Susan Dalgety

Why Edinburgh Labour should not do a city deal with the SNP

I am writing this on the road, heading to Salzburg, then Slovenia, so my main source of political intelligence is social media. It would appear the 12-strong Labour group of councillors in Edinburgh are considering joining 19 SNP councillors in a coalition to run the city council. Now I am not against coalitions per se. I […]

by Susan Dalgety

Remembering 1 May 1997: Things can only get better

1997 was a vintage year. I met Eric Cantona. I saw Bowie at the Barrowlands. I got married. Oh, and on Thursday May 1st, Labour won a landslide victory, ushering in thirteen years of a Labour government, ten under Tony Blair. Twenty years after that sunny day, when things really did get better, it is […]

by Susan Dalgety

#GE17: A chance to tell Nicola Sturgeon we’ve had enough

#GE17 is a chance for Scots to tell Nicola Sturgeon they have had enough of her nationalist obsession.

by Susan Dalgety

Corbyn doesn’t work for Labour

My recent column in the The Scotsman where I argue Jeremy Corbyn is the wrong leader for the Labour Party. Two political leaders gave big speeches earlier this week. One, at the end of his career as an elected politician, was graceful, thoughtful, optimistic for the future of his country. The other was Jeremy Corbyn. […]

by Susan Dalgety

Better together: my dream for my grand-daughter

These are my remarks that I gave today at the Scottish Women’s Convention’s debate on the independence referendum. Thanks to the audience of great women, from across Scotland, who made it such a lively, passionate event. In a few week’s time my grand-daughter will be born. I want her to grow up in a country […]

by Susan Dalgety

Madiba: one of the greatest men who ever lived

There will be many words written about Nelson Mandela over the coming days and weeks…indeed in the years to come. There is nothing I can write that will add to what we know, or feel, about the man who showed us all how to live, how to govern, how to be a human being. I […]

by Susan Dalgety

That was the week that was

It has been a momentous week. Robbie Williams’ new LP became the 1,000th number one in the album charts Nigella Lawson’s life was ripped apart, again. And Scotland’s First Minister, and his faithful deputy, published their prospectus for breaking up the United Kingdom. Scotland’s Future is 670 pages long. And every one of those pages […]

by Susan Dalgety

Two invitations in one day

I got not one, but two, invitations today. Most unusual. The first was to speak, with my new comrade Kate Higgins, at the Women in Parliament dinner next week. I immediately said yes, even though it meant rearranging a trip to Leeds to spend time with my husband. I may not be in frontline politics […]

by Susan Dalgety

A woman’s place is in the Scottish Parliament

A week late, but you might still be interested in this piece that Kate Higgins and I wrote for the Scotsman. http://www.scotsman.com/news/comment-walker-by-election-can-be-watershed-1-3087740 And good luck to Cara Hilton, Labour’s candidate for the Dunfermline by-election. She will make a great MSP.

by Susan Dalgety

Okay, so it’s my birthday

I share a birthday with Sean Connery, probably the best ever Bond and one of Scotland’s few global icons; Jim Wallace, one of the UK’s nicest politicians and Elvis Costello, the best singer British songwriter alive today. So, what have I achieved in my first 57 years… Well I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Probably […]