“The Scottish Government faces a tight fiscal environment. These reforms may pose additional challenges to the Scottish economy without offering much in the way of solutions.”
young people
We’re allowing the Far Right to set the pace
The rise of remigration rhetoric in Europe, notably from figures like Alice Weidel, echoes past atrocities, while mainstream political discourse adopts increasingly extremist views. A surge in racism and antisemitism is reported, reflecting broader societal unrest. The liberal left struggles to counter these trends, facing challenges in forming effective coalitions against the far-right’s rising influence.
Labour’s green gaffe plays into Far Right hands
Labour is dumping its £28bn “green prosperity plan” like farmers dumping manure outside the European Parliament: no way to save the planet, modernise the economy, take on the Far Right backlash…
Gulliver’s foot and art’s redemptive power
“One by one aspects of what the CFS did were closed down or were taken back under the aegis of the council. The times changed. Austerity, unemployment, and drugs bit hard here. The Festival Society gradually declined, and so did the sense of community.”
Nanterre and the suburbs: the lid comes off
“Successive governments have used policing to control the population to prevent political turmoil, eroding the legitimacy of law enforcement along the way. And yet, the police are extremely hostile to reform…” – and riddled with racist far right feelings
Eradicating poverty in Scotland: a long way to go
“Relative poverty needs to move down to 18% by 2023-24 to meet this target (and then down to 10% by 2030-31). It goes without saying that there is a long way to go!
Young, gifted and scarred…
As much as a third (32%) of the Scottish workforce isn’t working in the lockdown but it’s the young who are the hardest hit and faces the bleakest future – unless we adopt New Deal-style measures to prevent a “lost generation” being scarred for life.
Scottish children’s mental health crisis
Poverty, neglect, abuse are among factors behind a mental health crisis among our children & young people. A new skills award offers some hope amidst the accelerating catastrophe.
A vote revisited
‘The status quo that brought us to Brexit will not get us out of it. While that time has gone, it is clear a new way of talking about the future was sorely needed anyway, even more so two years on. Meanwhile we are presented with an opportunity: in the breaking down of established common sense comes an opportunity to recreate and redefine.’
A leur façon: the French and pop music
‘This further reinforces a sense of opposition to the system, yet while French rap artists address burning social issues, they incorporate French regard for poetry and philosophy to achieve music more lyrical and subtle than that of their American counterparts.’