News

Zamira Rahim Independent, 15th October 2019 Thousands of Extinction Rebellion activists gathered across London in defiance of a police order banning the group’s climate protests in the capital. Activists also launched legal action against the city’s Metropolitan Police after the force announced the ban. Calling the Met’s actions “disproportionate and unlawful”, human rights lawyer Tobias […]

Joao Medeiros, Wired, 8th October 2019 The idea that made Mariana Mazzucato one of the most influential economists in the world came to her in early 2011. It had been three years since the financial crisis of 2008 and, in the UK, the coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had chosen to pursue a […]

Mariana Mazzucato, Project Syndicate, 2nd October 2019 By exploiting technologies that were originally developed by the public sector, digital platform companies have acquired a market position that allows them to extract massive rents from consumers and workers alike. Reforming the digital economy so that it serves collective ends is thus the defining economic challenge of […]

Robin McAlpine, Commonspace, 10th October 2019 Common Weal director Robin McAlpine takes a hard look at the state of Nicola Sturgeon’s government, and what its achievements and failures mean for the cause of independence I believe the independence movement needs a government that is inspiring people by being bold and showing the kind of change […]

October 2019 It is the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs. (A Claim of Right for Scotland, 1989) Guiding principles for a new and better Scotland It is the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to […]

The Herald, 10th October 2019 Here is a list of the signatories in full: Iain Anderson, broadcasterPeter Arnott, playwrightNeal Ascherson, journalist and writerAly Bain, musicianMargaret Bennett, folklorist and singerStewart Bremner, visual artistAlan Bissett, novelist and playwrightRobert Black QC, Professor Emeritus of Scots LawChristine Borland, visual artistAlex Boyd, photographerStuart Braithwaite, musicianThomas Clark, writerCalum Colvin, visual artistRoddy […]

John Banville, Guardian, 11th October 2019 I have always admired John le Carré. Not always without envy – so many bestsellers! – but in wonderment at the fact that the work of an artist of such high literary accomplishment should have achieved such wide appeal among readers. That le Carré, otherwise David Cornwell, has chosen […]

Daily Record, 8th October 2019 Depute leader of West Lothian Council Kirsteen Sullivan has paid tribute to Fiona Pearson, the retiring co-ordinator of West Lothian’s Social Enterprise Network. Councillor Sullivan, chair of the council’s voluntary organisations policy development and scrutiny panel said: “On behalf of the PDSP, we wish you well. You have made a […]

Rethinking Poverty, by Hannah Ormston25.07.19 Now, perhaps more than ever, our peer-to-peer interactions, social networks and relationships, matter. The importance of personal agency and control in the decisions that affect our lives should not be overlooked. Following the Brexit referendum in 2016, a significant proportion of the UK population feel unable to influence local and […]

Wee Red Upcycles CIC is a Community Interest Company (not for profit) that specialises in teaching valuable transferable skills in repair, re-designing and upcycling of furniture to vulnerable adults and young people within its community. Building confidence, self-esteem and breaking down barriers to support people to reach their full potential through a creative process, they aim to […]

Bird Gardens Scotland CIC, A bird conservation centre in the Scottish Borders have recently been featured in the news on ITV Border news and STV News showing the marvellous conservation work that they are doing. The centre has recently welcomed new flamingo chicks into the world along with five baby black swans. Bird Gardens Scotland works to […]

Scottish Community Alliance09.10.19 Pockets and Prospects (aka the Community Resilience Fund) supports community led action aimed at ameliorating the impacts of welfare reform in areas that are already suffering from significant economic disadvantage. The funding is provided on the basis that local people know best how to address these challenges and that relatively small amounts of money […]