Politics happens not only between Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, but across them as well. There is a British-Irish and an Irish-British politics, along with growing relationships between state and political actors in Scotland, Wales and parts of England with their counterparts in Ireland North and South. Such relations are built into the three-stranded … [Read more...] about Political change across Britain and Ireland (2)
Local government
Scottish education: genuine partnership or pre-election fix?
It is safe to predict that education will remain high on the political agenda in the run-up to the 2026 Holyrood elections. In recent years, many aspects of educational provision have attracted criticism and all parties will be anxious to claim that their policy proposals will lead to improvements. Among the topics that have featured in hostile press reports are these:the … [Read more...] about Scottish education: genuine partnership or pre-election fix?
Power from the grassroots
2025 is proving a year of huge political and economic significance. We face a daily deluge of announcements, claims, and assertions that challenge much of what we understand of the ‘World Order’. Most of us feel the deluge comes from ‘on high’ and beyond any influence or control that we, as citizens in a democracy, might legitimately expect to have. There is growing evidence of … [Read more...] about Power from the grassroots
Strangled by the purse strings
Eyes are on the UK Budget at the moment, and for good reason, but shortly after that we’re going to see what the Scottish Government lays out in its own budget and, given the scope of devolution, that is likely to have much more of an impact on Scottish public services – especially at a local level. This means that recent news from Shona Robison telling Local Authorities that … [Read more...] about Strangled by the purse strings
Too big to be local
Scotland is one of the most centralised countries in Europe with the largest local councils. The average council has 170,000 citizens, whilst the European average is 10,000. Councils here have fewer powers and are often seen as merely the delivery arm of the Scottish Government. One description is that our councils are too big to be local and too small to be strategic. They … [Read more...] about Too big to be local