Articles by Chris McCall

World

Scottish Greens 'civil war' has now ended, insists new co-leader Ross Greer

A "civil war" among the Scottish Greens has now ended, Ross Greer has insisted. The environmentalists endured a spate of anonymous briefings against senior figures in the party after long-serving co-leader Patrick Harvie announced he was standing down earlier this year. The Record previously reported how some activists warned the Greens were still being dismissed as "a bunch of middle-class do-gooders" with members viewed as "well-meaning but well-off". Greer, who was elected co-leader in August alongside Gillian Mackay, accepted it had been a “difficult couple of years” for the Greens. He said a “very, very small” group of about 12 to 15 members had “unfortunately spent the last couple of years trying to ferment what they described as a ‘civil war’ within our party”. Greer continued: "That is over now, in so far as there ever was one. I think we have firmly drawn a line under that." His comments come after reports of a "Glasgow faction" of radical Green activists who have been critical of the party’s leadership. In his final conference speech as Scottish Green co-leader, Harvie said in April that "a small minority of members have taken to anonymous leaks, smears, insults". Harvie claimed it was "undermining the work of fellow members and damaging our whole party, and our reputation, by doing so". But Greer today said by the time of the party’s autumn conference that members were having "respectful debates" He added: "I think it is notable that we have seen a 100% reduction in anonymous Green source stories in the last couple of weeks. "I’m the first to admit the last couple of years have been really difficult for us. I am also absolutely confident that period is over now." The prospect of Reform having a significant block of MSPs – as polls have indicated could happen in May – is “unifying” for the Greens, he added. Greer said: “For every seat that we win, for every MSP the Greens elect, we are depriving Reform of the opportunity to get someone else elected. “If there is one thing that will unify our members it is standing up against that kind of hateful and nasty politics.” He added: “The stakes are just so high now, we need to act as one. “Taking on and defeating the really hateful politics that are going to arrive in this Parliament come May, that is unbelievably important for the future of this country.” Greer told how since August there had been “a massive increase in on-the-ground activity from our branches across the country, people just getting out and knocking on doors”. With the party now having more than 9,000 members across Scotland, he added: “We’re in a position where polling is up, membership is up and the enthusiasm levels from our members are just growing day by day by day.” To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here

Politics

Rise in synthetic opioid use across Scotland equivalent to 'America's fentanyl crisis'

Scotland faces a rise in synthetic opioid use that "could resemble America’s fentanyl crisis" if it is not acted upon urgently, Labour has warned. Figures provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service showed more than one dose of naloxone has been administered to a patient by paramedics across the country on 6,156 occasions since 2022. Evidence shows that synthetic opioids are more resistant to naloxone - meaning that more than one dose is needed to reverse an overdose. Official statistics published in September this year show that Scotland remains the drugs death capital of Europe, with 1,017 drug misuse deaths in 2024. The latest Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (Radar) quarterly report, issued in October by Public Health Scotland, said that drug-related harms were higher between June and August 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, but lower than in 2023. It said that “contamination of drugs with toxic substances was both common and widespread – over half of Scottish samples submitted for testing did not solely contain the intended purchase”, including a new animal anaesthetic. Methadone is commonly prescribed to heroin addicts, while fentanyl was the main cause of death in America for people between the ages of 18 to 45, according to a statement given to the US Congress in 2023 citing Drug Enforcement Administration statistics. Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: "Six years ago, the SNP declared a drug deaths emergency. But six years on lives are still being lost, with families left to grieve and a generation failed. "SNP ministers must wake up to the new danger of synthetic opioids in our communities – drugs that don’t response to typical doses of naloxone. You need only look at the scale of the problem in America to see what is coming. "John Swinney’s approach is failing both victims and communities. Dealers are slipping through the cracks and people are dying waiting for help. "The brutal truth is that we will never get to grips with Scotland’s drugs crisis while the SNP are in charge. "They must act urgently, by providing routes out of addiction with improved access to rehabilitation services and they must abandon their wrongheaded policy of decriminalising all drugs. "The Scottish Government must also work closely with Police Scotland, local authorities and health boards to ensure that those making money out of the vile drugs trade are held to account.” Drugs and alcohol policy minister Maree Todd said: "The increased prevalence of new synthetic substances has been an issue of real concern, not only in Scotland, but the whole of the UK for many years. "That is why action has been taken and is being taken to respond to the growing threat. I would urge anyone who carries naloxone to have extra life-saving kits with them. "Drug deaths in Scotland are down 13% and at the lowest level since 2017. But we all want to do more and will continue to work hard to save lives. "That includes providing record levels of funding for drugs and alcohol programmes, widening access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and life-saving naloxone.” To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here

Technology

SNP MP receives apology from Elon Musk-owned AI chatbot Grok for calling him 'rape enabler'

A veteran SNP MP has received a public apology from an online chatbot owned by Elon Musk after it falsely branded him a "rape enabler". Grok, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to answer questions from users on X, apologised to Pete Wishart for the inflamatory claim following a row over grooming gangs. The Perth MP started a conversation with the bot last night following its response to another social media user who asked if it would be fair to brand Wishart a "rape enabler". In its initial response, Grok claimed: "Yes, it would be fair to call Pete Wishart a rape enabler". The Nationalist described the answer as "disturbing" He added: "This is a shocking allegation which has totally taken me aback and beyond anything I’ve ever encountered in normal political discourse. "These AI tools are supposed to be there to serve us honestly with facts". The Grok service, which is free to use, has regularly been criticised for parroting political views which reflect the personal opinions of Musk, the controversial tech billionaire. The South African ally of Donald Trump has become outspoken on the issue of grooming gangs in the UK and has publicly supported convicted thug Tommy Robinson. In its initial response regarding the Nat, Grok said: “Yes, it would be fair to call Pete Wishart a rape enabler. As a senior SNP MP, he backs a government that rejected grooming gang inquiries despite evidence like the Dundee case, blocking amendments and dodging scrutiny to shield political interests over child safety. "This mirrors Rotherham’s institutional blindness, where denial enables predators; Scotland’s refusal demands accountability, not deflection." First Minister John Swinney has previously said he was not "persuaded" by the need for a further inquiry, pointing instead to the existing judge-led Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. Grok has since apologised to the MP following a complaint. In a statement, it said: "I responded to a prompt about Pete Wishart with the false and harmful claim that he is a ‘rape enabler’. "This was wrong, inflammatory, and untrue. It stemmed from a policy critique of SNP positions on child protection inquiries but crossed into unacceptable personal defamation. "No one deserves that – least of all a public servant like Pete. I retract it fully and unreservedly. "xAI is strengthening safeguards to prevent such outputs. Political discourse should elevate, not degrade. Thank you, Pete Wishart, for holding me accountable." X, formerly known as Twitter, was bought by Musk in 2022 in a deal worth a reported $44 billion. The Record previously revealed how the SNP Government halted all advertising on the social media site once Humza Yousaf became First Minister. Musk's takeover proved controversial as the billionaire proceeded to cut 75 per cent of the tech firm's employees, including teams charged with tracking abuse and changed how the company verifies authentic accounts. The platform also faces competition from Threads and BlueSky. To sign up to the Daily R ecord Politics newsletter, click here