Flashback. Five days before the Iran war, I’m on my way to chair a round table discussion about the gaps in Glasgow’s social narrative, the human stories missing from the city’s self-knowledge. I’m a little apprehensive, aware we might stray into sensitivities expressed during my preparatory conversations. Instead, the event revealed something altogether different. As the … [Read more...] about Inside the Wall of Death, a wealth of human kindness
Culture
‘A shambles and a disgrace’ – saving Scotland’s High Streets will take more than the market (Part 2)
The decline of Princes Street and Sauchiehall Street is no isolated Scottish tragedy; it's a pattern replicated across the UK and beyond. Why? In Part Two Charlie Ellis seeks answers beyond the market. Structural Explanations for High Street Decline Andrew Neil’s market-focused prescription [in Part One] is widely contested. Many commentators and academics point to deeper … [Read more...] about ‘A shambles and a disgrace’ – saving Scotland’s High Streets will take more than the market (Part 2)
‘A shambles and a disgrace’ – why have Scotland’s high streets declined? (Part 1)
Andrew Neil blames a "national scandal" of local government failure and incompetence, others argue the rot goes much deeper. In a two-part series for Sceptical Scot, Charlie Ellis explores a complicated landscape: “not just a story of bad councils, it's a collision between old-school market beliefs in a modern world of hollowed-out authorities and changing global shopping … [Read more...] about ‘A shambles and a disgrace’ – why have Scotland’s high streets declined? (Part 1)
What are we stumbling into? Reasons for hope and fear again.
This post, inspired by the Stolpersteins ('stumbling stones') of Amsterdam, attracted some surprising (to me) comments when it was first published in April 2019. I am reposting now for two reasons. Fear of 'the other' has grown – in Scotland as elsewhere. But, more hopefully, '"Scotland’s first Stolperstein was unveiled in Edinburgh on the pavement outside the former St … [Read more...] about What are we stumbling into? Reasons for hope and fear again.
Beyond the Binary: how progressives risk aping the radical right in Scotland
'The long-held belief that Scottish politics is relatively immune to these forces now looks dangerously complacent, especially in the context of Reform UK's strong polling ahead of the Holyrood elections.' Charlie Ellis explores how the populist right exploits local grievances, and warns that some progressive voices risk adopting the same binary logic. The Complacency … [Read more...] about Beyond the Binary: how progressives risk aping the radical right in Scotland