At 7am on an overcast morning in the north east of Scotland, Peterhead Fish Market is buzzing with buyers who have arrived for the morning sale. Inside Europe’s largest white-fish port, dozens of men crowd round boxes of fish that are laid out in orderly rows running half the length of the building. David Leiper, a sea fish processor, steps outside from the hustle and bustle for a cigarette on the harbour side to discuss the forthcoming EU referendum. A director of Seafood Ecosse, Leiper, is committed to leaving the EU.

On the western peninsula of the Isle of Islay, the Bruichladdich distillery sits on the idyllic shores of Loch Indaal. As the sun reflects off the water on a balmy summer afternoon a number of foreign tourists make their way into the reception to sample single malts and begin a tour of the vibrant distillery. Simon Coughlin, CEO and founding member of Bruichladdich, sits in his office above the gift shop pondering Britain’s membership of the European Union and worries what the future will hold for the business.

Around the parade ring of C&D Auction Marts approximately 30 people watch as cattle filter through the gates, one after the other, to be sold to the highest bidder. The livestock auctioneers and valuers, located on the edge of Dumfries town centre, host their weekly Primestock sale every Wednesday.  A few of the men around the octagonal ring have their heads through the railings, presumably for a better view of the cattle, and make a series of subtle nods and winks towards the auctioneer who rattles through the bidding. The majority of men - and it is nearly all men, in the usual farming uniform of wellies, tweed, flat caps and quilted jackets in varying shades of green - sit in the stands, chatting to their colleagues, as the auction proceeds before them.

On the beach to the north-west of Kos town, bronzed tourists relax on sun loungers while waiters and waitresses ferry them drinks. As they gaze across the shimmering Aegean Sea the Turkish town of Bodrum looks tantalisingly close. Moving south-east towards the harbour, beyond the fishing boats and restaurants, you reach the imposing Castle of the Knights of St John. Built in the 14th Century, the fortress which adorns the entrance to the harbour, was originally designed to keep the Ottoman empire at bay. Ironically, the castle walls now provide shelter for hundreds of Syrian refugees fleeing their homeland. Among the rows of multicoloured tents, improvised washing lines and piles of litter, men, women and children try in vain to live a dignified life as tourists stroll past.

THE mystery surrounding the death of SNP activist Willie McRae 30 years ago has been solved after an investigation by Scotland on Sunday. New evidence has emerged that answers key questions about what happened to McRae, a lawyer and former SNP vice-chairman, who was found unconscious in his crashed car off the A87 near Invergarry on 6 April, 1985. It was initially believed McRae, 61, had been involved in an accident, but when he was admitted to hospital medical staff found a gunshot wound to h

Scottish Labour leaders have privately admitted they could lose a swath of key seats in Scotland after a surge in support for the Scottish National party as a Guardian analysis indicates up to 20 seats are at risk. The analysis examines voting in the September’s independence referendum and looks at how, if there were similar voting patterns in the general election, this could affect the number of seats Labour holds in Scotland – currently 41. Those findings are emphasised by two new polls last

Alex Salmond has provoked a row with Scotland’s council leaders after announcing he planned to ban them from using the updated voters’ register to chase historic poll tax debts. A Guardian investigation has found that 11 councils, including Edinburgh, are planning to pursue unpaid poll tax dating back more than 20 years after 160,000 more people signed up to vote for last month’s independence referendum, pushing Scotland’s electoral roll to a record high of 4.3m. Scotland’s 32 councils estimate