Magazine
HOLYROOD MAGAZINE IntroductionHolyrood magazine is Scotland’s leading political and current affairs magazine designed entirely with the purpose of reaching Scotland’s key movers and shakers with its award winning and thought provoking editorial.The magazine is read by the country’s key legislators and is distributed to all Scottish parliamentarians, civil servants, Scottish Government agencies, political parties, all 32 local authority chief executives and top tier management teams as well as individual departments, trade unions, health boards and trusts, educational organisations, academia, commercial high flyers, voluntary organisations and non-governmental bodies. Holyrood magazine is the most widely read publication amongst MSPs, according to independent research by IPOS Mori. Almost 34 per cent of our readers perceive it to be of greater influence than any daily newspaper - 63 per cent believe that the magazine is either essential reading throughout or offering something unique while 32 percent read articles and features relevant to their areas of interest.The magazine is packed with the most up to date information, advance intelligence, interviews and profiles which provide an insight into the personalities involved in the decisions affecting you and your organisation. The new political landscape The Scottish Parliament election in May changed the political landscape. The SNP succeeded in being re-elected with a substantially increased majority, gaining 23 seats while Labour lost seven. We are now entering the fourth term of Parliament led for the first time by a majority SNP Government. The SNP intends to build on its established “team, record and vision” strategy. First Minister Alex Salmond has laid out six areas of policy change where he believes there is agreement across the parliament “to a greater or lesser extent”: increased borrowing powers, devolution of corporation tax, control over the Crown Estate in Scotland, receipt of excise duties (and, related to this, minimum pricing of alcohol), digital broadcasting and a stronger say in European policy. With its majority, the SNP can now also fulfil its pledge to hold a referendum on independence. Salmond has indicated that this would be held towards the end of the current Parliament. Debate will centre on the terms of the referendum and exactly what ‘independence’ will mean.You and your organisation now face the challenge of how to deal with this sea change in Scottish public administration – including a larger Cabinet, new portfolios and 48 new MSPs - and how to stay one step ahead of the many others vying for the attention of these all important new audiences. Holyrood offers our advertisers and commercial partner’s unrivalled access to the audience of decision makers in Scotland. We have a solution for all of your policy affairs and corporate communication problems whether as a stand alone proposition or as part of your public affairs campaign or contact programme. Read on.Holyrood magazine is the fortnightly insiders guide to understanding the complexity of Scottish politics, policy developments and how business and non government organisations are affected. Holyrood magazine is widely regarded as the leading publication for political news and information in Scotland. Staunchly independent in its reporting and opinions the magazine is not tied, in anyway, to a political party or point of view, Holyrood magazine is written with style, force, intelligence and wit communicating vital information with clarity and insight. Holyrood seeks to make complex ideas and issues accessible and enjoyable allowing our readership to evaluate their impact on Scottish civic society. Award winning The quality of our award winning content is widely recognised within the world of journalism and is quoted regularly in the Scottish press and broadcast media. Recent awards: Columnist of the Year 2010
Mandy RhodesHolyrood Feature writer of the year 2009: business & professional
Katie Mackintosh Holyrood Feature Writer of the Year 2008: Business & Professional Katie Mackintosh
Holyrood Feature Writer of the Year 2007Rory Cahill
Holyrood
Columnist of the Year 2007Mandy Rhodes
Holyrood
Editor of the Year 2006: Business & ProfessionalMandy Rhodes
Feature Writer of the Year 2006Mandy Rhodes
Holyrood Writer of the Year 2004: Business & ProfessionalRobert McNeil
Holyrood Magazine
MAGAZINE CONTENT Inside Track
The features pages at the front of the book reflect the big debates of the day along with the editor’s regular political profile.
