When was the last time you heard the shouts, squeals and laughter of young children as they ran, jumped, climbed, built dens, made mixtures and played ‘Let’s Pretend’ in their local neighbourhood? Sue Palmer of Upstart Scotland makes the case for outdoor play
Longer reads
How RBS was shredded: Part One
‘We don’t care if customers are made to suffer, as long as we save our skins,’ continuing our tenth anniversary series, Ian Fraser translates ‘banker-speak’ as Royal Bank of Scotland desperately struggled to survive a record-breaking pre-tax loss of £691 million in 2008
Lloyd’s losses paid by ‘mass casualties’
In the final extract from Hubris: How HBOS Wrecked the Best Bank in Britain, Ray Perman counts the costs – born by the mass casualties who were (and still are) the casualties of the world’s worst financial crash. And what happened to those at the top?
How Lloyds swallowed HBOS hook, line and sinker
‘I think the deal stinks’ said one Lloyds shareholder. ‘A lot of people will lose their jobs’, said the former Bank of Scotland CEO. No-one foresaw the full and lasting cost of Lloyds rushed takeover of HBOS in September 2008.
Life savings lost in HBOS crash – Apocalypse Now: Part 2
Who has paid the cost in the HBOS crash? Inside HBOS, staff earning £15,000 -£18,000, who were also shareholders, were watching their savings evaporate. Ray Perman continues the story of a banking disaster unresolved to this day.
A Scottish teacher’s Brexit journey across Europe
The bike suits her as a way to get around, supporting an injured ankle and allowing her to travel independently under her own steam. “I’m really loving the travelling. I’m comfortable with the rhythm of it, the self sufficiency and transient friendships of strangers meeting.”
A pedestrian’s view of the Edinburgh Art Festival
‘Despite its closes and little streets, for locals Edinburgh does not often afford itself to hidden gems. Very rarely does it come up with something you haven’t seen before, or at least not heard of; seldom is there such a thing as a pleasant surprise that isn’t pre-booked in advance’: a meander through the festival art galleries
Scotland be bold on climate change
Gaps between rhetoric and delivery reveal urgent need for joined up thinking in Scotland’s plans for tackling climate change: ‘Scotland must cut emissions to zero by 2050. Increase the 2030 target to 77% and, crucially, commit to actions on integrated policies to make that happen.’
How to combat antisemitism and protect freedom of speech?
‘The way forward for people of goodwill who genuinely want to solve the conundrum – combating antisemitism while protecting free political speech – is to welcome the NEC Code as the latest incarnation of a living document that constantly requires work’: Brian Klug
Brexit, devolution and local government
‘One thing is clear – the days of a neat division of powers between UK, Scottish and local government are gone. Brexit will paradoxically make these multilevel dynamics very much like those of the regionalised states in the EU27,’ the bead of COSLA office in Brussels writes.