Issue 112
Jul – Aug 2019
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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 […]
Back from a women’s delegation to northern Syria in 2018, Sarah Glynn reports on her visit A common defence of liberal democracy is that other systems are worse. Most people’s engagement in the political process is limited to putting a cross in a box every few years, but inability to affect the forces that shape […]
George Reid wonders whether Corbyn is hamstrung by his attachment to the ‘left analysis’ of the EU ‘Blimey, that was us!’ I spluttered, nearly choking on my Sangria. My holiday reading in Spain had been The Alan Clark Diaries, penned by the eponymous enigma who combined ultra right-wing politics, philandering and class snobbery with – […]
Siobhan McCready says it’s time for Leonard’s leadership to be supported not supplanted When Richard Leonard won the Scottish Labour leadership race in 2017, many saw it as a signal we were now firmly on a different path. New activists, enthused by the messages coming from British Labour and Jeremy Corbyn, saw this as a […]
Mike Danson and Geoff Whittam summarise their research on where new local government funding can come from Local government has had the largest cut in Scottish government funding allocations in recent years, bearing the brunt of austerity. UNISON, along with others, has been highlighting the overall cuts and in their ‘damage’ report series have set […]
Pam Currie reflects on the successes of the further education lecturers’ campaign for better conditions Scottish further education lecturers settled a pay dispute in June 2019 after six days of strike action – the only part of the Scottish public sector to take strike action in pursuit of a cost of living pay rise this […]
Jeremy Valentine dissects the destruction of our public universities and suggests what changes are needed to re-invigorate them as ‘public goods’ institutions Even though Scotland’s universities are currently a devolved matter, they are not unaffected by political developments at the British level. For example, following the recent Westminster government commissioned 2019 Augur report on post-18 […]
Niamh McNulty explains why XR Scotland has done what it’s done and what it will still do In April 2019, Extinction Rebellion (XR) launched a week of civil disobedience. It saw roads in major cities closed to motorists and turned into sites of defiance and community, operating as stages for the anger, grief and hope […]
The UN Special Rapporteur Report on Extreme Poverty in Britain illustrates the impact of austerity and a hostile policy environment. But what, Lynn Williams asks, does it mean for Scotland? The Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS) recently held a ‘Community Event’ with Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England (BoE), providing an […]
Bill Bonnar explains the path China is on and the challenges it faces The People’s Republic of China (PRC) celebrates its seventieth birthday this year. It’s moved from being a war-ravaged vassal of western imperialism to the world’s second largest economy. What are socialists to make of this? Analysis is often like this. From 1949-1978, […]
David Watt explains the work of the Socialist Educational Association Scotland Jimmy Reid’s rectorial speech of nearly fifty years ago continues to challenge the role of Scottish education. He spoke of the challenge of eradicating poverty, the place of communities and the negative centralising nature of national governments. He set an agenda not yet attained. […]
Moira Craig says experience of public services for the young would pay democratic dividends One of the most important decisions which we make as we approach adult life is which job we would like to have or which profession we would like to join. No matter which it is, we will expect that it will […]
The Public (2019), writer and director: Emilio Estevez Reviewed by Jackie Bergson With an endearing central performance by Emilio Estevez, who also wrote and directed this independent drama film and with a Hollywood cast including Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Taylor Schilling, Jeffrey Wright and Christian Slater, The Public is bound to reach a broad audience […]
Alexander Trocchi: An intriguing writer Sean Sheehan reviews a number of Trocchi’s key works Glasgow-born Alexander Trocchi was a fiery figure in the British literary world – an editor in Paris, an avant-garde novelist with an internationalist mindset – before he parked himself in a desolate London siding labelled ‘obscure heroin-addicted ex-writer’. With new editions […]
Seldom in recent memory has there been a bigger disconnect between voters and their elected politicians than the current contest to elect the next Prime Minister of Britain. Like the most uninspiring final of X-Factor ever, the Tory leadership race has been whittled down to just two contestants. I never thought this country would ever […]