Special report – sponsored led subject.Interview – editor’s profile with a major political figure.Focus – in-depth feature focusing on the issue of the day.Insight – in-depth feature which tends to stem from current legislation. OpinionMcLeish – Henry McLeish is a former First Minister of Scotland and writes an erudite column every issue on mainly justice mattersCurtice - Professor John Curtice is Scotland’s foremost political commentator and he writes about political trendsSillars – Jim Sillars was a former trade unionist, Labour defector and high-profile SNP MP and writes about everything from the Middle East to Middle England.RegularsEditors Note
Mandy’s fortnightly ‘Editor’s Notes’ column has become essential reading for the body politic and is regularly quoted by politicians within the Scottish Parliament and beyond. Tony Blair’s former spin doctor, Alistair Campbell, has described her column as insightful and provocative and the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon David Cameron, has given her plaudits for being ahead of the game on both responding to the financial crisis but for also recognizing the benefits of coalition at Westminster. He recently said: “Co-operation across the political divide may be new to Westminster, but for Scots it is not. Which brings me to another conclusion that Holyrood’s editor reached in May. “Maybe,” she wrote, “this new politics could really work.” And I agree with her sentiments because it’s in all our interests to make sure it does.Mandy’s skill lies in her ability to never be predictable in her line of attack. In a concise, insightful and original manner she manages to construct a well researched and pithy argument within the limited space allocated that sets the tone for the rest of the magazine and reveals her fiercely independent state of mind. News
Holyrood magazine consistently breaks exclusive news stories that are frequently picked up in the more mainstream media and is often used as a vehicle by politicians to ‘float’ blue-sky thinking.
Letters
The letters pages of Holyrood reflect the high-level readership and frequently plays host to letters from well known political figures and key decision makers. The content reflects the current political debates.
Diary
Holyrood’s tongue-in-cheek diary pages have become one of the first and most well read of the magazine with irreverent pokes at key political personalities and the ‘spotted’ feature which basically just lists who has been seen where but has become something of a cult feature.
Last word
Rab McNeil is a well know satirical political commentator who takes a regular swipe at our respected elected members.Tracker
While Holyrood magazine has a broad appeal for anyone interested in politics and current affairs it also has a core audience of public affairs professionals and parliamentary officers who require more detailed legislative tracking. Holyrood magazine dedicates at least 10 pages per issue to the business of the parliament covering business in the Chamber as well as individual committees and cross party groups. The content for this section is compiled by the editorial teamPortfoliosUnique among Scotland’s media, Holyrood magazine has a full team of specialist writers dedicated to covering health, education, justice, local government, environment and the economy. Our award-winning journalists combine analysis of legislation with reporting on the people and organisations directly affected. HEALTH PORTFOLIO
Health has been a defining issue for the Scottish Parliament in its first ten years - from the very first Act of Parliament, the Mental Health (Public safety and Appeals) (Scotland) Act; to flagship policies such as the introduction of the smoking ban and free personal care, and event the recent brouhaha over proposals to introduce a minimum price for alcohol, Scotland’s young Parliament has shown it is not afraid to court controversy when striving to improve the health and wellbeing of the Scottish population.The NHS in Scotland faces a number of health challenges in the years to come; not for nothing has Scotland been dubbed, ‘the sick man of Europe’, and the residents of Holyrood recognise that shaking off the moniker will be no mean feat. In addition to a mounting pressure on services from persistent public health challenges such as smoking and alcohol misuse, we must also pay urgent heed to the impending demographic time bomb that is expected to see our over 85 year old population rise by a staggering 144 per cent in the next 20 years, and begin to shape our services accordingly to ensure they stand ready to meet the increasing demand. Clearly, Scotland has a lot to prepare itself for; and all within a context of squeezed public sector finances. Health is an emotive issue – it also commands roughly a third of the total Scottish Government budget - and so it is unsurprising that it has been the source of some of Holyrood’s most impassioned and heated debates.
