Better a diamond with a flaw than a stone without

In a sign that the by election defeats in England last Thursday have spooked the Conservatives, there are reports that senior figures in the party are calling on Rishi Sunak to consider holding the election in late spring next year, as they believe that this would be the best way to…

Bella Caledonia Anthology

There’s only a box of the second print run of our anthology of fourteen years of writing left. It takes the form of blogs, rants, poetry, reviews, and long-form essays – all a creative mess of expression and ideas from a wide range of some of our best writers and activists. You can watch the […] Source

Box Fresh Scottish Poetry

We haven’t had much poetry for a while so its great to share a new podcast by the Makar and Ally Heather. It’s called Lantern. As the blurb says: “Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather are joined in the Scottish Poetry Library by some of the most talented and vital voices in modern […] Source

Cruising Grounds and Fairy Tales

As runaway climate change alters the physical experience of summer, possibly permanently, people from these shores are navigating how or whether to travel abroad, and some minds are turning to what this means for Scotland. Like in most things we are anywhere between twenty and fifty years too late in our thinking. As Italy and […] Source

The drearily predictable BBC Scotland

On Thursday NHS consultants in England went on strike, the first time that senior doctors in the NHS have taken industrial action since the 1970s. Strike action in Scotland has been avoided, thanks to an improved pay deal offered to doctors by the Scottish Government, which has shown a willingness to…

To achieve a wellbeing economy, practice wellbeing philosophy

Dr Robbie Mochrie is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Heriot-Watt University and a frequent contributor to the National on the Scottish economy.  Achieving wellbeing has been at the heart of economics since Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations nearly 250 years ago. Believing that wealth was the source of wellbeing, Adam Smith explored […] Source