“Labour’s hopes, when it won the general election, to be in government in England, Wales and Scotland by 2026 currently look off the agenda, not to say absurd. A fractured Labour government and parliamentary party is not well positioned to think about the fractured union that it claims to govern. And a UK government focused on England looks set to continue doing so.”
Why Israel won’t stick to any ceasefire in Gaza/Iran brokered by Trump
“..a core issue for Netanyahu is that his three war aims simply have not been achieved; the theocratic Iranian regime has not collapsed, its nuclear programme can readily be resurrected, and Hamas has survived. All of this means that Israel is likely willing to strike Iran again, already intends to maintain its control of Iranian airspace for months and probably years, and is intensifying its operations in Gaza at a terrible cost to Palestinians.”
Should the Scottish Government fund public interest journalism?
“Don’t get me wrong – the journalists employed by these papers still work hard and do a pretty good job. I would still recommend reading a newspaper over not reading one. But we need to find a way to halt this slow collapse of the media landscape.’
Fiscal challenges for the Scottish Government, Pt 96
The new Medium Term Financial Strategy from the Scottish Government sets the scene for the upcoming Scottish Budget in December and marks a step forward in providing fiscal detail
Make Europe Great Again
Ultra-conservative central European thinkers among others are joining forces with MAGA protagonists to work for the break-up of the EU as we know it
The spending rollercoaster is well and truly back
The Scottish Government says it and Scotland have been “short-changed” by Rachel Reeves but what does the Spending Review mean for us really?
The fragmenting map of Scottish politics
“A disruptive polariser like Reform UK could reshape the system without facing a coherent counterforce. In such a scenario, the rules of the political game are not just changing – they may be dissolving altogether.”
Scottish paradox: a £704m boom on a foundation of sand
“The most striking disparity is gender. For every £100 of investment capital distributed in Scotland last year, a colossal £87 was captured by businesses run by men, who secured 75% of all deals….The disparities highlighted in this report, particularly the concentration of capital in a handful of typically male-led, later-stage ventures and urban centres, risk stifling the very dynamism a healthy start-up ecosystem depends on.”
Are Scotland’s ferries too cheap?
Subsidising tourists to ship their vehicles to the isles is not a good use of public funds
More green energy jobs
“Policymakers must continue to focus on creating competitive conditions for renewable energy to ensure we reap the economic benefits of the energy transition.”
Fox News wins it for Trump
“When the Trump era is over, incumbent Democrats are going to have to repair US institutions that this administration has damaged. If they want to do something about the polarisation of US politics, they may also need to restore the fairness doctrine.”
What tighter immigration controls mean for Scotland
“The Scottish Government faces a tight fiscal environment. These reforms may pose additional challenges to the Scottish economy without offering much in the way of solutions.”
A coalition willing and delivering change
“That’s why – in the middle of tectonic turbulence geopolitically – a progressive coalition that can see off Reform with or without the shrunken Conservatives in its pockets would be the most desirable outcome of Holyrood 2026. A coalition of the ready, willing and able set on initiating reforms that will usher in transformative change and give genuine hope to a disillusioned, alienated people.”
Power from the grassroots
Why improving local democracy is vital: continuing a Sceptical Scot series of analyses from the Mercat Group of the Scottish Government wilful centralisation of power
Making sense of politics in “these islands”
When it comes to the Union: “Big things are happening but, in the midst of change, their shape and significance has yet to become clear. To paraphrase Gramsci, the old order is dying but the new one struggles to be born.”