hotel clearances spark Scottish government anger as 600 face relocation
Opinion · 24 July 2026
Scotland's £500m empty homes buyback could reshape rural housing landscape
Opinion · 23 July 2026
Scotland's rent controls gamble: can government intervention fix the housing crisis without killing investment?
Opinion · 20 July 2026
Autumn Election Set to Reshape Scottish Political Battleground
Opinion · 20 July 2026
Scotland's wet relief as England faces new water restrictions amid climate divide
Opinion · 19 July 2026
Scotland swelters through hottest day in two years as heatwaves reshape Highland life
Opinion · 11 July 2026
Scotland braces for heatwave after recording hottest day of 2026
Opinion · 10 July 2026
Starmer's Welfare Cuts Expose Growing Rift Between Westminster and Scottish Values
Opinion · 7 July 2026
Starmer's welfare cuts plan sparks Labour rebellion as Scottish MPs face constituency pressure
Opinion · 7 July 2026
Starmer's landslide victory reshapes Westminster as Tories face worst defeat in history
Opinion · 7 July 2026
Sunak's Departure Leaves Scottish Conservatives Facing Existential Questions
Opinion · 6 July 2026
Supreme Court backs Scottish ministers' right to challenge Westminster gender reform block
Opinion · 29 June 2026
Supreme Court rules biological sex defines woman in Equality Act
Opinion · 29 June 2026
Supreme Court Rwanda ruling ends offshoring experiment and reshapes UK asylum policy
Opinion · 22 June 2026
Can the Green Highlands Fund deliver real community ownership or just more green tokenism
Opinion · 21 June 2026
Westminster's election paralysis leaves Scotland's public services hanging in the balance
Opinion · 14 June 2026
Scotland's teaching unions unite in strike threat as Holyrood faces budget reality check
Opinion · 14 June 2026