‘It will simply not be sufficient for the UK Government to highlight risks with independence. The status quo itself has important policy challenges, whether that be the economic costs of leaving the EU Single Market or the economic effect of limits on immigration.’
Longer reads
TIAA: a global American invades Scotland
‘If subsidizing a rich US corporation amounted to an abuse of Scottish revenues, arguably it is even more serious that the government and local council forfeited their impartiality as planning authorities by buying into TIAA’s deal. They may even have breached EU State Aid rules..’
A shift in business thinking?
‘The most technologically savvy generation in history – the ‘Zoomers’ – are about to join the workforce. They have different priorities, one being better stewardship of the planet. Building a better future depends on embracing the positive.’ But there are negatives too…
Policing the gender identity debate
‘managers need to recognise that both sex and gender identity may be relevant to people’s lives, and to factor both into policy-making decisions. In this way, it should be possible to balance fairly the interests of everyone, in the least discriminatory way possible.’
Scotland’s climate emergency
‘Perhaps most of all, the importance of setting out a stable long-term environment for investment will be the most effective policy that anyone could set. It will also require international cooperation, both in terms of connectivity, R&D and investment.’
Scottish democracy: role of citizens’ assembly?
Citizens’ Assemblies are fundamentally an innovative structure for engaging with the public that are characterised by two key features that differentiate them from our more well-established ways of involving the public in the work of government: First, the participants are randomly selected to be broadly representative of the population at large (i.e. this is not […]
What are Citizens’ Assemblies good for?
‘…as good as citizens’ assemblies are, they are not a ‘silver bullet’ and politicians should consider carefully whether one is actually beneficial before committing to such a process in relation to a particular issue.’
It was like the Titanic – or was it?
Media coverage of ‘risky’ events can be out of all proportion to real danger – but some risks, like Grenfell, tragically slip under the radar. Dominic Duckett examines the impact of amplified risk.
Economic justice requires a democratic revolution
‘If a future UK – or its consciously uncoupled constituent countries – is to transform itself into a democracy, then it’s imperative that the rules of that state are written not by the politicians of any one party, but through a process which itself is seen as legitimate, democratic, and plural.’
Scottish grassroots resistance gives reasons to be cheerful
Carol Craig finds reasons for hope in an upsurge of Scottish grassroots activism and cross-party collaboration. It offers a chance of rebuilding local democracy – as long as it remains free to challenge central government.