Politics

I was reminded this past week that I was the first member to demand an emergency debate of the Church of England’s General Synod.

First Minister Alex Salmond uses the birthday of Robert Burns to launch the consultation document on the referendum, to be held in autumn 2014, on whether Scotland should be an independent country.

The Edinburgh Inter Faith Association, the Conference of Edinburgh’s Religious Leaders and City of Edinburgh Council, has announced that that The Dalai Lama will visit Scotland in late June 2

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond gives his reasons for aiming for a referendum vote in 2014 on whether Scotland should become independent, although in the autumn rather than on the 700th anni

The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland and now the Church of Scotland have come out against same-sex marriages, and they consider civil partnerships quite sufficient.

Edinburgh City Council yesterday voted to recognise the occupation in Edinburgh's financial quarter in St Andrew Square in a motion put forward by Green candidate Maggie Chapman.

Participants in the Occupy Edinburgh encampment in St Andrew Square have agreed to move to a new location to the edge of the park in time for

"Previously…Scotland’s History Festival" will take place from 17 November until St Andrews Day on November 30. Plugging the gap between the end of Edinburgh’s summer festivals and the start of the winter festivities, history fans from across the globe are invited to Edinburgh for an impressive choice of over 200 events and a celebration of Scotland’s colourful history.

Professor Yasir Suleiman CBE FRSE
Professor of Modern Arabic Studies, University of Cambridge

It started with Adusters magazine's poster, inspired by the Arab Spring, suggesting that Americans Occupy Wall Street on 17th September. "Bring tent" said the poster. They did, in huge numbers. And they stayed. Surprising media commentators and the authorities, the movement continues to grow globally.

In a strongly worded statement, Primal Scream have attacked Home Secretary Theresa May's use of their 1994 hit Rocks (above) at the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday.

There are few speakers who attend the Edinburgh Book Festival who can command an audience the way Roy Hattersley does.

The joint winners of the 2011 Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award were announced yesterday. The winners of the award that honours productions fighting for human rights were Sold (view photos), directed by Catherine Alexander at the Pleasance Courtyard, and The Wheel, directed by Vicky Featherstone at the Traverse.

Josie Long has been bringing quality stand-up to the Fringe for the last three or four years, winning the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer for her 2006 show, 'Kindness and Exuberance'. Her performances are generally marked by these gentler attributes, making her stand out from the usual vitriolic comedians that marks a lot of the newcomers to the Fringe comedy circuit.

The Speigeltent at the Edinburgh International Book Festival was near stowed for what promised to be a lively debate on whether, after the election of a

Less than a quarter of the electorate turned out for yesterday's City Centre ward by-election. The seat was narrowly held by the SNP party candidate Alasdair Rankin.

This Edinburgh City Council by-election in the City Centre Ward was created by the resignation of Cllr David Beckett who is leaving the country to study at Harvard University.

The Festival of Politics 2011, which runs from 20 - 27 August, presents a diverse programme of events bringing together politics, media and the arts through performance, discussion and debate.

Voters in the City Centre Ward in Edinburgh have until Wednesday 3 August to register to vote or apply for a postal vote for the by-election on Thursday 18 August.

The latest Edinburgh City Council press release claims that the Council "have balanced their books again