School will soon be back. Maybe you’re a parent, wondering how your child will cope. Maybe you’re a teacher wondering how you’ll cope. Maybe you’re a policy-maker wondering how the entire education system will cope. Or maybe you’re none of the above – just a concerned, interested citizen. Whichever of these, please spare a few minutes to consider the … [Read more...] about ‘Realising the ambition’ in a time of coronavirus
wellbeing
Better recovery after new divides
History is being made by the hour. The current crisis is era-defining to that extent that we are soon likely to talk in terms of “pre-covid” and “post-covid”. The decisions being made now by those in power will ripple through the years and determine what kind of society we go on to live in. The spread of Covid-19 shines a light on our economy – its inequalities, power … [Read more...] about Better recovery after new divides
Scottish Budget analysis in plainer English
Scottish taxpayers with income below £27,243 will pay less tax in Scotland than they would do elsewhere in the UK, to a maximum of £20.85 per year (or 40p per week)...hardly the biggest tax bonanza ever.The resignation of finance secretary Derek Mackay overshadowed the fourth budget of this parliamentary term, which has led to a healthy increase in the resources available … [Read more...] about Scottish Budget analysis in plainer English
Scotland’s wellbeing: rhetoric and reality
Scotland experienced the joint biggest fall (along with Wales) in the Index of Social and Economic Wellbeing – down five places from 16th to joint 21st. How to measure Scotland’s success? People's quality of life should be as important as economic growth, according to Scotland's first minister. ‘Collective wellbeing’, not GDP, will be the new defining feature of the Scottish … [Read more...] about Scotland’s wellbeing: rhetoric and reality
With age comes…poetry
How to write a prize poem? "There is no formula for winning," says the award-winning poet who will soon be judging the Autumn Voices Over 70 Poetry Competition. She can't remember a timebefore she knew to be careful.No-one told her. She knew.Woman Made of Glass: AC Clarke Anne Clarke, a Glasgow-based poet whose author name is AC Clarke, clearly does know how to … [Read more...] about With age comes…poetry