The Tories introduced the 50% strike ballot threshold to make industrial action harder. MATT WRACK argues that a Labour government has no justification for leaving it on the statute book
THE Scottish media is, naturally, dominated by the death of Alex Salmond. His life makes good copy: a stellar rise to almost achieving independence in the referendum of 2014 as leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland to a prolonged fall.
First, he announced his resignation as leader of the SNP and first minster immediately after the failure to win the referendum and then in 2020 he faced a criminal prosecution on charges of sexual assault.
The jury returned not guilty verdicts on 12 charges and a not proven verdict on a charge of sexual assault with intent to rape.
Scotland's Labour leader cannot continue to evade responsibility for the party's decline, argues LAUREN HARPER
Can Andy Burnham’s programme deliver a productive economy – or merely a softer version of capitalism, asks VINCE MILLS
The new Scottish Parliament looks set to continue a cycle of managerial tinkering while public services face the axe, writes STEPHEN LOW
On the release of her memoir that reveals everything except politics, Sturgeon’s endless media coverage has focused on her panic attacks, sexuality and personal tragedies while ignoring her government’s many failures, writes PAULINE BRYAN


