“It’s good to care about something. Whatever way the world changes in the next few years, I hope the infrastructure that makes all of these events possible remains strong.”
Scotland
How the first African American doctor fought for women’s rights in Glasgow
“McCune Smith’s activism showed aspiring African Americans that becoming a professional black physician could be more than simply treating patients. For him, being an expert in medical science also included using his training to fight injustice and inequality.”
Would Scots vote for indy? What’s the question…!
Could the outcome of a second Scottish independence referendum depend on the precise wording of the ballot question?
Rob Ford, Rob Johns, and John Garry discuss three likely wordings and their potential implications.
Infants in care – Scotland’s civic emergency
In Scotland, one in every 85 children born between 2008 and 2017 was in public care at some time before their first birthday, separated from their mothers in their first year of life. These figures are shocking. They raise a basic question no one here seems to be asking: why and why so many?
What does climate change risk really look like?
Time to panic? ‘Climate change scares me rigid’ says Mike Rivington, so all the more reason to act now.
Scotland needs its own currency
‘Post-independence, your plan makes as much political and economic sense as unilaterally adopting changes to the financial regulations of Singapore.’
Sex and gender identity in the 2021 Census
“Given where we are, we think the most appropriate and pragmatic response would be to recognise that both sex and gender or lived identity may be relevant to people‘s lived experiences.”
A question of trust
Auditors in England are under the cosh while the Scottish public audit model wins plaudits. But no room for complacency argues the Auditor General for Scotland
Syrian, Scottish, British
‘I knew I was a citizen when I lost sleep over Brexit, full of regret at not being able to vote. I knew I belonged when I held my baby boy for the first time in a maternity ward in Edinburgh, and when he said his first English word.’
Inequality: Scotland’s unmet Nordic aspirations
Inequality in Scotland is on the rise. “It seems likely that more radical changes, such as significant redistribution of income, labour market reforms and major investment in deprived areas, would be needed to bring Scottish inequality close to Nordic levels.”