Is a future beyond neoliberalism possible? Justin Reynolds begins a new series of reviews of recent books that seek to imagine an alternative (left) economic and political order.
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Depression, delusion and disorder
One in four adults suffers from mental health problems in any given year; politicos talk of raising awareness and funding. In this searing personal account – “designed with people who are struggling in mind” – Loki tells it how it is/was for him and how hard to find and deal with the truth about himself.
Constitutional generosity is only way forward
A year on from the referendum Scotland remains a deeply divided nation. A revised and expanded Scotland Bill giving the Scottish Government powers to build a socially more just society within a unitary British state – the third unused option last year – could settle matters “for a generation.”
Scottish Government’s greatest financial asset is… student loans
When student loans have become the Scottish government’s biggest financial asset and one in six Scots of working age owes outstanding loan money to Holyrood it’s time to have a serious look – especially when the SG pledged in 2007 to eliminate student debt. Scotland’s leading expert on student finance investigates.
Reshoring Scotland: the case for a manufacturing revival
In announcing her Programme for Government at the start of this month, the First Minister committed to publishing a Manufacturing Action Plan for Scotland in the autumn. But it begs the question: what does manufacturing require that isn’t already covered in the lengthy Government Economic Strategy published only six months ago?
Culture, class and connections in Scotland
Darren McGarvey, aka ‘Loki’, a Glasgow-based hip hop singer/rapper, performer, community activist and writer discusses Scottish culture, how class manifests itself within it and what difference a Yes vote might (not) have made.
A Very British Coup, revisited
A Very British Coup, Chris Mullin’s 1982 thriller about a radical Labour leader brought down by a fearful establishment makes for fascinating re-reading in light of Jeremy Corbyn’s unexpected success in this year’s leadership campaign.
‘Tsunami’ – or the inevitable rise and rise of the SNP
A sympathetic but critical review of Tsunami: Scotland’s Democratic Revolution, the third in Iain Macwhirter’s series of books attempting to map Scotland’s fast changing political landscape where the SNP fortress seems unassailable.
Euclid Tsakalotos, Greece, and the dream of a new Europe
Like his colourful predecessor Yanis Varoufakis, Greece’s new Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos is an economics professor turned politician with a strong belief in the potential of the European Union as a force for progressive change, as our review of his most recent book shows.
‘Radical’ land reform that isn’t
You might be forgiven for thinking that the rules regarding a patch of land north and south of the Anglo-Scottish border do not vary greatly, but in fact they are governed by completely different legal traditions. Malcolm Combe on Scottish land reform.