Milne had developed a strong affection for Scotland during the five years of her childhood spent there, and the establishment of the Scottish Parliament following the 1997 devolution referendum gave her an opportunity to return in 1999. She was briefly on the staff of the "Sunday Herald" in Glasgow, before joining "The Scotsman" in Edinburgh. According to an obituary by Iain Martin, for a time her editor at "The Scotsman", Milne did not find the politics of devolution as interesting as she had anticipated, and became interested in the green protest movement, and reported on developments in Westminster.