The Dating Game

The aftermath of last week's Scottish elections has raised questions of when Nicola Sturgeon should go for indyref2 and has seen the Tories scrambling to deny the mandate pro independence parties have to call one. 
The Conservatives have been tying themselves in ever increasing arithmetical knots on this while folk like ProfessorJohn Curtice and Roz Foyer of the STUC say that there is an unequivocal mandate.
We look at all this and the quandary Anas Sarwar faces being squeezed from both sides. Does the future of Scottish Labour depend on his decision?
Meanwhile at Westminster the Queen's Speech,once again, revealed the direction of travel of the UK under the Johnson government.Silence on his oven ready comprehensive social care plan but plenty on compulsory voter ID. A solution to a problem that doesn't appear to exist and one which looks very like voter suppression. Plus the repeal of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act. Putting this together with the kicking of the opening of the  inquiry into the UK government's handling of the Covid crisis until 2022 it looks like it's a 2023 General Election.

Away from domestic matters the scenes from Israel and Gaza have been appalling. We try and give some context to what the media have,in the main, referred to as clashes and tensions. We also focus on the central role the new Biden administration should have in resolving not only the current situation but also forwarding the two state solution abandoned by Trump.

Back home the Craig Murray sentence for contempt of court has,rightly, been a focus of attention. We dip our toes into the murky waters of jigsaw identification ,the decision of who to,and not to, prosecute,and sentencing policy.