In a busy week for Scottish politics, as a subscriber to The Scotsman you were guaranteed at least one thing: you got the news first.

 

Our exclusive interview with Kate Forbes - available, first, only to subscribers - set the agenda not just that day, but for the remainder of the week, as she set out her opposition to same-sex marriage and, later, children outside of marriage.

 

Forbes' socially conservative views were not (or, perhaps, shouldn't have been) a surprise to those who knew her, but still caused a storm in a political environment which has long since reached a consensus on the matters she was raising. She lost some high-profile backers, and the widely-held theory was that her beliefs would not go down well with a young membership motivated by progressive political priorities, including gender recognition. Another Scotsman exclusive - that she had already backed the Gender Reform Bill in Cabinet, before going on maternity leave (and thus missing the vital Parliamentary votes on the matter) - would not, you would imagine, play well.

 

 

And yet. Our exclusive poll last Saturday put Forbes at the top of the rankings. And other polling taken through the first half of the week, as she made her comments to The Scotsman and others, suggested she is growing only more popular among SNP voters. It remains to be seen if, in fact, her undoubtedly principled stand doesn't work in her favour among the small electorate she has to appeal to. We will see.

 

There were plenty of other, important and exclusive stories this week. I was particularly proud of the role our arts correspondent, Brian Ferguson, has played in highlighting the big budget cuts being planned to Scottish arts groups. He had another front page story on Monday - and by Tuesday, the funding cuts had been reversed.

 

It was a great result, not least because the decision saved thousands of jobs. Our arts coverage is hugely important to The Scotsman, and the health of the sector is something we will continue to monitor very closely on behalf of our readers.

 

And, today, we focussed on the first anniversary of Russia's murderous invasion of Ukraine, with World Editor Jane Bradley telling the tale of Adrii Kuslii, who a year ago today worked at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, and who is now Ukrainian consulate for Scotland. She reports his mixture of emotions at being posted - with his young family - away from the fighting, but also separated from his friends and colleagues who face so much danger daily at home.

 

In our Perspective section, we also feature an array of voices, including Joyce McMillan calling for the world to fight Putin, no matter how long it takes, and a demand by three Ukrainian MPs, representing a spectrum of opinion there, but united in their belief that the UN must suspend Russia, or face the same fate as the League of Nations.

 

There is plenty to mull over.

 

To matters a little lighter: this weekend brings the return of the Six Nations on Sunday, as well as the first domestic cup final, between Rangers and Celtic. We will preview both games extensively, with full coverage of the games available just after the final whistles, and into Monday.

 

And don't miss tomorrow's magazine, which features hypnotist and self-help guru Paul McKenna telling you how to beat anxiety. After this week in politics, it might be just what you need.

 

Best wishes,