However, ultimately, these fiery exchanges are driven by a common ambition to achieve a healthier and fairer Scotland, with MSPs mindful of the fact they are taking decisions on an issue that is of profound importance to each individual in Scotland. Holyrood magazine’s health portfolio pages have responded to a thirst for more specialist knowledge about the deliberations of Scotland’s Parliament.Our award winning health correspondent, Katie Mackintosh, keeps readers up to date with all the latest news and policy developments, providing thought-provoking and insightful analysis of all the key health issues in Scotland. Since joining the Holyrood magazine team in 2005 Katie has shown her versatility and enthusiasm to tackle a wide range of topics, from end of life care to public service reform to eHealth. She became the magazine’s Health Correspondent in 2008 and has already placed her unique stamp on the health portfolio making her articles compulsory reading for policymakers and health professionals alike. Holyrood’s health portfolio pages have featured interviews from across the Scottish Government, including: Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon; then Public Health Minister Shona Robison; Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Harry Burns; then NHS chief executive, Dr Kevin Woods; past and present Chief Nursing Officers Paul Martin and Ros Moore; and Chief Dental Officer Margie Taylor. Other interviews have included: then Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, Professor Alice Brown; Children’s Commissioner Tam Baillie; chief social work inspector, Alexis Jay; Care Commission chief executive Jacquie Roberts; BMA Scotland chair, Dr Peter Terry; RCN Scotland director, Theresa Fyffe; RCGP Scotland chair, Dr John Gillies; Sir John Arbuthnott; and Lord Stewart Sutherland; Whether analysing the minute detail of government policy, interviewing Cabinet members and experts in their field, or giving an overview of the bigger picture, Katie’s writing is topical, instructive and adds to the wider political debate. EDUCATION The education pages of Holyrood are an integral part of the magazine’s offering. Since the dawn of devolution education has been one of the most dominant issues in the Scottish Parliament.
Flagship policies like the abolition of upfront tuition fees in 2000, the scrapping of the graduate contribution in 2007, and the introduction of a new curriculum in 2010 have set Scotland apart from the rest of the UK.
Commanding around 8 per cent of all public spending and, according to an Ipsos Mori survey, featuring amongst the top three issues of concern to Scots, it is hardly surprising that from class sizes to university funding, education lies at the heart of political debate in Scotland. And as devolution enters its next phase, education is set to remain centre stage. In a tight funding climate, higher education finance has come squarely under the spotlight. Teachers’ terms and conditions are up for reform, together with the vocational training landscape and the model of school management in Scotland.
Indeed education is central to many of the major challenges facing Scottish society in the years ahead, from early intervention to economic recovery.Holyrood’s education pages provide comprehensive coverage of these issues.
Through interviews with key players Education Correspondent Cera Murtagh reveals the insights of those at the centre of Scottish education and training. These figures have included government ministers like Scottish Education Secretary Michael Russell as well as sector leaders such as Glasgow University principal Professor Anton Muscatelli. Cera has also delivered the perspectives of international educational experts including Professor Richard Teese, Rapporteur for the 2007 OECD review of Scottish education, Eric Booth, international arts education expert and adviser to President Obama’s Musicians National Service Initiative and pre-eminent economist and higher education commentator Professor David Blanchflower. Furthermore she has brought readers profiles of controversial figures in the sector such as Katharine Birbalsingh, the outspoken teacher who lost her job after speaking out about school discipline at a Conservative Party conference. Through in-depth features Cera also offers sophisticated analysis of current policy developments from university funding to curriculum reform.
Since joining Holyrood in 2008 Cera has made the education portfolio her own, making it compulsory reading for anyone with an interest in education in Scotland. The fact that our education articles have been directly quoted by Scottish politicians on numerous occasions is testimony to this. As a current affairs magazine, Holyrood’s readers seek to be informed about politics and public policy in a way that is accessible and engaging. In exploring education issues from a political perspective, the education portfolio pages address these interests. As such they contribute to the overall aim of the magazine, to provide informative analysis of Scottish politics. JUSTICE Justice is one of the most emotive areas in politics and in Scotland it has been the source of some of the biggest controversies since the devolved Parliament was established. The last administration’s decision to release Abdelbaset Al Megrahi – the only man ever convicted of the Lockerbie bombing – put the Scottish legal system and values under the international spotlight.
