Issue 61
Nov - Dec 2010
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In issue 60 of Scottish Left Review we put forward a set of proposals for changing Scotland over the next three years which we called Agenda 15. In this issue we asked a number of people to give us their response to what was in it, including responses from the First Minister, MSPs and PPCs in the up-coming election.
In the last issue of Scottish Left Review we published a programme of action for starting the transformation of Scotland into a more equitable, more sustainable and more rewarding place to live. The proposals were realistic and in many cases new – and yet predictably the mainstream media ignored it and the UK continues to […]
Iain McWhirter looks at the media and policy response to the economic crisis and argues that while there may be some bias, this simply means the left must raise its game. Why does it always take mayhem before the media takes notice? The student demonstration on 10/11/10, which was overwhelmingly peaceful and good humoured, marked […]
We wrote to a range of the people who will have the power to implement the proposals put forward in Agenda 15 to ask for their reactions. We wrote to leader of all the centre and left-of-centre political parties in the Scottish Parliament. We wrote to an current MSP in each of the parties. And […]
The Scottish Left Review has produced Agenda 15, a programme of action designed to aid transition from the current crisis in public policy towards a fairer, more sustainable and more effective Scottish society. It proposes a range of actions which can be taken in the Scottish Parliamentary term between 2011 and 2015. Everything proposed is […]
If the case for university fees really stands up then the case holds for almost any public service. Isobel Lindsay argues that there is a much more important vision for the future of Scotland’s universities. Why are we continuing with free secondary education? Seven years of primary schooling are surely sufficient to ensure that pupils […]
Doug Bain was an active participant in Scottish Left Review Editorial Board meetings up until his untimely death last month. Here, in one of the last things he wrote, he responds to an attack on the relevance of left-wing politics published in the Scotsman. I read your article with interest. However I have to say […]
The impact of ‘reputational management’ leaves us all in need of protection from the ideologies of neoliberalism, argues Chris Holligan. The maintenance of reputation by universities and individual academics through the metrics of league tables and the knowledge objects called ‘outputs’ has taken a high profile in recent years. For this reason it is timely […]
For 50 years trade unions have been arguing that proper provision of childcare is central to improving the lives of many workers. As Ann Henderson shows, progress is simply not fast enough. Good quality, accessible childcare is an essential component of our society today. There is a shortage of places, with demand far outstripping supply, […]
The publication of Tony Blair’s memoirs has once again sparked off public interest in Blair’s legacy. Gary Fraser explores why Blair continues to dominate politics today and ponders the biggest question of all, why did he invade Iraq? If a poll were cast tomorrow to find out who is Britain’s most unpopular person there is […]
Continuing our series on the post-crash political situation in other countries, Giannis Banias explains how the focus on the violent street protests in Greece have been used to disguise the real political terrorism of the IMF. There is more than one side to the crisis today’s world is facing, financial, social, cultural and political, a […]
The New Old World by Perry Anderson Verso, £24.99 – reviewed by Daniel Wylie The world has never seen anything quite like the European Union before. More than an international organisation or an alliance of states, yet less than an outright federation (let alone a classical nation state); repository of the most enthusiastic hopes of […]
Is there anyone else out there who finds it difficult to swallow the cover story for preferring to go ahead with the new UK aircraft carriers? Namely that it would cost more to cancel the contract than to fulfill it. On environmental costs alone it must make sense to break the contracts and pay everyone […]
LITTER SHORTAGE PANIC – NOTHING FOR POOR TO PICK UP I’m not a betting man but I now wish that back in May I had put a five-pound treble on Anne Widdecombe becoming a reality TV star, Boris Johnston being leader of the opposition and the Lib Dems performing a U-turn on tuition fees before […]