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Hi ,
So, Who Runs Scotland?
Scotland is just a year away from its next election, and current polling suggests the SNP could be about to extend its time in power.
It's been a tumultuous few years at the top of Scottish politics. Since 2023, there have been three first ministers, innumerable ministerial changes, the collapse of a coalition and a police investigation into the SNP’s finances
The media circus that surrounds our elected politicians can often obscure the powerful interests that are impacting decisions in Scotland everyday. Often, it seems that power and influence is confined to Holyrood and Westminster.
But who is influencing our politicians? Which business interests are wielding power outside of parliament? Who is running our industries? Who is impacting our environment and climate?
Here at The Ferret, we are interested in those who hold sway both within and outside of parliament’s walls - those who often go under the radar in the corridors of power, without the public accountability our politicians face.
Four years ago, we published our first major series looking at where power lies in Scotland. At that point, Nicola Sturgeon was riding high in the polls, the Conservatives were in control of Westminster, and the world was emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The world has changed unimaginably since then. So we asked you to help us examine who controls the levers of power in Scotland in 2025, and raised more than £11,000 in a crowdfunding campaign.
The result is a new month-long series - Who Runs Scotland - launching this Sunday.
Throughout April, we’ll investigate powerful business interests, lobbying and PR firms, examine the affairs of wealthy Scots wielding influence and delve into the foreign interests that leverage power right here in Scotland.
We’ll look at the multinationals that own some of Scotland’s iconic industries, examine the powerful dealmakers and board members who exert influence on our arts, culture and education, and investigate the tech bros and businesses looking to take control of Scotland’s future - in sectors like AI and space exploration.
We have spent months investigating the issues you said you were interested in, examining sectors, businesses and powerful individuals that often escape the glare of the media.
This project, funded by donations from our readers and members is for everyone in Scotland who is concerned about where the power lies. And we want to make it accessible. So thanks to you, we’re also making the whole series free to read, helping you share our findings far and wide. What’s more, we’ll be sharing key stories about power in Scotland that we’ve already looked at throughout the year.
We’d love for you to be involved, so email us at contact@theferret.scot or message us on social media if you think there’s some influence we should be delving into.
We could not have done this series without your incredible support. We hope you find it illuminating.
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