So much of our music, art and literature, though magnificent, is miniature. The wonderful wee works of a wonderful wee country. Not in this case: here is a seminal work of almost American amplitude and range. If it is not quite the great Scottish novel, at least it wants to be, is, valiantly and undeludedly, a contender.
One thing is for sure with regards to electoral systems – no one has yet discovered a perfect mathematical solution capable of satisfying all of the factions presenting themselves at elections. I got involved in the early nineties in preparing a response to Raymond Plant’s report on behalf of the Labour Party on electoral reform. […]
Events in North Africa are moving so quickly at the moment that all of this may seem like some quaint historic document by the time you read it. At the time of writing, Gadaffi is still holding on to power. Watching the last gasps of Gadaffi’s regime is a bit like watching videos of the Rolling Stones on their last world tour.
Issue 62 of the Scottish Left Review explores what is being done to organise resistance to the impending cuts agenda and what more we can do.
In recent years we have seen the British State at work abroad and we think we are familiar with how it operates when it establishes itself in foreign lands (although few of us can really appreciate what the horror of this work looks like abroad).
Trade unions may not yet be the public face of resistance to the cuts in Britain, but it is not too late. By building on the start made by students and anti-tax avoidance campaigns, Mark Serwotka argues that the unions can seriously challenge the cuts agenda.
Martin Sime argues that the voluntary sector can play a major role in resisting cuts which affect the most vulnerable, but that the left must take a more thoughtful look at the issues faced at the margins of the state. Will voluntary organisations be in the vanguard of those resisting the cuts? And what, exactly […]
The managerialisation of local government means it is fanciful to imagine it will resist the cuts like it did in the 1980s. But Vince Mills argues that this does not mean the battle is over. There is, according to military pundits, always a danger that we fight the wrong war, in the sense that we […]
Stephen Smellie argues that trade unions must run a political campaign and not just seek to protect member interests, which means reaching out beyond the unions. But he warns that this may not be as easy as it seems. All across Scotland Councils, Health Boards, non-departmental public bodies and community and voluntary sector organisations are […]
If the Scottish Parliament uses its tax powers successfully, it loses money. If it doesn’t use its tax powers successfully, it loses money. Given that Jim and Margaret Cuthbert already pointed out this serious flaw, why is it still there? The Scotland Bill, which is intended to implement many of the proposals stemming from the […]