Escher Politics

By Mike Small Under pressure from those who feel soiled by sharing a platform with the Tories (though oddly feel no problem in them running our country with no mandate) Continue reading →

SCOTLAND 3.0

This is the first 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 →

New Labour and the Devolution of the Axe

Re-claiming our capacity to democratically organise social institutions in line with a conception of the public good – reclaiming politics – is the only antidote to the depoliticising thrust of Anglo-liberal capitalism.

On the Road

By Jamie Maxwell One of the favourite refrains of the Scottish right is that Scotland’s centre of political gravity does not, as socialists and nationalists like to insist, sit to Continue reading →

The Irn Lady

By Mike Small As Jimmy Reid famously said, he didn’t leave the Labour Party – the Labour Party left him. This is a week where that statement echoed down the Continue reading →

Ed in Inverness

This is the actual speech given by Ed Milband, leader of the Labour Party. It’s worth reading, if only to pay witness to the continuity with Blair-language styles and structures. Continue reading →

Young Hearts

By Mike Small Support for independence has gained ground for the first time in over a year, according to a new IPSOS Mori Scottish Public Opinion Monitor. The poll of Continue reading →

Culloden via Tesco?

A preview of Unstated: Writers on Scottish Independence, ed. Scott Hames This book (which I think and hope will enliven the whole debate) started in discussion between Bella Caledonia and Continue reading →

The Seven Wonders

Scotland’s Stories: Imagining and Making Our Own Collective Future by Gerry Hassan Scotland’s future is about greater self-government but at the same time it has to be about more than Continue reading →

Radical Independence Conference – 3 observations

by Pat Kane Some brief notes from the Radical Independence Conference in Glasgow – written for myself, and not in the spirit of “translating” abstractions and theories for wider use, something often Continue reading →

Taking Ideology to the Streets: Sex Work and How to Make Bad Things Worse

by Nine “If you drive it underground so no one can find it, it wouldn’t survive.”  Rhoda Grant, 2012 In many ways, Dana fits the profile. She’s a twentysomething woman with Continue reading →

Radical Indy Conference 08: Let’s plan for a Scottish Spring

by Jonathon Shafi, Conference Organiser In just a few weeks, two contrasting visions of a Scottish future have taken shape.  In Lamont’s new order, Scotland will observe a diplomatic silence Continue reading →

Radical Indy Conference 07: A Moral Compass for Independence?

by Nathan Sparling Pride. Pride is what I felt last year in Scotland whilst leading thousands of students in the campaign for Equal Marriage. We helped bring together tens of Continue reading →

Radical Indy Conference 06: The Future Is Not Clear

by Robin McAlpine Can we at least start off by agreeing on one thing; this isn’t the Middle Ages. Up until now the constitutional debate has been carried out as Continue reading →

‘DANGERMOUSE’ AND THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS

By Donald S Murray Among the ‘critics’ of Gaelic I have observed over the last few years, there appears to be a large number of avid watchers of old episodes Continue reading →

While the cause burns brightly is the party over for the SNP?

by Kevin Williamson The resignation of Jean Urquhart MSP and John Finnie MSP from the SNP over last weekend’s NATO U-turn must have come like a thunderbolt out of the Continue reading →

Women for Independence, Independence for Women

Definitely Maybe

Devo Max, Devo Plus or Devo Shshh. All are off the ballot. Doug Daniel surveys the landscape and asks why?   The framing of David Mundell’s premature enunciation of the Continue reading →

Korea Suicide

A Letter from Pyongyang …

Boss Class Miserabilism

By Mike Small “Scotland cannot be the only ‘something for nothing’ country in the world.” – Johann  Lamont The likelihood is that tomorrow or the next day a major announcement Continue reading →

A Land of Possibility

By John McAllion Between now and the referendum scheduled for the autumn of 2014, the question of Scottish independence will take centre stage in British politics. For the next two Continue reading →

Scotch Myths: Independence is a Panacea

By Doug Daniel Independence supporters are often accused of seeing independence as a panacea for all Scotland’s ills. We are characterised as thinking that if Scotland could JUST become independent, Continue reading →

Decontaminating The Union: Post-Industrial Landscapes And The British Psyche

This is an extract from the Wreford Watson Lecture given by Will Self at the University of Edinburgh this week/ Whatever anxieties I may feel, as an Englishman, about speaking Continue reading →

From Bogota to the Broomielaw – SMWGLA

Follow the days events at Social Media Week Glasgow #SMWGLA events on otheir lovely blog,  here and see their photos on their Facebook page and the YouTube channel here. This Continue reading →

Media Notes Part 1: When Saturday Came

MEDIA NOTES (PART 1): WHEN SATURDAY CAME This is the first of three articles by Kevin Williamson looking at the increasingly fractious relationship between the Scottish media and an increasingly Continue reading →

Woman for Independence – Lessons from History

A confident future is never built on fear but always on hope … Journalist, writer and broadcaster Ruth Wishart speaks at the Scottish Independence Rally on 22 Sept 2012 … Continue reading →

Why We’re Marching

By Mike Small This is about Raploch not Bannockburn. A reminder – if any was needed of why we need a better Scotland – was brought to us this week Continue reading →

The Answer is 43

This from British Social Attitudes 2o12 by John Curtice and Rachel Ormston Evidently there is something of a puzzle to be unravelled here… “As Table 7.6 shows, in fact the Continue reading →

Independence in the World

As Scotland’s greatest living polymath Alasdair Gray (Bella’s patron) changes his famous slogan to: ‘work as if you live in the early days of a better world’ we hear from Continue reading →

They’ve Learned Nothing

By Mike Small The idea of Rangers as some sort of parable of our times is becoming compelling. A club riven by debt and mired in bad practice collapses under Continue reading →