Features

Scottish ministers have extended a consultation on new mental health moratorium rules amid efforts to improve debt protections for people struggling with mental illness, writes Ahsan Mustafa. On 14 November, Ivan McKeen, minister for public finance, extended the consultation on the draft Mental Heal

David J Black wonders whether 'British art' is a term of mere invention. For those who enjoy a challenging book this one hits the mark perfectly. Eloquently written, intellectually rigorous, impeccably researched, the challenge is posed by its scope. The timespan encompasses a period of 65,000 years

Ahsan Mustafa discusses the key reforms to Scottish charity accounts regulations, including modernised accounting thresholds, new safety dispensations for security risks, and alignment with UK reporting standards. The Scottish government has introduced a major reform of charity accounting rules thro

John Sturrock KC scrutinises the eye-watering bill for Scottish public inquiries. The “bill for public inquiries is now running at more than £230 million”. Are costs “out of control"?

Gillian Mawdsley reflects on Armistice Day yesterday.

Laura Simpson and Christine McKellar of Govan Law Centre raise the alarm over proposed changes to legal aid for adults with incapacity in Scotland. It is no secret that Scotland’s legal aid system is in urgent need of reform. With the increase in legal aid deserts caused by an ever-diminishing

Ahsan Mustafa looks at the impact of recent changes to debt recovery rules. Seven months have now passed since the Diligence against Earnings (Variation) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 came into effect. The changes, which amended parts of the Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987, updated how much of a person&rs

Dr Corsino San Miguel delves into a landmark court ruling on generative AI and copyright law. The Getty Images v Stability AI judgment, handed down on 4 November 2025, will be remembered not for what it decided, but for what it exposed. It marked the first full test of how the Copyright, Design

Andrew Stevenson strikes a note of caution over Parliament issuing pardons or quashing convictions. Mention has been made before in this column of the general need to preserve the separation of powers between the courts and the executive. This constitutional safeguard is there to protect the li

Upcoming amendments to the UK’s immigration rules will introduce a number of significant changes affecting graduates and those applying for certain work visas, including raising English language requirements for foreign workers and reducing the period for international students to stay after g

Douglas Ross KC, who early in his career was a legal adviser at the United Nations and served in Gaza, reviews an excellent new book on the region. Gaza has been at the forefront of international news for more than two years. Coverage has focused on the deadly attacks by Hamas and other armed groups

Dr Mary Neal warns of yet another attempt to introduce authoritarian measures in Scotland. With Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill currently at stage two in Holyrood, Patrick Harvie MSP has tabled an amendment – amendment 127 – to create s

The number of significant cyber attacks doubled in the last year despite the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) receiving the same number of calls for support – which highlights the need for greater vigilance in implementing security, write Simon Colvin and Stuart Davey. But the headline-gr

‘Sectarianism’, according to the OED, is an ‘excessive attachment to or identification with a particular religious or political group’: definitions matter, and author Chris Bambery explains contemporary discussions and recommendations in that regard. Mention might also be mad

I recently found myself in the company of a remarkably sensible chap who was singing the praises of his chosen subject: artificial intelligence. Without question, this would change the world forever, he assured me, and we would all be much better off as a result. We were living in a new age. Medical