France is yet again in turmoil after last week's vote by a fractious National Assembly to reject an important part of next year's budget. And the country is now in economic recession. Leading analyst Gerald Olivier reckons there can be no credible plan for a way out, so long as there can be no proper government without an effective majority. And yet, when Emmanuel Macron became … [Read more...] about Les enfants de la patrie – but the enduring trap of populism is not unique to France
Politics
Enough campaigning. Is the next Scottish government prepared to govern?
Fixing Broken Government, a latest report by Professor Jim Gallagher of Our Scottish Future will no doubt be dismissed by some as a partisan attack on the SNP Government. That would be a grave mistake. If the SNP hopes to govern Scotland after next May then this report will be essential reading. There are some senior SNP figures who will recognise the accuracy … [Read more...] about Enough campaigning. Is the next Scottish government prepared to govern?
David Gow’s legacy of friendship
Israel’s biggest security threat: Netanyahu
Over the past two years, Israel has killed over 66,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the vast majority of whom were civilians, including 20,000 children. Tens of thousands more have been wounded, many with life-changing injuries, or are still missing, mostly buried under rubble. This mass slaughter of Palestinians, which a UN commission of inquiry last month found to be a genocide, has … [Read more...] about Israel’s biggest security threat: Netanyahu
Build, baby, build
Ross Greer MSP, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, thinks I'm "super-rich" as the owner of a small (50m2) second home (lodge) overlooking Loch Earn. “All over Scotland people are being priced out of the communities they’ve grown up in, all while tens of thousands of homes sit empty for most of the year. They are being hoarded by a small number of wealthy people who clearly do … [Read more...] about Build, baby, build