A message of hope for Christmas. Prevention is the new focus in efforts to reduce youth homelessness in Scotland via Housing First
Scottish Labour for Radical Democracy
‘We call on the left across the UK to back our demand for a second referendum on independence and to fight with us to secure a radical democracy for all the peoples of these islands.’
Migration is vital for Scotland
Immigration is not the salient issue in GE2019 it was in GE2017 but Scotland’s need for significant net migration is stronger than ever – as Jonathan Portes and Graeme Roy discuss separately here.
Johnson’s toxic illegality
“We call on Mr Johnson urgently to set an example by ending his, and his colleagues’, populist and inappropriate rhetoric and to act from now on to defend, not undermine, our democratic institutions.”
Let children play (and learn) with music
Making music should be a fundamental right of all children from an early age, introducing a series by our new guest contributor, holistic music teacher Abi Rooley-Towle
‘Turbo-charged austerity’ devolved from centre to local councils
‘The Labour councillor’s passion resonates all the more because it is non party political. Voting for cuts to vital services, which will hurt those who most need them, ‘should give none of us any joy or pleasure…from any side of the chamber’.
Labour’s Brexit abyss
What is far from clear is what Corbyn really thinks and wants other than some form of “socialism in one country” outside the current EU or inside a “reformed” EU.
Happy New Year
At the still point of the turning year, Sceptical Scot paused to toast all of you – contributors and readers – the best possible New Year. And a hope that we may all work well together for shared understanding and common purpose in 2019.
Why politicians need to take a bus ride to reality
In his short story, The Nummer 14 Bus, James Robertson evokes the daily struggle played out on a bus ride through Scotland’s affluent capital. It could be a bus ride in any UK city.
Too big to reform? How banks capture the state
‘What we have done is to allow the banks to get away with this scot-free and, in the crisis that was caused, we have made the poor pay for it and we have made them do that through cutting benefits, through austerity, through cutting government spending generally, but also through Quantitative Easing (QE)..’