Let the People Lead

By Jean Urquhart I am more and more convinced that we need to raise awareness of having a written constitution for an Independent Scotland. We live in one of only Continue reading →

The Law of Unforeseen Consequences

By Mike Small Who’d have thought you’d ever put Norman Tebbit (‘semi-trained polecat’) and Brian Wilson (the ‘Highland communist’) on the same page? But then, who’d have thought you’d have Continue reading →

Land Reform Withers on the Vine of Complacency & Ignorance

By Andy Wightman It is probably quite appropriate that today, within 24 hours of publishing her Interim Report, the Chair of the Land Reform Review Group, Alison Elliot, is giving Continue reading →

The 2% Gang

UKIP and George Galloway are the 2% gang – statistical anomalies in Scottish politics. Here Alan Smart reports on their collective nonsense. “I’ll tell you what would happen when an Continue reading →

An Enemy of the State

This is the second of a series of extracts from Scotland’s Road to Socialism – Time to Choose, edited by Gregor Gall and published by Scottish Left Review Press. By Continue reading →

Making Plans for Nigel

By Mike Small Thursday’s confrontation between Nigel Farage and Scottish protesters has led people to question just why Ukip is so unpopular in Scotland. However, it is the wrong question Continue reading →

Riddle Me This…

By Mike Small Michael Forsyth’s impact on the constitutional settlement – whatever that ends up being from the Stone of Destiny to the Euro Referendum – will be for historians Continue reading →

Stooshie Alert

By Elaine C Smith This week’s stooshie in ‘Bonnie Scotchland’ has centred on the lack of political satire here. This has, of course, been used by the ‘Bitter Together’ campaign Continue reading →

In Praise of Uncertainty

By Christopher Silver “On issues such as the costs for establishing a diplomatic network, EU Membership, a currency union and on pensions the unanswered questions are mounting up and they Continue reading →

Lords Lawyers and Racist Tweets

The hypocrisy of the No campaign and their media cheerleaders is both overwhelming, and, slightly comic. As a touchstone of what’s happened to Labour though this is actually tragic …

MayDay!

By Kate Higgins Most of us are waking leisurely to the prospect of a day aff. If we’re really lucky we’ll get the weather to do something nice. It’s the Continue reading →

500 Days

500 Days before Independence Day and a group of economists and academics have published a major new vision for Scotland, called ‘the Common Weal’ based on a Nordic model of Continue reading →

Victory Against Cheap Booze

By Mike Small As the battle to overcome Scotland’s drink problem reaches a significant victory – Scottish ministers just won the first round in a lengthy court battle against the Continue reading →

Independence from UKIP?

By Jonathon Shafi Scottish viewers of Question Time, This Week and the local election results in England as they come in could be forgiven for thinking that they have walked Continue reading →

The Axis of Incredulity

Despite the litany of threats and ‘warnings’ of the dangers of self-governance, the reality is that we are governed by reckless ideologues. Cameron threatens to ‘temporarily withdraw’ from the European Continue reading →

Saltired

Mike Small on means and ends. I’m trying to get my head around the weariness and antagonism of the referendum campaign. Lots of people (on all sides and none) are Continue reading →

From Songthrush to Telephone

Here’s some great things coming up in the next few days and weeks that Bella thought it was essential you should know about  … First up the wonder that is Continue reading →

CyberBrits and Spectator Sports

By Jamie Maxwell There was something depressingly predictable about the way George Osborne’s intervention in the independence debate last week provoked a spate of Scotland-focused editorials and comment pieces in Continue reading →

Farago

By Mike Small It’s important to connect up propaganda, media distortion and the lies that we are being told, both about the independence campaign and the state of the British Continue reading →

The Pound In Your Pocket

by Kevin Williamson On 19th November 1967 Prime Minister Harold Wilson made his famous “Pound In Your Pocket” speech.  His government  had just announced a devaluation of sterling and Wilson Continue reading →

Neighbours

By Mark Ryan Smith Walking west on Argyle Street, I once enjoyed a fleeting, one-sided exchange with a man slumped against a bin. Crossing the road at the Park Bar, Continue reading →

British Inequality and The Nordic Alternative

On the first anniversary of his death, Bella Caledonia is publishing the Donaldson Lecture Stephen Maxwell delivered at the 2007 SNP conference. It addresses the gulf between Scotland’s economic potential Continue reading →

Northern Exposure

By Mike Small We’re celebrating George Osborne’s visit to Scotland to threaten us (see Ian Bell’s response here) with a look at some of the spectacular distortions and confusions by Continue reading →

The probable results of Iceland’s upcoming elections…

by Alda Sigmundsdóttir This coming Saturday, Icelanders head to the polls in national elections. The last elections, four years ago, were historic. We had just had an economic meltdown, and the Continue reading →

Thatcher’s Disputed Legacy

By Kate Higgins Watching the interminable coverage of Thatcher’s death was absorbing. It was particularly fascinating to see how her acolytes and apologists worked furiously to cement her reputation in Continue reading →

For A’ That 22 – Labouring Away

For episode 22 of the For A’ That podcast Andrew and I were joined by New Statesman contributor James Maxwell and Huffington Post blogger and Labour Party member Andrew Smith. The Labour party was the focus of a large Continue reading →

State of Donation

By Mike Small The No campaign’s credibility was left in tatters this morning after the National Collective responded by attempts to bully and intimidate them, saying: “We stand by our Continue reading →

Beyond Austerity Unionism

By Jonathon Shafi Thatchers funeral was a gathering of the ruling class. All of the corrupt ‘sirs’, proven war criminals like Tony Blair and Henry Kissinger and the millionaire Tory Continue reading →

Risk Assessment

This is a useful response to the much repeated idea that all of the risk is with becoming in charge of your own affairs. The reality is that the real Continue reading →

Are ye no feart?

By RF Morrison There is a subtle message being promoted by the No Campaign that an independent Scotland may not be able to retain Sterling and might be obliged to Continue reading →