Since the creation of the Scottish Parliament, a number of landmark decisions have been made – including a revamp of rape laws, drives to cut anti-social behaviour and a move away from short-term prison sentences in favour of community-based punishments.
The country’s justice system has not had its troubles to seek in recent years, however, and rulings in the Shirley McKie fingerprint scandal and Peter Cadder case have underlined the captivating nature of this portfolio area.
Holyrood’s justice pages compliment the diverse scope of the portfolio area with reportage covering everything from policing, prisons and civil liberties. As well as looking at law and order domestically, the magazine regularly examines developments in Scotland’s relationship with the UK Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.Interviews with key figures in criminal justice and home affairs appear regularly in the magazine. These have included Scotland’s Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, who has steered a number of high-profile and controversial policies through the Parliament since taking up the position in 2007. Lord McNally, the Justice Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Lords, spoke to Holyrood and described why he thinks some prisoners should be given the right to vote.Shami Chakrabarti has for several years been one of the Britain’s leading exponents of human rights and in an interview with the magazine she urged Government Ministers to transform immigration and asylum policy. Award-winning columnist and author Erwin James, who has used a past life of crime and the experience of prison for the good, was interviewed and outlined why he thinks rehabilitation is key to slowing the revolving door of Britain’s jails.John Vine was a former Chief Constable of Tayside Police and has since become chief executive of the UK Border Agency. In an interview Holyrood he described how Scotland is leading the way on DNA.Justice Correspondent Ross Reid writes news and features on the key issues shaping justice policy. Before joining the magazine in May 2010, an interest in human rights law took Ross to America’s Deep South, where he volunteered for six months with the legal charity Reprieve, which provides support to prisoners on death row.
ENVIRONMENT Once a concern of the few, environmental issues have now broken through into mainstream politics bringing with them green opportunities for Scotland that were unimaginable just a few years ago. As Scotland strives to lead the way on the green economy, Holyrood is at the forefront of in-depth coverage with our environment portfolio pages. Reflecting the increasing demand for information about the sector, the environment pages are the magazine’s newest portfolio addition. Since September 2010, features covering everything from biodiversity to green entrepreneurship have become a regular fixture and portfolio interviews with some of the most prominent politicians, academics and campaigners have opened up a whole new arena for communicating ideas. The last Parliamentary Session proved to be hugely significant for the environment, with the Climate Change Bill laying the groundwork for Scotland’s approach to tackling climate change for years to come. A Bill that would have been unimaginable back in 1999 when the Parliament first opened managed to attract cross-party, unanimous support in the Chamber ten years later. There was also unanimous backing for tough climate targets of a 42 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and an 80 per cent reduction by 2050, making Scottish targets the most ambitious in the world. The past four years saw the Scottish Government make huge efforts to promote Scotland’s renewable energy potential on the world stage, with the first annual Scottish Low Carbon Investment Conference held in 2010 bringing together important players in the financial and energy sectors across the world. There has also been progress made on the coordination of a Low Carbon Strategy, raise public awareness of what needs to be done to help tackle climate change and work toward a zero waste society. But there is much more to be done. Over the next Parliamentary Session, Holyrood will continue to offer analysis of legislation, strategies and policy proposals and bring objective and informative articles to our readers in the environment sector and beyond. Since the environment pages began last year, they have featured interviews with the most influential people in the sector including Professor Jacqueline McGlade, executive director of the European Environment Agency, Dr Andy Kerr, director of the up and coming Edinburgh Centre on Climate Change, Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland and David Kennedy, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change. There have also been interviews with big hitters from other sectors coming round to greener ways of thinking, most notably Lady Susan Rice, managing director of Lloyds Banking Group, Bill Aulet, managing director of leading US business school the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Entrepreneurship Centre, Kenneth P Morse, founding MD of the MIT Entrepreneurship Centre and member of President Obama’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Professor