James Mitchell decries the lack of local power in local government and advocates radical reform. Somewhere along the way, debate on how Scotland should be governed splintered and narrowed. Perhaps, the roots of the splintering lay in separate Royal Commissions on local government and the constitution in the 1960s. There was certainly overlap in the […]
Ellie Harrison outlines how progress is possible. This year’s local elections are set to become the battle for our buses. New powers – which we fought for and won in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 – will become available later this year. These include the power to re-regulate private bus companies for the first time […]
With the local government election on 5 May 2022, we asked a number of left candidates from different parties to tell us why they are standing and what they hope to gain from doing so. Each party was given 600 words to do so. Alba was given its opportunity in the Jan/Feb 2022 issue. Scottish […]
Stella Rooney critically assesses what the parliamentary pact is about and what is has delivered and not delivered. Following last year’s Scottish Parliament elections, a green and yellow alliance between the SNP and Scottish Greens was forged. Working towards the aim of a ‘Greener, Fairer Independent Scotland’, the shared programme for government contained significant gains […]
Patrick Phillips looks at a new way of transcending our system of endless economic exchange ‘There appears to be a sort of war of giants and gods going on amongst them; they are fighting with one another about ‘being’…’ (an ancient Greek teacher, cited in Heidegger and the Death of God by Duane Armitage (2017)) […]
We are pleased to published further poems by David McKinstry and David Bleiman. Cult of Career By David McKinstry Have we paid too dear For the cult of career? Are opportunities past For new friends and Wider horizons to caste? Are we too worn To change our way? Must we dole out Our dull day? […]
Nadia Lucchesi is an artist, illustrator and printmaker and has delivered bright and bold covers for Scottish Left Review. After many years, she has decided to hang up her ‘easel’, so this is a good opportunity to publicly thank Nadia for her work and to speak to her about her work. Her website https://www.nadialucchesi.co.uk/ provides […]
Scottish Left Review interviews Neil Findlay about a new project to bring capacity building skills to progressive community campaigners Neil Findlay left the Scottish Parliament in May 2021 after 10 years of being a Lothian list Labour MSP. With two others, he has now set up the social enterprise called Unity Consulting (https://www.unityconsulting.scot/). Neil was […]
Kenny MacAskill issues a rallying cry for those dispirited and disillusioned with the submissive and subservient SNP The local elections this May will be challenging for Alba but are equally a great opportunity for a still fledgling party. The mainstream media blackout imposed in May will likely continue but the party is growing in membership […]
Colin Kirkwood argues against the replicating of centralised systems of government under independence In the 1960s, the Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, developed a concept he called ‘limit situations’, which he believed can evoke ‘limit acts’. Limit situations are experienced initially as blocks in people’s lived reality and which seem insurmountable like walls. But as their […]