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Democratia •

The corruption that ensures FRELIMO’s dominance in Mozambican politics

You would be forgiven for assuming, even in a world that has seen a continuous decay of democracy, that an election would have some tangible impact on one’s country. In Mozambique, such assumptions should be left at home.  


On 9th October, Mozambicans will be going to the polls theoretically to vote for their next president, with incumbent president Filipe Nyusi unable to run for re-election due to the office’s two-term limit. Numerous concerns will be affixed to their thoughts – such as a de...
Democratia •

The spectre of Russia looming over Moldovan democracy

Walking the streets of Chișinău, you see the signs of its Soviet past fading under the weight of time. Around the old Orthodox churches are coffee stalls offering dairy alternatives for your cappuccino, while the tall and grey pillars erected under Russian rule are flanked by trendy bistros and teenagers listening to Taylor Swift on their iPhones.


Moldova appears to be on the march toward a new progressive chapter; a march that had begun with the ascent of the Party of Action and Solidarity (...
The Times •

Shortlist for the best building in Scotland announced

Blending into the grit of Edinburgh’s Waverley Station, the Fruitmarket Gallery may appear unremarkable at first glance. But behind the chipped brick and smatterings of careless graffiti is an artistic space reborn and redefined through careful and extensive refurbishment.In November, the gallery has a chance to be crowned Scotland’s best building of 2024.The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) has selected five finalists in the race for the 2024 Andrew Doolan Best Building in S...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

Edinburgh’s Tory candidates reflect on their General Election losses

None of the five Scottish Conservative candidates across Edinburgh’s constituencies won their seats, or even achieved second place. This mirrors the dismal performance of the UK national party, which lost an eye-watering 250 seats.While the candidates have acknowledged the extent of their party’s defeat, they have eyes on the Scottish Conservatives’ next steps.Edinburgh East and Musselburgh candidate Marie-Clair Munro, who came fourth place with just over 2,500 votes, said that the national resu...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

Tommy Sheppard: “I think it’s going to be one our worst election results in a long time”

Mr. Sheppard, who represented Edinburgh East since the 2015 SNP landslide in Scotland and was running for the new Edinburgh East and Musselburgh constituency, foresees that Labour will make huge gains at the SNP’s expense; including, potentially, his own expense.Mr. Sheppard said: “Overall, it’s not looking like a vintage night for the SNP. I think it’s going to be one of our worst election results in a long time. We’re not immune to the tide that is washing over the country. It is pretty close...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election 2024 – Lynne Lyon – Alba Party – Edinburgh South

The Alba candidate was born and bred in the area, having gone to both primary and secondary school in the constituency and she said she has had the same GP all of her life.Ms Lyon said the constituency is “in my heart” and her work as a constituency caseworker for Edinburgh South exposes her to the voters’ numerous concerns.She said: “I get a lot of things through the inbox, people’s concerns, cost of living, food, mental health, GP services, NHS services, expediting appointments –  so I know be...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election – Sue Webber – Scottish Conservatives – Edinburgh South West

Sue Webber has been a Scottish Conservative regional MSP for Lothian since 2021.

She is now aiming to move from Holyrood to Westminster reppresenting the Edinburgh South West constituency in UK Parliament, and hoping that her local roots will win her the seat.

Speaking outside The Scottish Parliament, the MSP spoke of her connection with the South West and Edinburgh as a whole; calling herself a “local girl” who grew up in Baberton Mains, Juniper Green and Currie.

After attending Currie High
Surge Magazine •

Could Edinburgh rival Barcelona in an independent Scotland? | Surge Magazine

Scottish independence advocates have been obsessed with the Catalan separatist movement in Spain for years, but can Edinburgh compare with Barcelona as a prospective capital of an independent nation? Surge‘s Stuart Moyes explores this question.

You can listen to this article here:

Ten years ago, on a foggy and temperate September day, the question of Scottish independence appeared to have been answered. But a vote described as ‘once-in-a-generation’ has been anything but.

Largely due to the l
ENRG DEBRIEF •

Israel-Gaza War: The extremists now have what they want

When Israel conducted a major raid on a refugee camp in Jenin back in July, many voices decried and condemned the act. There were serious concerns that such actions only serve to push a peaceful resolution to this decades-long conflict between Israeli and Palestinian out of reach.