Peter Cameron, director of the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy at the University of Dundee. Holyrood has built up a thorough understanding of the sector and the exciting opportunities it presents. In her role as Environment Correspondent, Lynne Whitelaw has kept an eye on events at a Scottish, UK and European level, getting to grips with how legislation from the three institutions interacts – a vital element of understanding how environmental policy is made. Hugely enthusiastic about the sector, Lynne fully realizes how important the green economy will be for Scotland’s future. She is also aware that, for some at least, environmental issues remain outwith their personal concerns and considerations; with informative, accessible and interesting articles, she hopes to win a few people over. BUSINESS Holyrood’s business pages track the changing fortunes of Scotland’s economy and profile the people and businesses that are making an impact. In-depth analysis combined with interviews with key players in the private and public sectors, as well as budding entrepreneurs, keep readers informed of important trends and highlights exciting developments.Scotland's annual average GDP growth has been well below that of comparable small European countries and significantly below the UK average over the last 30 years. Growing the economy was the last Scottish Government's principal aim. Its strategy was to focus public services on “creating a more successful country with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.”The immediate target was to raise Scotland’s GDP growth rate to the UK level by this year. Five strategic priorities were set – to boost learning, skills and well-being; create a supportive business environment; improve infrastructure; make government more effective; and to broaden equity in the economy.
The SNP Government has argued that greater responsibility for economic, fiscal, employment and competition policy should be devolved. Scotland should have a greater say in Europe and – the party’s talisman – responsibility for oil and gas reserves in Scottish waters. Needless today, it had got short shrift from Westminster on these matters. Even last year’s Labour-inspired Scotland Bill, in which the Scottish Parliament would take charge of half the income tax raised north of the border, faced delays because of the UK Government’s plan to merge income tax and national insurance.The Scottish Parliament election in May 2011 changed the political landscape; now pressure is on Westminster to accelerate increased borrowing powers and devolve control of corporation tax and the Crown Estate in Scotland.The Scottish Government’s economic ambition, like that of many developed nations, was blunted by the financial crisis that occurred not long after it took office. In the autumn of 2008, it published its economic recovery plan. Council tax had already been frozen and business rates relief introduced for small businesses. Existing resources were diverted to activities that were expected to support economic recovery and the Government received permission from the Treasury to bring forward £346m of capital spending from this year. Today, it says that Scotland can now reflect on a recession that was “both shorter and shallower than the rest of the UK.” But next year, the Government’s budget is being cut by £1.3bn, including £800m in capital spending. Its revised recovery plan has focussed on making Scotland attractive to growth companies and a number of significant investments have been secured from leading companies including Amazon, Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe, Ryanair as well as joint initiatives between PetroChina and INEOS.
It is also encouraging the growth of indigenous companies. Emphasis is being placed on sectors with the potential to drive future growth; renewable energy, life-sciences, creative industries, financial services and sustainable tourism. And investment is being aligned towards new international growth markets, such as China and India.Recent interviews with key figures include Anne McColl, the new chief executive of Scottish Development International, John McLelland, former IBM vice-president and now consultant to the Scottish Government on ICT and public sector procurement, Elizabeth Wells, the CBI's head of public services reform, Heidi Roizen, former Apple vice-president and Edinburgh University entrepreneur-in-residence, David Grevemberg, chief operating officer of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and Lena Wilson, chief executive of Scottish Enterprise.Holyrood’s business coverage is read by business leaders, CBI and FSB members, angel investors and entrepreneurs, enterprise agency executives, and trade organisation officials. Business correspondent William Peakin was previously a freelance reporter for UK national newspapers, based in Glasgow, before being appointed assistant editor (news) at Scotland on Sunday. He subsequently became Scotland editor of The Sunday Times and deputy editor of The Scotsman. During a period living in France, he also wrote cover features for The Sunday Times Magazine and contributed to Conde Nast publications.
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