Political stance
The Record endorsed Harold Wilson ahead of the 1964 general election and supported Labour at every subsequent national election for the next forty years. The paper has taken a much more critical stance towards the party in the 21st century, coinciding with Labour's decline as an electoral force in Scotland.[33]
The paper is a vigorous promoter of Scottish industries and associated trade unions. It was particularly critical of Margaret Thatcher during her premiership and blamed Conservative Party economic policies for the closure of numerous factories, shipyards and foundries throughout Scotland in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Record campaigned doggedly to save the Ravenscraig steel works, a major employer in the west of Scotland, and organised a mass petition of support which was in turn handed in at Downing Street.[34] The plant was ultimately closed in 1992.
Like its sister title the Mirror, the Record opposed the Conservative Party under the premiership of Boris Johnson.[35]
The Record backed Labour's policy of creating a Scottish Parliament, despite opposition from the then Conservative Government, throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The paper advocated for a "Yes-Yes" vote at the 1997 devolution referendum.[36]
The Record was opposed to the Scottish National Party (SNP) and both Scottish independence and urged voters to stick with Labour at the 2007 Holyrood election, which the party lost by one seat.
At the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, the Record accepted the SNP would emerge as the largest party in terms of seats. It called on Nicola Sturgeon to work with Labour if she failed to win an outright majority.[37]
Regarding the prospect of a second Scottish independence referendum, the paper said in a pre-election editorial: "If the people of Scotland vote for parties that support another referendum, that is what should happen."[37]
The Record has campaigned for the decriminalisation of drug use in Scotland since 2019.[38] In several special editions, it spoke to doctors, politicians, academics, recovery groups and former drug addicts, of whom the overwhelming majority advocate treating drugs as a health matter rather than a criminal one. The paper states that criminal convictions inappropriately punish drug users for their addictions, handing down fines they cannot afford to pay or custodial sentences that make their drug problems worse. The paper has also highlighted the use of drug consumption facilities, stating that they encourage addicts into treatment, reduce the amount of heroin needles on city pavements, counter the spread of diseases such as HIV and ultimately save lives. However, it stated that there would need to be changes to current law in the UK, such as decriminalising the bringing in of certain drugs to these facilities, before it would be possible to open and effectively run such facilities. The paper said that the biggest route to progress is through properly funding harm reduction and rehab programmes.[39]