In my view, that was entirely the point. The far-right administration that currently governs Israel has shown little regard for such treaties in both word and action. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told

All Published Work

Democratia •

The corruption that ensures FRELIMO’s dominance in Mozambican politics

You would be forgiven for assuming, even in a world that has seen a continuous decay of democracy, that an election would have some tangible impact on one’s country. In Mozambique, such assumptions should be left at home.  


On 9th October, Mozambicans will be going to the polls theoretically to vote for their next president, with incumbent president Filipe Nyusi unable to run for re-election due to the office’s two-term limit. Numerous concerns will be affixed to their thoughts – such as a de...
Democratia •

The spectre of Russia looming over Moldovan democracy

Walking the streets of Chișinău, you see the signs of its Soviet past fading under the weight of time. Around the old Orthodox churches are coffee stalls offering dairy alternatives for your cappuccino, while the tall and grey pillars erected under Russian rule are flanked by trendy bistros and teenagers listening to Taylor Swift on their iPhones.


Moldova appears to be on the march toward a new progressive chapter; a march that had begun with the ascent of the Party of Action and Solidarity (...
The Times •

Backlash over plans for private luxury golf resort near St Andrews

Plans to build an exclusive golf club near St Andrews have sparked anger from local residents amid fears over how accessible it will be to the public.The American consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal has submitted plans for a multimillion-pound golf club that will stretch across 100 hectares of land at Feddinch Mains, on the border of the town.The proposal includes an 18-hole golf course, on-site accommodation, six houses, a multi-purpose venue, a driving range, a spa and a gatehouse.While the compa...
The Times •

Shortlist for the best building in Scotland announced

Blending into the grit of Edinburgh’s Waverley Station, the Fruitmarket Gallery may appear unremarkable at first glance. But behind the chipped brick and smatterings of careless graffiti is an artistic space reborn and redefined through careful and extensive refurbishment.In November, the gallery has a chance to be crowned Scotland’s best building of 2024.The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) has selected five finalists in the race for the 2024 Andrew Doolan Best Building in S...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

Edinburgh’s Tory candidates reflect on their General Election losses

None of the five Scottish Conservative candidates across Edinburgh’s constituencies won their seats, or even achieved second place. This mirrors the dismal performance of the UK national party, which lost an eye-watering 250 seats.While the candidates have acknowledged the extent of their party’s defeat, they have eyes on the Scottish Conservatives’ next steps.Edinburgh East and Musselburgh candidate Marie-Clair Munro, who came fourth place with just over 2,500 votes, said that the national resu...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election 2024 – the Edinburgh results

Edinburgh North and Leith – Tracy Gilbert (Scottish Labour) – 20,805 votesThe SNP’s Deidre Brock lost her seat to the Labour candidate by nearly 7,000 votes.Edinburgh West – Christine Jardine (Scottish Liberal Democrats) – 26,645 votesIncumbent Edinburgh West representative Christine Jardine held her seat; becoming Edinburgh’s sole non-Labour MP.Edinburgh South West – Scott Arthur (Scottish Labour) – 18,663Scottish Labour candidate Scott Arthur took SNP’s Joanna Cherry’s seat; beating the outgoi...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

Tommy Sheppard: “I think it’s going to be one our worst election results in a long time”

Mr. Sheppard, who represented Edinburgh East since the 2015 SNP landslide in Scotland and was running for the new Edinburgh East and Musselburgh constituency, foresees that Labour will make huge gains at the SNP’s expense; including, potentially, his own expense.Mr. Sheppard said: “Overall, it’s not looking like a vintage night for the SNP. I think it’s going to be one of our worst election results in a long time. We’re not immune to the tide that is washing over the country. It is pretty close...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

Scottish Labour’s Daniel Johnson: “We’re very optimistic that we’re going to have a good night”

Mr. Johnson, who has represented Edinburgh Southern in Scottish Parliament since 2016, says that the polling is very reassuring for this party, which is projected to win dozens of seats in Scotland.He said: “We obviously had the exit poll. That is very encouraging and would indicate we’ve got reasons to be optimistic here in Edinburgh. Certainly the early signs are encouraging. So we are we’re very optimistic that we’re going to have a good night in line with some of our expectations that we’ve...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

