For weeks, the trial of former Melbourne school principal Malka Leifer has played out in Victoria's County Court. But the proceedings were the culmination of years of allegations and legal manoeuvres that spanned the globe.
not only scottish politics, and indeed if the next uk election produces a hung parliament, the snp presence at westminster might yet prove to be a crucial form of leverage for securing another referendum. but the good times didn t last long. alex salmond, sturgeon s mentor, was cleared of a series of sex charges in court. the case caused a rift between the pair that would never heal. there were struggles on policy as well on health, education and on the economy. it is argued that scotland is worse off now than when she took over. recent controversial policies, on gender reform most particularly, prompted claims she had either lost touch with or stopped caring about the public mood. there is all of that. all those problems and more, and yet half of scotland, give or take, is still foursquare behind nicola sturgeon and her vision of an independent future. the problem is, that needle is not