Beyond Tribal Politics
Independent journalism and commentary on politics, society, culture, climate and Scotland’s future.
Data centre mania: Scotland should learn from the past
How to control the new gold rush in Scotland? Ray Perman takes the long view of disruptive technology – history can point…
Can social care be fixed? Five experts react to the latest promise
Social care presents an even greater challenge than the NHS. It is more fragmented, operates with fewer resources, and levels of digital…
Burnham and the limiting politics of growth
While Andy Burnham sets out to cut the cost of living, John McLaren confronts reality: how political priorities obstruct meaningful growth. Not…
In Gaza football is more than the beautiful game
For these kids, it is so much more than the beautiful game – it’s connection, it’s joy, it’s release, and it’s just…
Why Norway plays more freely than Scotland
Norway didn’t win but getting to the quarter finals was a huge achievement for a country of just over 5 million people.…
Warnings are not enough. We are what we feel
The gap between knowing and doing is not a gap in our technical capability. It is a gap in human imagination.
A new government of bold reform. Or more psychodrama?
“He has an ambitious agenda and vastly more tools of government but he will need support from across the UK” James Mitchell
‘A great William Wallace risen in this man’
One commenter calls the attacker “a GodDamn hero.” Charlie Ellis analyses local online responses to the Edinburgh incident that made national news…
Demographic crunch (3) Scotland’s fertility gap
How to close the gap? It’s clear that Scots are not raising as many children as they want – or expect to.…
Demographic crunch (2) Scotland’s ageing population
How to meet the cost of an ageing population? Government already spends significantly more on pensioners than they pay in taxes, and…
Scotland’s demographic crunch: Part One
Any plan to improve Scotland’s economy and public services is not credible if it doesn’t include hard-headed thinking about the nation’s demography.
Manchester v Glasgow
Glasgow might not be miles better, but Jackie Kemp says it has important lessons for Andy Burnham if he becomes Prime Minister