Issue 68: Is Scottish Local Government Working?

With the local government elections looming we look at the health of local democracy in Scotland

Comment

Scotland is facing a real problem of democracy - local democracy

Proportional elections and the greater freedom of the Concordat should have prompted a renaissance in local government. Peter McColl argues that more must be done if there is to be a transformation of local politics.

Size Matters

Lesley Riddoch and Eberhard Bort compare the genuinely local politics of our near neighbours to the large and remote local authorities in Scotland and find a very clear case for reform

Interrogating Non-Violence

Joseph Ritchie looks at theories of pacifism and non-violence and argues that they are not the same thing as ‘self-policing’ of the anti-capitalism movement which may weaken the message

Imagining a Better Future

Tom O’Hara looks at the origins of socialist utopian novels and their relevance to the left today and argues that while they may seem naive, they at least offered a real sense of alternative

Sects, Thugs and Myths Retold

Patricia Walls offers an Irish-feminist perspective on how the Scots tackle ‘sectarianism’ and argues that academic complacency is simply exacerbating the misunderstanding of the problem

A Year of Voting Against

In a turbulent year for Europe – and democracy in general – Gordon Morgan looks at how voters in the ten EU countries with elections reacted to the events unfolding around them and finds them voting ‘against’ rather than voting ‘for’

This Hugely Hopeful Moment

The Occupy movement points outwards from the mess in which we find ourselves to something better. Justin Kenrick suggests that the Transition movement can be the radical agenda the movement is looking for.

Feedback

From the next issue of Scottish Left Review we will introduce a regular feature page looking at the constitutional debate. Until then, the following are a couple of selected responses to the last issue.