Search: Peter Watson

Former lord president and Supreme Court justice Lord Hope of Craighead has called for Scotland's new hate crime legislation to be withdrawn, describing it as the result of “gesture politics”. The former judge said the legislation's aims could have been achieved by simply amending Scotlan

The former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation Lord Anderson has called for tighter rules on political lobbying. In a new interview with the lord speaker, Lord Anderson of Ipswich called for a new offence to be created to tackle corruption in public life.

Victims of historic miscarriages of justice cannot claim back "bed and board" costs deducted from their compensation for the time they spent in prison. Last year, the Conservatives scrapped the policy of making such deductions in the wake of the high-profile Andrew Malkinson case.

A national campaign to help young people to safely navigate social media and prevent violence has been launched. ‘Quit Fighting For Likes’ aims to get young people to think about and discuss attitudes and behaviours around the filming and sharing of violent incidents.

Lesley Johnston, Laura Mundell, Garry Sutherland and Paul Ralph have been appointed as sheriffs. The new sheriffs will serve the Grampian, Highland and Islands, North Strathclyde, South Strathclyde, Dumfries & Galloway and Tayside, Central & Fife sheriffdoms from 28 October 2024.

A former lord chief justice has lent his support to calls for prisoners serving indefinite jail terms to have their sentences reviewed. Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who was England and Wales' most senior judge between 2013 and 2017, worries that those imprisoned under the abolished imprisonment for publ

Messrs Reeves and Friedman with this study present a modern sociological view of ‘the British elite’. Who are the purported elites, or, following one definition, the ruling minority?

David J Black tackles the issue of the day. One of the more annoying things about the British media in general, and the navel-gazing BBC in particular, is the irritating habit they all have of prioritising so-called news stories which are so trivial and ephemeral they barely deserve to make the insi

Views are being sought on the implementation of the ban on MSPs from also serving as MPs or in the House of Lords. Following the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill being passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament in December, a consultation seeking views on the principles and pra

A new suite of template agreements have been developed and issued to encourage landowner and investor participation in UK woodland and peatland carbon projects. The templates are the outcome of an 18-month collaborative project led by Scottish Forestry in partnership with the IUCN UK Peatland Progra

A new University of Stirling academic journal dedicated to sharing research on human rights aims to influence policy and decision makers in the UK and worldwide. The University of Stirling Human Rights Journal (USHRJ) is the first of its kind in Scotland.

A Scottish baron has lost an appeal challenging the refusal of his petition to the Queen to grant him a peerage and entitlement to sit in the House of Lords. Graham Nassau Gordon Senior-Milne, the Baron of Mordington was recognised as a baron in 2004 following his purchase of the land to which

A mother who applied for an order under the Child Abduction and Custody Act 1985 on the basis that her child had been wrongfully retained in Scotland has had her petition refused on the ground that the child was not habitually resident in Italy. The petitioner, JP, shared parental res

The Outer House of the Court of Session has heard a second day of oral submissions in an action seeking declarator that the Scottish Parliament has competence to hold a referendum on Scottish independence without the consent of Westminster. Continued submissions were made on behalf of the Advocate G

Stuart Gillies highlights how the decline of cash during pandemic has resulted in an increase in confidence in financial technology. It’s been over a year now since we first locked down, when shaking hands and meeting a colleague for a coffee was normal – and when wearing slippers t