Jamie Woodcock, Marx at the Arcade: Consoles, controllers and class struggle, Haymarket, 9781642590142 Reviewed by Gordon Morgan This is a fascinating book, which delves into the video games industry in all its forms. It takes us from the original games developed in the 1950s by the US military, through the popular personal computer (PC) and […]
We live in such volatile times that it is distinctly possible that every word of this column will be either irrelevant or out-of-date or both by the time you are reading it. It is Wednesday 28 August 2019, as I am finishing off this piece, and Boris Johnson has just asked the Queen to suspend […]
The politics of Scotland and Britain are about to enter dark days for democracy. A white, ageing and disproportionately male group of citizens, numbering just 160,000 and nearly all from the middle class, are about to effectively determine who is the next prime minister. The concept of democracy has its origins in the Greek language, […]
Willie Sullivan, Jess Garland and Michela Palese on how to fix our broken political system Most commentators seem to buy in to the idea that we are largely governed by consent in Britain. Up until now, it has seemed to matter only a little that this consent is positively granted through the clumsy and cumbersome […]
Paul Cairney argues the Scottish Parliament is fundamental to Scottish democracy but legitimises pluralist rather than participatory democracy A well-functioning and effective parliamentary system underpins a well-functioning democratic system. However, there is no point in pretending that a single body can foster every kind of democracy. Instead, we make choices about the type of democracy […]
Tommy Sheppard argues only an independent Scotland can be the crucible for citizens’ control Democracy means the right to change your mind. Collectively, people can decide to do something, and if it doesn’t work, or they don’t like it, they can do something else. That much shouldn’t be in doubt for the left – or […]
Neil Davidson says knowing fascists from hard right populists is essential in fighting them both The left always risks making two errors when faced with a threat from forces on the hard-right. One, most disastrously realised in Germany during the 1930s, is complacency, ignoring or at least downplaying the genuine threat of fascism. The other, […]
George Kerevan traces the roots of populism to discern its progressive potential How do we build a realistic alternative to BoJo, Farage, Trump et al.? Let’s start by demystifying the term ‘populism’. It was first coined in the early 1890s in reference to the US Populist Party, formed to defend poor farmers against big business […]
Kenny MacAskill says behind the apparent advance lie deep-rooted problems of policy and participation The EU elections were a good result for the SNP but not a great one. For sure winning’s what matters in every electoral contest and it achieved that comfortably which offers profile and momentum. However, this was a poll where it […]
Chris Hegarty says Voices for Scotland can re-invigorate the vitality of civic Scotland in its independence campaign Much is being written about the crisis of democracy, the rise in populism and increasing political polarisation. As a new, civic, grassroots pro-independence campaign that seeks to effect change via democratic engagement, Voices for Scotland has a vested […]