Emergency measures enabled hundreds of postal votes to be processed

Paul Lawrence, Chief Executive of the council and Chief Returning Officer with full responsibility for the Election Count said that the timing of the election – over the Edinburgh school holidays – caused issues for voters who had planned to go on holiday.The returning officer explained that he and his team wanted to ensure these people were able to vote.He said: “We wanted to do everything we could to ensure those people, particularly those going away on the Sunday/Monday could exercise their d...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election – Edinburgh East and Musselburgh – the 2019 results

Edinburgh East has been held by the SNP’s Tommy Sheppard, who is now running for the new Edinburgh East and Musselburgh seat, since 2015. In 2019, he won the vote decisively with more than 23,000 votes and almost half of the entire vote share.In a distant second was Scottish Labour’s candidate and former MP Sheila Gilmore, who had held the seat for five years before losing it to Mr Sheppard in 2015. She procured 12,748 votes and a vote share of almost 27%; a steep drop from their vote share of n...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election – Edinburgh West – the results last time in 2019

Scottish Liberal Democrat Christine Jardine, who had first won the seat in 2017 and was the constituency’s MP until Parliament was dissolved for the 2019 poll, secured re-election with 21,766 votes. This was a vote share of nearly 40%; an increase of nearly 6% compared with her share in 2017 and she won by a margin of 3,769 which was the smallest majority in the Edinburgh seats.In second place the SNP candidate Sarah Masson, who now works for the SNP, secured 17,997 votes and 33% of the vote sha...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election – Edinburgh South West – who won in 2019?

Like many of her SNP colleagues, Ms Cherry became the constituency’s MP in the SNP landslide of 2015 and retained her seat in 2019. In 20019, Ms. Cherry had 24,830 votes which was nearly half of the constituency’s vote share. This represented a 12% increase on the vote share since 2017.In second place, procuring approximately half the number of the SNP’s votes, was Callum Laidlaw of the Scottish Conservatives who was a councillor in Portobello at the time. Along with winning over 12,848 voters,...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election – Edinburgh North and Leith – the results last time round

Deidre Brock of the SNP became the constituency’s MP in the SNP landslide of 2015 and successfully defended her position in two subsequent elections. In 2019, Ms Brock defended her seat convincingly with 25,925 votes and nearly 44% of the vote share. This represented a fairly substantial increase on her 2017 performance with almost a 10% increase of the vote share won for the SNP.Second place in the poll was hotly contested between two candidates. While Iain McGill of the Scottish Conservatives...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election – Edinburgh South – examining the 2019 results

Scottish Labour’s Ian Murray has held the seat since the 2010 election and secured victory again in 2019.He procured nearly 23,745 votes and close to half of the vote share, although the majority of 11,095 was a drop of 7% from his 2017 victory.The SNP’s Catriona Macdonald came second with 12,650 votes and approximately 25% of the vote, while the Scottish Conservatives were not too far behind with 8,161 votes and more than 16% of the vote share with candidate Nick Cook who had been a member of t...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election 2024 – Lynne Lyon – Alba Party – Edinburgh South

The Alba candidate was born and bred in the area, having gone to both primary and secondary school in the constituency and she said she has had the same GP all of her life.Ms Lyon said the constituency is “in my heart” and her work as a constituency caseworker for Edinburgh South exposes her to the voters’ numerous concerns.She said: “I get a lot of things through the inbox, people’s concerns, cost of living, food, mental health, GP services, NHS services, expediting appointments –  so I know be...
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election – Alastair Shields – Scottish Conservatives – Edinburgh West

Alastair Shields is the Scottish Conservatives candidate for Edinburgh West in the July UK election.

Here I speak with him about the reasons for his candidacy and the main issues he believes impact the constituency.

