Category: Articles

  • Devolution returns to Northern Ireland

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    “…there is no room for any future withdrawal from government by either veto-holding party, and if that happened, temporary steps to overcome the veto would need to be considered. Issues of longer-term institutional reform may now have slipped down the agenda. But they will have to be dealt with at some point, and a more…

  • The plot to kill the BBC

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    “What we have is smoke in mirrors designed to weaken the BBC’s independence, cow its journalists, and ripen it up for dismemberment and eventual sale to the highest bidder. It’s short-term electoral politics and strategic long-term weakening of a once great British institution.”

  • Starmer can’t afford to be cautious

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    Labour “is caught between the public policy need for bolder action and an even more sober presentational approach than that of 1997.  Bold policies are not incompatible with sober campaigning.  But sober campaigning may not excite and mobilise support,” says Prof Mitchell, arguing the case against ultra-caution.

  • Alarming death toll in the Scottish wilds

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    “Scotland could lead the way in pioneering legislation that protects all animals, domestic and free-living. This legislation should begin with the recognition of sentience and enshrine in law the value and dignity of wild animals such that their right to live unmolested is respected.”

  • Labour’s road to victory runs through Scotland?

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    “Labour once again is seeking a middle road in its pursuit of power, both north and south of the border, attempting to be the grown-up in the room, offering a coherent, united proposal, while its political rivals turn their focus inward. However, this middle way remains challenging, and while Labour’s prospects in the post-Sturgeon era…