Month: January 2023

Prime Minister’s Quarrelling

Speymouth January 19, 2023

There’s pointlessness, and then there’s Prime Minister’s Question, where democracy goes to kill itself, who needs to stare aimlessly at peeling wallpaper when every week we are confronted with this joyless exercise in futility. There may once have been a time when the Prime Minister gave a serious and informative response…

This Changes Everything

Speymouth January 16, 2023

Alister Jack, the Scottish secretary, has confirmed that the British government is using article 35 to block the Scottish government gender recognition reform bill. This is unprecedented and represents a full-on attack on the devolution settlement. It’s a desperate escalation and dramatically ups the stakes for not just the British government but also the Labour […] Source

Medallion Man

Speymouth January 16, 2023

David Anderson on the gongs and patronage that remain as the last traces of Empire. The ‘Honours’ list came round again with a malignant monotony. Oh aye, said I, and my weary eyebrow raised itself asymptomatically. I mean, my condition is very clear, and can only be remedied by the abolition of the monarchy, decommissioning […] Source

Independent Scotland needs own currency to challenge UK orthodoxy

Speymouth January 16, 2023

IN this series of articles members of the Scottish Currency Group will outline the case for a separate Scottish currency – the Scottish Pound – to be established as soon as possible after independence; highlight the transformational opportunities this will enable to address present economic and social challenges facing Scotland; and answer questions about how the change is likely to affect households and businesses in practice … Source

Scotland’s future in SNP members’ hands

Speymouth January 15, 2023

Rish! Sunak brought his exclamation mark of ambition on a visit to Scotland last week to patronise the locals, but it couldn’t disguise the fact that he is as clueless in his assertions about Scottish politics as the Pope. Last week Pope Frances claimed that ‘the English’ had resolved the Scottish…

Self-Disconnection and Solidarity

Speymouth January 15, 2023

My son’s school is collecting for a local Food Bank. “What’s a food bank?” he asks. The lengthy explanation causes some confusion. Of course we should support our local food bank and we will, but the extent to which this fairly recent phenomenon has become completely normalised is worth registering. It’s become routine to assume […] Source