‘Recall the teeth-gnashing of unionists that people were being sold a false prospectus, that ‘real politics’ are what mattered. Indeed so, but people see constitutional matters as the means to better social and economic policy.’
What are we stumbling into?
The Far Right made some big gains in the euro elections as angry voters backed anti-EU/nativist parties. Back to the 1930s? Amsterdam holds lessons
Four Welsh women poets
Then I’ll do the lights, fill the lamp with oil,Get coal from the shed, water from the well;Pluck and draw pigeon, with crop of green foilThis your good supper from the lime-tree fell. Lynette Roberts Poetry has played an important role in the history of Wales. From the medieval courts, to the ongoing National Eisteddfod […]
George Square 1919: no real revolutionary threat?
‘Yet while many continue to play up the revolutionary aspect today, there is no evidence it was anything more than a legitimate demonstration.’
How Scotland’s premier banks crashed the economy: ten years on
To mark the tenth anniversary of the financial crisis, Sceptical Scot’s new series focuses on home-made follies; the extraordinary mistakes made by two once revered and typically prudent Scottish institutions: the Bank of Scotland and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
How The Beano survived war and web to reach 80
‘During World War II, The Dandy and The Beano became important propaganda tools in the fight against Nazism and Fascism. Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göering, and Benito Mussolini were lampooned in each comic, and copies of The Beano were sent to soldiers serving overseas to boost morale.’
How to combat antisemitism and protect freedom of speech?
‘The way forward for people of goodwill who genuinely want to solve the conundrum – combating antisemitism while protecting free political speech – is to welcome the NEC Code as the latest incarnation of a living document that constantly requires work’: Brian Klug
Oscar Marzaroli: Scottish snapper
‘This must surely be one of the most extraordinary collections of photos of 20th century Scotland, and Glasgow in particular.’
Why private alternatives to NHS cost so much more
‘I don’t mean to paint the NHS picture as rosy but, in reality, publicly funded healthcare is more efficient and more equ’itable. The UK is heading for a total health bill of £200bn per annum, but even that is actually great value for money.
England’s southern North
‘Clearly, there are significant variations in economic and cultural output within the north of England. Before our very eyes, a new north-south divide is emerging, within what was previously understood as “the north” itself.’