This week someone told me about their colleague who, having read my contributions on here, says they agree with everything I say, except on the concept of a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) which they believe would be “undemocratic”. So this post is for that person and others who are interested in how “democratic” or…

The weekend after the referendum in September, a public meeting was held at Dundee’s Bonar Hall asking: what next for the Yes movement? Before an audience of several hundred, one local activist suggested that this could be the “early days of the Scottish Revolution.” As a statement it seemed both too excessive and yet simultaneously…

In one sense, the way in which Nicola Sturgeon is repeatedly asked about another independence referendum is not so different from the way in which politicians of all stripes are repeatedly asked the same question over and over again (“will you do a deal with the SNP, Mr Miliband?”, “is your party racist, Mr Farage?”,…

The BBC’s James Cook has been on the receiving end of some aggressive Twitter feedback after his interview with Nicola Sturgeon on Saturday. The Huffington Post has coverage here of what was said to whom by whom. According to the Huffington, the worst comment Cook received was being told that he was the “scum of…

Labour say that if they win the election they intend to force employers to give workers who are struggling on zero hour contracts the right to demand contracted hours in order to provide their household finances with a more secure income flow. This is important to those of us in Scotland because, firstly, SNP MPs…

In common with many other people, the playwright Peter Arnott only really came to my attention as an important asset to the Yes-side with his electrifying essay for Bella Caledonia, “Dinner With No Voters“. His contribution came at a moment during the referendum campaign when Project Fear had really started ramping up operations amidst a…

There was a remarkable moment during Channel 4 News’ coverage of George Osborne’s pre-election budget this week. The format for Channel 4’s budget coverage never changes; the formula is: hire a pub to broadcast live from, bring together one or two posh types with a few regular folk on middle or low incomes, and then…

During the Q & A session held at the end of Common Weal’s recent “Evening of the Left” (watch Indy Live’s video coverage here) an audience member complained that instead of pursuing the divisive rhetoric of class politics, we should adopt more inclusive language by referring, for instance, to “the people” rather than “the working…

Parents often tell their children about sticks and stones, in the hope that they’ll end up better able to handle the psychological pain which usually accompanies an insult. But few parents expect the result to be a child who grows to feel nothing at all upon having an insult thrown at them. Such a person…