Who performed best at the STV leaders’ debate? Did you watch the latest Scottish leader debate last night? During an early feisty exchange on independence, it was the Scottish Labour leader who most successfully put across his case for the domestic agenda and it was a stark contrast to the “you just can’t” response from Scottish Tories leader Douglas Ross when asked whether Covid-19 recovery and independence could run in tandem. Read how Conor Matchett reviewed the performance of every party leader How wealthy is Scotland? In our opinion section today independent economist John McLaren asks, just how wealthy is Scotland? Mr McLaren argues: "Scots are entitled to ask why, in only a decade, their country has moved from being the “sixth richest in the world” (John Swinney, 2011) to one which lags so badly behind comparable countries that it needs the equivalent of Google’s global output to bring it back into contention" Mr McLaren compares Scotland to its oft cited Nordic neighbours and wades into the debate about how much money we truly make from North Sea. Read the full analysis and have your say in the comments section here. The key dates announced today for socialising, pubs and restaurants We had some news to cheer about yesterday. Nicola Sturgeon accelerated lockdown easing in Scotland, with some travel restrictions lifted and more people able to meet up outside from Friday. This will mean finally people will be able to visit loved ones in other council areas. Here are the key dates and changes to be aware of More specialised newsletters We're increased the number of specialised newsletters we offer. Scotsman politics: The latest Scottish political news and analysis from inside Holyrood from our specialist writers direct to your inbox (twice a week) Opinion: Expert analysis and agenda-setting opinion from our team of columnists with insight from our comment editor (once a week) History and Heritage: Features on Scottish history, heritage news, nostalgia and archive picture galleries (once a week) Sign up to any of these for free right HERE. | 
