For Scottish Democracy
‘Democracy’ is a term that has become tattered and bandied about, it has come to inhabit a similar terrain to words like ‘family’, ‘fairness’, and ‘aspiration’. Democracy in our times has become like… Read More
Monthly Archive: September, 2011
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Beyond Centralised Power
In any new constitutional settlement it is vital that the question of how we are governed at the local level is addressed. If it is not, then independence may simply mean the perpetuation of national elite rule.
Changing Scotland, 4th-6th Nov, at The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool
Based at Jean Urquhart’s world famous Ceilidh Place, ‘Changing Scotland’ is a twice-a-year gathering of minds in Ullapool which brings together thinkers, activists and creatives for a weekend of ideas, debate and culture.… Read More
The Invisible Occupation
Direct from Liberty Plaza…the protest the MSM’s silent about: As a double dip recession becomes a not so distant probability the world is reminded of that fateful moment in August 2008 when the… Read More
Is Ed a Robot?
Ed Miliband’s brave new dawn turned out to be a regurgitation of Blairite orthodoxies. But a more worrying issue about our Cicero Rouge is the fact that he appears to be a robot.
RBS – Really Botched Sponsorship
Activists dressed as ‘oily bankers’ protested outside the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) sponsored Scottish Low Carbon Investment Conference in Edinburgh this morning. Friends of the Earth Scotland continues its new harder line… Read More
Trader tells the Chilling Truth of Amoral Capitalism
“The Collapse is Coming…and Goldman Rules the World”
For So Long As 100 Remain
After digging around in the shed we’ve unearthed a bundle of 100 copies of the first issue of Bella Caledonia (from October 2007), long thought to be completely out of print. If you’d… Read More
Program or Be Programmed
Douglas Rushkoff expounds on his new book “Program or Be Programmed’. Rushkoff is an American media theorist, writer, columnist, graphic novelist and documentarian. He is best known for his association with the early… Read More
Scottish Labour’s Ratner Moment
Jimmy Reid began in the Communist Party, moved to Labour but ended up in the SNP. Latterly, whichever party he was in, he was fond of saying that ‘the rat race is for rats.’ But would he recognise the Labour Party today, or is it as Tom Harris says just less crap than the others?
Organising the Precarious
First of a series on precarity An excerpt from a lecture delivered at “Towards a Vision of Sexual and Economic Justice,” an event held on November 29, 2007 at Barnard College. The full… Read More
Cybermen v Cybernats?
By Mike Small Alan Cochrane of the Telegraph has written that: “This commentator once, foolishly as it now turns out, suggested that Mr Murphy, a recent past Secretary of State for Scotland, might… Read More
This is What (World) Democracy Looks Like
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 66th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York: (thanks to Luther Blissett)
Beggar Nation
Is describing your own country as racists and beggars a good way to win over popular support? Ask the Labour Party in Scotland?
Québec and Scotland in the same sentence
By Jean-Francois Joubert I am sometimes asked why as a Quebecer I should be so interested in Scotland. Honestly, it seems like a natural thing to me. The individual Scots I have met… Read More
Bella Review
What are we reading at the moment? Each month we’ll be publishing a series of book, film and music reviews. If you want to write a review articles or send us books or… Read More
