Catriona Stewart
Herald & Times
One of the best read columnists on The Herald's website, Catriona sees readers eagerly returning to her twice-weekly opinion slots for her fresh takes on everything from politics, both Scottish and UK-wide; feminism; current affairs; and social justice. She is unafraid to challenge the mainstream view such as in her column contradicting the pearl clutching faux scandal of MSP Elena Witham's leaked WhatsApp messages. Not only does Catriona cut straight to the heart of the issue, she raises the problem of unchecked government-by-WhatsApp. A prescient column, given how WhatsApp messages would later come to dominate the political narrative both north and south of the border. The murders of Emma and Lettie Pattison were horrifying. At the same time, the issue of gender self-ID and the case of the rapist Isla Bryson/Adam Graham were knotty, controversial topics prompting debates that were more heat than light. Catriona deftly and sensitively and - most importantly - clear-headedly brings together these topics in a fearless column that challenges, again, the mainstream view. By the time the reader reaches the stunning payoff line they have had their preconceptions dismantled. Mhairi Black is one of Scotland's most well known and popular politicians - but here Catriona picks apart her logic on ageing and discrimination, pointing out the politician's hypocrisies while taking down some other tired old tropes on the way, before again landing a brutal but precise final line. Sometimes angry, sometimes exasperated, often quirky - but always measured - Catriona blends the personal with the political and brings her wide range of experience and expertise to her opinion writing. Catriona was previously described as required reading for anyone who cares about the world they live in and that is the benchmark to which she aspires with every column.