Is it Cos Wur Scots?
By Alan Bissett In the first of a series of monthly columns published jointly by Bella Caledonia and National Collective, author Alan Bissett looks at what’s behind the creep of Continue reading
By Alan Bissett In the first of a series of monthly columns published jointly by Bella Caledonia and National Collective, author Alan Bissett looks at what’s behind the creep of Continue reading
By Jamie Maxwell In a keynote speech at the end of last year, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared the United Kingdom constitutionally “unreconstructable”. Only complete political separation from Westminster, Continue reading
Like the French chef who can make beefsteak out of a leather glove, Alastair Darling has done well with his Better Together campaign. There was – up until now – no need for a mass campaign, a grassroots organisation, nor any need for creative thinking. The message was simple: “everything’s just fine.”
ARE YOU AWAKE? WAKE UP?! It seems that Trigger are having a Zombie Lab. Trigger is a producer-led arts organisation run by Angie Bual & Suzy Glass. They do lots of Continue reading
The Edinburgh International Science Festival today launches its 25th Festival programme today ‘Join our futuristic adventures’. 25th?! Wow. As usual it’s got amazing stuff happening. The ‘Get Ready for the Continue reading
In an article published earlier in the week Jim Sillars questions whether the Yes campaign is producing enough high quality accessible information. He also questions whether Yes will produce useful information Continue reading
By Mike Small The framing of discussion in the public eye is as important if not more important than the content itself. So today we have the Scotsman and other Continue reading
We need a state run bank in an independent Scotland, a bank with a social function in its charter, which supports entrepreneurs, social projects, and the vulnerable in society, that gives the customer a reasonable and fair deal: a people’s bank. A bank devoted to that old fashioned idea of lending money to ordinary people with a project they want to carry out, as opposed to these corrupt institutions of today devoted to playing the stock market and passing on the bill to the tax payer. I would like to see a people’s bank written into the Constitution of an independent Scotland.
Back to our roots this week as it was Andrew and myself, Michael Greenwell, having a chat. We talked about the EU from a few different perspectives. The referendum and Continue reading
Tomorrow night First Minister Alex Salmond will answer questions on everything from tax and welfare policies in an independent Scotland to whether there could be an explicit commitment to protection of Continue reading
There is little argument against a Yes vote, except fear mongering and fear itself. But it is independence from oil that is needed. Independence from the miracle fuel.
By Mike Small Cameron’s ‘Eurovision’ is a fundamental misreading of the mood of the nation (sic). While concerns about democratic deficiency are shared across the continent, there are quite different Continue reading
We’re delighted to announce that the multi-talented Kate Higgins – who may be known to you via her usual scribblings over at Burdzeyeview .Kate is joining the Bella editorial team Continue reading
Three views on the national debates from around and about . . . First up the world from Dublin via the Irish Times, where Judith Crosbie writes giving some insight Continue reading
Each week we offer you five great things, sites, events, people or projects which we think are Bella-isimo. 1. Come and Have a Go if you Think Your Bard Enough. Continue reading
“If there’s people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we’ll take them out of the game. It’s a joy for me because I’m one of those people Continue reading
A repeated claim of the Better Together campaign (and a whole lot more) is that “Scotland would have to try and renegotiate an opt out from the Euro”. That’s not Continue reading
By Chris Cairns Qualifying Group no. 7 for the 1988 European Championship read as follows: Republic of Ireland Bulgaria Belgium Scotland Luxembourg I bumped into Big Charlie in the office Continue reading
Let’s be clear. There is not a four deep queue in Brussels anxious to indulge the fantasy life of the most semi detached of its membership. Why would there be ?
On Tuesday 27 November 2012 the First Minister Alex Salmond delivered a lecture on the subject of housing and social justice. The lecture took place at the Scottish National Gallery and Continue reading
Is the No campaign losing the plot? The cacophony of scare stories about Scotland does seem to have tipped from the bizarre to the gently unhinged. A year ago The Continue reading
By Darran Anderson And the village was deserted, the huts gaped black, rotting, all askew within the fallen enclosures. A calamity had come to it, sure enough. The people had Continue reading
It’s been a busy week by any standards in Scottish politics and in this week’s For A’ That Andrew, Osama Saeed and myself tried to get through as much as possible. Firstly, we Continue reading
We’re neither ‘in it together’ nor ‘Better Together’.
By Susan Pettie. Susan runs So Say Scotland, a project inspired by Iceland’s grassroots national assemblies movement. The newly created and proposed Icelandic constitution, which we are hearing quite a Continue reading
By Nicholas Mercer In 2006, Corporal Donald Payne was the first British soldier to be convicted of a war crime in this country under the International Criminal Court Act 2001. Continue reading
By Frances Lengel There was a correction in today’s Herald newspaper about their Faslane scare-story which acknowledged their 19k jobs total was ‘incorrect’ and headline ‘misleading’. Just in case you Continue reading
Something for the weekend sir? Each week we’ll be bringing you 5 great things we love. Things to do or watch, mostly non-political. Here’s our first top 5 … 1. Continue reading
Is it because of cutbacks, or responding to party politics? Or is it just bad journalism? A. Balharry on the story behind the story of BBC Scotland and NHS Grampian. Continue reading
So Cameron may walk into and flounce out of more EU meetings, he may renegotiate to his heart’s content, he may grandstand and bluster, he may shout loudly and wave a small stick, but all he can get out of it is what the other 27 states agree to…