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After years of talking to ourselves and complaining that no-one is listening, it’s time to assess whether we’re saying the right things, in the right ways
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Say What?
Alex Snowdon argues that the left has been caught up in an insular and obscure dialect that is not shared by the wider world. If we want to communicate, we need to choose our words better
Values and Frames
The left does not always seem to have caught the mood of the public. David Eyre explains how thinking more clearly about values and language can change political debate
The World Changed – Did We?
Since the 1970s the structures of society, the economy and politics changed radically. It’s harder to argue that the left did. Johnathan Shafi makes a plea for us to recognise the need to adapt.
Stop Shouting
Lorna Waite looks at the way the left has engage with the independence campaign and found both reason for optimism and practices we should end. The left needs to re-learn from the non-violence movement.
Do What Works
Robin McAlpine spent 20 years working as a political strategist. Here he makes an empassioned plea for the left to start using the basic practices of political strategy which work for others.
Power in the Darkness
Gerry Hassan argues that mapping and challenging elite power in Scotland is a crucial aspect of questioning our own national myths and moving forward to an alternative
How Maggie killed ‘local’
Gary Fraser argues that the focus on Thatcher’s impact on national politics has disguised the lasting impact she had on local government - one that continues to take the democracy out of local hands
What’s Left of Planning?
Planning and governmental attitudes to economic development have turned planning processes into a sideline of the neoliberal project, argues Andy Inch. We need a rethink.
Citizen Smith
The appropriation of Adam Smith by the right is a travesty of his writing. Bill Wilson, recently catching up on the Wealth of Nations, argues that he is closer in spririt to the Occupy movement.