Beyond Tribal Politics
Independent journalism and commentary on politics, society, culture, climate and Scotland’s future.
General Election 2015: a clearer view from the window seat
The view from a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet affords clearer insights into at least five crucial global issues missing from the…
Vote SNP, get Brexit
Never has a British general election caused so much concern in Europe. And never has the UK appeared closer to the EU…
Trident: the real political choice on May 7
Opposition to Trident is a vote-winner but Scottish opponents of the submarine-based nuclear weapons system face an acute dilemma in how they…
Landslide, wipeout: FPTP distorts the picture
Talk of an SNP landslide and a Labour wipeout in Scotland on May 7 simply underlines the distorting effects of the first-past-the-post…
Is Scotland the fairest of them all?
Scotland’s supposed moral superiority is too often unchallenged by media and politicians alike. Isn’t it time we took a long, hard look…
NATO’s 2% target out of reach
At times, US frustration with European debates is palpable. But most US leaders understand that while NATO remains the primary framework for…
Nicola’s premature coronation
Smear or swoon. Attitudes to Nicola Sturgeon lurch between the two. The few days since the #leadersdebate on ITV have seen her…
Parliamentary reform: Westminster shows Holyrood the way
Anyone who watched the BBC2 documentary series Inside the Commons would agree that it is not only the crumbling building which needs…
Ending the sterile row over austerity
The differences between Labour and the SNP in their plans for UK government spending and borrowing are much closer to each other’s…
Is Scotland brave enough to support a Fourth Plinth?
Hans Haacke’s statue, Gift Horse, in London’s Trafalgar Square invites questions about power and parliament. Could Scotland’s capital support a ‘fourth plinth’?…
Europe as a debtor’s prison: an interview with Philippe Legrain
Philippe Legrain, Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economic’s European Institute, discusses the ongoing turbulence in the Eurozone in an…
Inequality and the Left: Miliband, business leaders and tax
The Blair governments did a lot to fight poverty, but were famously relaxed about inequality, or more specifically the earnings of the…