“The only way to navigate the social media landscape is to make a personal commitment to always try and return to a place of acute awareness of its danger and absurdity.” Loki on the need to take out our digital garbage – and at least be true to ourselves.
young people
Schools: ending poverty and poor performance
Deprivation and poor school performance go together – and have done for generations. If the First Minister truly wanted to start to end this perennial blight on Scotland she would have put John Swinney in charge of equality, not his feckless predecessor Angela Constance.
EIF: greatest arts show on earth
The Edinburgh Festival is upon us again, a three-week spectacular that turns the Scottish capital into the biggest arts destination on the planet. It is in fact a number of different festivals, with the leading Edinburgh International Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe returning for a 70th year since their inception in 1947. From thousands of […]
Yes to indy Scotland in EU, No to Little England
The case for an independent Scotland within the EU just got far stronger. In an updated version of a piece written the morning news of the win for Leave broke, the author explains why he’s switching his vote for #indyref2 – and why the economic case is improved.
Brexit, rage, depression and the young
Why anger among young people at the state of the world is never enough to prompt political activism. Thoughts on the 2016 referendum, the one before and where next.
Widening access with greater borrowing powers
The Scottish Government is keen to stress the role of college-based HE in getting poorer students into degree courses. But it ignores the cumulative effect of cuts to student bursaries over the years since 2007.
Gold standard for Scottish education?
Nicola Sturgeon, we know, has chosen her experienced deputy John Swinney to spearhead improvements to the Scottish education system over the next five years. But, argues an independent school head, writing in a personal capacity, there’s more to fix than the (narrowing) attainment gap.
Commoditising student life
Is this the shape of higher education to come? In Scotland we worry about widening access; in London about being able to afford it all. The sheer cost of student living must act as a deterrent – and turn the entire HE experience into a commoditised service.
Closing the gap via self-directed schools
Charitable trusts would take over East Lothian schools under the author’s plan seven years ago. The idea came to nought. Avoiding the English academy model to close the attainment gap, Prof Ledingham proposes 50 prototype self-directed schools. Here he sets out his plan.
Diary of a social media junky
Social media all too often create a “cacophonous crescendo of confusion” among writers and audience alike. Loki, who’s sometimes sworn to go off it, takes a wry look at himself (and others) as he reaches out to the “community” (?) via tweets and FB posts and the like.