Mr Shields grew up in West Edinburgh and represented the Almond Ward on The City of Edinburgh Council, albeit as a member of the Liberal Democrats and subsequently as an independent councillor, from 2012 until 2017. He has since become chairman of the Edinburgh West Conservative br
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election 2024 – Tam Laird – Scottish Libertarian Party – Edinburgh West

The Scottish Libertarian Party leader is running to win the party’s first seat in the Edinburgh West constituency in the Westminster General Election.

Previously a member of the Scottish National Party, Mr Laird left to found his current party which he previously described as “full blown socialists.”

He is also a former infantry soldier in the British Army who was stationed in Northern Ireland.

Mr Laird described his party as the only one with a “non-aggression principle.”

He said: “You don’
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election – Sue Webber – Scottish Conservatives – Edinburgh South West

Sue Webber has been a Scottish Conservative regional MSP for Lothian since 2021.

She is now aiming to move from Holyrood to Westminster reppresenting the Edinburgh South West constituency in UK Parliament, and hoping that her local roots will win her the seat.

Speaking outside The Scottish Parliament, the MSP spoke of her connection with the South West and Edinburgh as a whole; calling herself a “local girl” who grew up in Baberton Mains, Juniper Green and Currie.

After attending Currie High
The Edinburgh Reporter •

General Election – Dan Heap – Scottish Greens – Edinburgh South West

Dan Heap has been a councillor since 2022, representing the Sighthill/Gorgie ward.

He is now standing for the Edinburgh South West seat in the UK general election.

Mr Heap told The Edinburgh Reporter: “I’ve lived in the South West constituency for 10 years now – just coming up 10 years. I’ve been a councillor for two years, so I know the area very well. I know the challenges it has and I think, having been a councillor, I’ll be able to speak up in Westminster in the same way I’ve been able to
The Edinburgh Reporter •

Recruitment begins at Scotland’s first inland surf complex

The first inland surf resort in Scotland begins its recruitment drive ahead of its September launch in Edinburgh.

Lost Shore Surf Resort will be looking for individuals to fill roles in their surfing team, such as surfing instructors and lifeguards.

The company has said that the company will pay up to £12.74 per hour which is just a little more than the Real Living Wage.

The complex, which is located ten minutes from Edinburgh Airport, will also require therapists and people working in hospit
The Edinburgh Reporter •

The Yard – a “happy place” for families raises thousands

A charity for children with special needs has raised more than £80,000 at its annual fundraising ball.

The Yard is a charity which supports children and young people aged 0-25 with disabilities, and it hosted the formal event at Prestonfield House Hotel on Saturday.

The ball, called The Big Fun Raiser, was attended by nearly 300 people and raised the funds through ticket sales, a raffle and a silent auction.

The charity hosts various programmes for disabled children, including creative and pl
The Edinburgh Reporter •

Ukrainian Festival in Edinburgh next weekend

Edinburgh’s Ukrainian Club is throwing its doors open this weekend for an event to celebrate the country’s culture.

The event, taking place on Sunday 9 June between 2pm and 6pm at Royal Terrace, will feature Ukrainian art, food and music.

This includes numerous crafts stalls, family-friendly art workshops, music from the Ukrainian Choir, a live band and a raffle.

Tickets are £2 per person, or £5 for a family, and can be bought at the event itself.

The festival is being organised by Space, pa
The Edinburgh Reporter •

Scottish Government criticised for physiotherapy workforce ‘failure’

A cross-party coalition of MSPs told The Scottish Government to “get to grips” with addressing a critical workforce shortage in the physiotherapy sector.

Speaking in Scottish Parliament on Thursday Labour MSP Alex Rowley, who represents Mid Scotland and Fife and brought this issue to the chamber, said that the government’s failure in workforce planning results in more issues building up across numerous areas for the NHS.

But The Scottish Government said that it has played a hand in strengtheni
The Edinburgh Reporter •

Matheson scandal continues to cast long shadow over Parliament at FMQs

The expenses scandal surrounding Michael Matheson continues to dominate The Scottish Parliament as the First Minister faced a cross-party challenge on the controversy on Thursday afternoon.

Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, began the weekly proceedings by asking First Minister John Swinney, who has not suspended Matheson from the SNP: “In what other walk of life would Michael Matheson have a job?”

This comes as Matheson, Scotland’s former health secretary, was suspended from Parliame
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