Month: July 2022
On Leadership Farce and Tory Debacle
Speymouth
They’ve had twelve years and the country is on its knees. Now they are parading as if they are the solution to the crises they have created on every front imaginable. Takes some balls I suppose. Whether it’s PM4PM, Ready for Rishi?, TiT or whatever awful slogan Liz Truss has come up with, the poisoning […] Source
The broken TV
Speymouth
The Conservative leadership contenders are vying with one another to see which can be the most unpleasantly right wing, like an episode of Britain’s Got Unbalanced. Johnson loyalists are briefing against the insanely ambitious Rishi Sunak, telling the right wing press that the former Chancellor is a socialist. Saying that Sunak…
Closer? Building a Scottish democracy that works
Speymouth
In the latest paper (re) making the case for independence, ‘Renewing Democracy through Independence’, the First Minister argues that there is a democratic deficit in which: “Westminster retains ultimate power – even on devolved matters – and over recent years, as this paper shows, the UK Government has acted to override decisions of the Scottish […] Source
Ten ways the UK Government is undermining Scotland’s devolution
Speymouth
Since the Brexit vote, Westminster has been determined to take back control – of Scotland. It wants to go back to an old version of the power relationship that predates the era of both countries joining the EU. It is tearing up the agreed legal framework that was established on…
The Changing Nature of the American Presidency: From Pre-Democracy to Post-Truth
Speymouth
Iain Dale, The Presidents: 250 Years of American Political Leadership, Hodder & Stoughton, reviewed by Christopher Carman. Why are some presidents considered “great” and others “mediocre” (and some even “complete failures”)? To wrestle with this question, we need to examine both the institution that is The Office of the President of the United States of […] Source
Glasgow’s renowned Ubiquitous Chip sold to UK’s Greene King pub chain
Speymouth
Addressing the democratic deficit
Speymouth
Fundamental to democracy are the abilities of the people to choose their government, and then to hold that government to account for the promises and commitments that it made in order to win power. Additionally, democracy cannot function if people are not permitted to change their minds in the light of…
Scotland’s just transition to net zero is hampered by the Union, report finds
Speymouth
Skyrora: Scotland’s new rocket building facility opens in Cumbernauld
Speymouth
B Corp ‘Best for the World’ list sees ‘disproportionate’ number of Scottish firms
Speymouth
A democratic route to another referendum can’t exist if it’s a secret
Speymouth
How would energy be cheaper in an independent Scotland?
Speymouth
Scotland has huge potential to produce renewable electricity. At the moment, that is constrained by the UK’s energy policy, and also by the outdated, privatised National Grid which has lacked proper investment for years. Last week, National Grid finally laid out plans for the biggest investment in the grid since the 1950s. This £54 billion […] Source
The ‘stars’ of the Conservative Party
Speymouth
British nationalism’s dirty little secret
Speymouth
Just Say No
Speymouth
“The United Kingdom is not one nation. We are four nations” – David Cameron, 2014 Reading Iain Macwhirter in Edinburgh Review 130. It’s largely a homage to Alex Salmond and an obsession with the Calman Commission. But it reminds us of where Scottish Labour were back then. He writes: “…back to the drawing board. The […] Source