Keir Starmer is due to chair the inaugural meeting of the UK government’s newly created ‘Council of the Nations and Regions’ in Scotland this Friday. The summit is due to focus on investment and growth ahead of a much bigger international investment summit to be held in London the following Monday.
Articles
How to fix the Scottish cultural funding crisis?
“Budgets across the creative industries have been decimated by the state of the economy. Micro businesses and creative industries freelancers have borne the brunt of it. I know people in film and TV who haven’t worked all year. And many have left the industry.”
SNP ‘Company Man’ can’t save the party he loves
“Leadership requires a willingness to confront so much that he turned a blind eye to. A decent, able functionary, as Swinney understood when he stood down as leader in 2014, does not have the qualities required to lead a political party, far less to lead a government.”
Ending child poverty – hard facts vs empty promises
“All of this highlights the need for a well-constructed plan, not just pious words and hollow pledges. We’ll have to wait and see whether the UK Government’s Taskforce comes up with something concrete and viable. However, a radical solution, even if proposed, seems unlikely to be seriously followed up on. It’s simply too expensive and not a high enough priority right now.”
Labour’s long addiction to nuclear weapons
The prime minister now controls an arsenal capable of killing millions of people. History suggests it should be scrapped.
The change election: UK and Scotland
“A new, centrist UK government, one acknowledging geopolitical instability as well as the need for change domestically, and holding a large majority, looks pretty enviable to plenty of European and international players. Meanwhile, the SNP in Scotland looks on the ropes. Can it find the energy to regroup and recover or does dynamic change now lie with Labour alone?”
George Orwell and Europe’s new normal
“We once believed that workers’ rights, the green transition and sustainable development were signs of wisdom and modernity. Today these are painted as ideological slogans bordering on madness,” writes Prof Zielonka on the outcome of recent Eurpopean elections.
Are there thousands of jobs at risk in North East Scotland?
“The energy transition does have to happen, oil and gas will decline, and policymakers must look to see how investment can be unlocked in these new technologies to ensure the transition happens in a way that protects workers and communities.”
Going wild: four photos to give you hope
Wild can offer hope. It is about relationships between people and the natural world so it matters what wild means and how it is done.
Can the SNP win on July 4?
“With a cautious, centre-right Labour party offering six lukewarm pledges, any confident, pro-EU, pro-independence, social democrat (if the SNP still is) party should be moving ahead not sinking in the polls. Can the SNP still win?”