Beyond Tribal Politics
Independent journalism and commentary on politics, society, culture, climate and Scotland’s future.
ChatGPT, you’re fired!
“The quotes were generally ideal, exactly what I was looking for, so I searched a little harder. But after fouterin for literary…
Impartiality and public service media
“It (BBC) also bends with the political wind, especially where—as on refugees—Labour is too cowed to offer any challenge to the dominant…
SNP leadership election: what about indy in Europe?
“there is still time for the three candidates to set out a serious, substantive case on their perspective on independence, as well…
Taking the border out of politics
David Torrance looks back on the first UK constitutional referendum – the 1973 N Irish border poll. “As Prof James Mitchell has…
Are Europe’s independence movements dead?
“With neo-autonomism becoming increasingly exhausted, the most likely trajectory is that the ERC and the SNP drift towards becoming parties that are…
Why Labour should adopt a two-stage approach to Lords reform
“The House of Lords plays an important part in our national political life, but it is undermined by uncontrolled prime ministerial appointments,…
Will the Assembly of Nations and Regions fly?
“If the purpose of a second chamber of the nations and regions is to bind the devolution settlement together, engagement with key…
Prospects for future fiscal devolution?
“Are current fiscal powers optimal for managing day-to-day and longer-term risks? And do the devolved administrations have the right tools to manage the…
Scotland’s currency options under independence
“The transition to full use of a S£ would take time, with high use of the UK£ within Scotland even once the…
Isla Bryson: a trauma-blind response in prison
The Bryson case reveals a long-standing tension in Scottish prisons policy between gender self-identification principles and trauma-informed care. For the best part…
Can Scotland enjoy a ‘velvet divorce’ from UK?
Looking back on the Czech/Slovak divorce 30 years ago, a US political scientist sees no precedent: “The SNP might interpret a general…
Should Wales leave the UK?
“He explores the various sorts of visions to which independence supporters aspire—socialist, enterprise-driven, republican etc.—provocatively querying what happens if on arrival at…