Abbie Archer makes the case for a radical decentralisation of decision-making to stimulate popular participation Every couple of years, people gather in a variety of places to vote for who will represent them in government. This is, for the vast majority of people, their closest interaction with the public decision-making bodies that rule their lives. […]
Casting a critical eye over the radical left in Scotland, Konrad Rękas ask why they are not more welcoming to migrants Since I first came to Scotland six years ago, I have tried to find answers for two questions which hit me in local politics. First, why native Scots – despite of all their enormous […]
Graham Campbell charts the success of recent anti-racism but says there is still a long way to go I have spoken on TV and radio about statues many times since the death of George Floyd. I have been actively supporting efforts to bring together all the main Black Lives Matter (BLM) organisers of protests and […]
Frances Curran recounts her personal and political experience of coming up against ‘male privilege’ Attitudes towards women’s oppression and sexism have become better understood and have advanced positively in the socialist and union movements since the 1980s when I first became involved in politics. This shift has grown in tandem with changes in attitudes in […]
Heather Farley and Saffron Roberts say there should be a non-gendered type of ideal leadership Abuse of power by leading men has dominated the headlines in Scotland over recent years. Yet, compared to England’s leading men, with Johnson’s ‘letterbox’ comments and Cummings’s Durham trips, you’d be forgiven for thinking Scotland was, relatively speaking, progressive. Yet […]
Jonathan Deans explains the how and why of an unregulated business that gets away with murder What do the movement of heavy commercial vehicles in Kent, court fees for proving the validity of a will, and the definition of ‘commercial pornography’ have in common? They are the subject of draft statutory instruments sitting before Parliament […]
Ahead of the Holyrood 2021 elections, Colin Fox argues all that is solid just might melt into air With less than a year to go until the Holyrood elections, the opinion polls appear to suggest the result is a foregone conclusion. The SNP is at 52% support, according to a May 2020 YouGov poll and […]
Kenny MacAskill considers the case of Kansas to give a handle on those feeling left behind but not left It’s never wise to forget your electoral base, or worse to treat it with contempt. But it’s all too easily done, and it comes at a high cost. That came to mind reading Thomas Franks’ 2004 […]
Nigel Flanagan tells the tale of the subject of the film and the means by which is was made Sat in a room in Hurricane Films in Liverpool, we had come together to talk about making a film about a union leader and who it could be. Our discussion moved onto the film about Thatcher […]
Helen Glancy reports on her work as a carer in the coronavirus crisis and highlights the persistent problems The role of home care is one which is complex, demanding, varied and under-valued. However, since the global Covid-19 pandemic, the world has suddenly realised how dependent society is on this low-paid workforce. At the same time, […]