There’s a screening of, ‘Everyone To Kenmure Street’ as part of the Govanhill International Festival @Govanhill Community Baths this Sunday.

William Duguid@williamduguid1.bsky.social · 17h ago

'There should be no place in Scotland for those intent on spreading fear and alarm among ethnic minorities, be they Muslim or Jewish, and certainly no prejudice based on the flimsy evidence of skin ­­colour.' Ruth Wishart, via The National archive.is/aU7y5

'There should be no place in Scotland for those intent on spreading fear and alarm among ethnic minorities, be they Muslim or Jewish, and certainly no prejudice based on the flimsy evidence of skin ­­colour.' Ruth Wishart, via The National archive.is/aU7y5

'After three long decades marked by obfuscation and cover-ups, the loved ones of the 29 people who lost their lives are still forced to seek answers about what happened to their loved ones.' Donna McLean, via Bella Caledonia

Chinook, Mull of Kintyre and ending Britain’s “cover-up culture” 

Donna McLean continues her new column with a look at this week’s revelations about the Chinook helicopter crash in the Mull of Kintyre in 1994. Families of those killed in an RAF Chinook helicopter…

bellacaledonia.org.uk

'Right now, it would be hard to deny that the Iran war is inexorably pushing the US military back into combat in Iraq – against that very same old foe.' David Pratt, via The National archive.is/SCtLT

'Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should have a constitutional right to hold regular referendums on independence under agreed rules. England's constitutional position should also be explicitly defined.' Richard Murphy's suggestions for Burnham's constitution.

Andy Burnham wants a constitution. This is what it should include.

The Guardian notes this morning that: Andy Burnham has said his programme of devolution strengthens the case for a written constitution for the UK, a move that would fundamentally alter the workings of the state that have developed over centuries. The prime minister has long believed the UK’s “antiquated” political system needs...

taxresearch.org.uk

'A warning shot was fired at Andy Burnham this week. He ignored it, but may not ignore the next one. The Scottish Government certainly shouldn’t. The best time to reform Council Tax was thirty years ago. The second best time is now.' Dr Craig Dalȝell, via Common Weal

How to reform Council Tax and why we must — Common Weal

In our In Common column in The National this week, Craig discusses the warning shot fired at Andy Burnham this week in terms of Council Tax reform and how Scotland could go about revaluing every house in the country to allow for fair taxation.

commonweal.scot

'If you wanted a ­fortnight in which to sit in a room ­considering leadership traits, styles and values, British politics has spent the last one running a live demonstration. ' Rhoda Meek, via The National archive.is/Jr0Om

'The only thing which can make someone in power do what they don’t want to do is sustained political pressure. In our case it is really, really clear to see what that means. If you want to be independent, the people have to support it.' Robin McAlpine, via The National archive.is/NHuLh

'The most effective forms of information manipulation do not necessarily attempt to convince people of one particular falsehood. Instead, they seek to undermine confidence that truth can be discovered at all.' Megan Davidson, via Common Weal

Building citizens for the age of infinite information — Common Weal

We often ask what a healthy information environment should look like. Perhaps the more important question is whether we've equipped citizens with the tools to flourish in one.

commonweal.scot

'What is the point in having a middle-man Scottish Secretary? To simply pass messages on to the relevant department? The UK long ago did away with the Postmaster General.' Xander Elliards, via The National archive.is/IL88Y

Although there have been external factors hindering the pathway from academy to first team in recent years, surely a model that promotes from within makes sense given the financial limitations of the Scottish game.' James Wilson, via Bella Caledonia

An 8 Point Plan to Improve Scottish Football

Now that the World Cup is over, I think it’s timely for the Scottish football authorities to take stock and re-evaluate how we can increase the standards of our national game across the board…

bellacaledonia.org.uk

'That is where we get the stupidity. We have actively designed a system that lets the rich avoid tax, and then we use a cockamamie theory that is measurably flawed to retrospectively pin the blame for this on income tax rates.' Robin McAlpine, via Common Weal

Bad economics lead to bad decisions… — Common Weal

Yet again we are being told that there are special economic laws which mean that there are perfect and imperfect tax rates. The theory concerned is highly flawed and it isn’t even showing the thing that it is claimed it is showing.

commonweal.scot

'Western politicians have no answers to the growing economic and social grievances of their people, including stagnating living standards and crumbling services. So much easier to instead whip up bigotry to deflect attention.' Owen Jones, via The National archive.is/mDpj6

'Make no mistake, Burnham’s circus is about power. But the Showman has a problem. He probably knows the direction in which he is heading is the wrong one, but he is in no position to stop.' George Gunn, via Bella Caledonia

The Pygmy Elephants of Cyprus

THE PYGMY ELEPHANTS OF CYPRUS: From The Province Of The Cat by George Gunn. It was fitting that at the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow that the two people impersonating a King and a Qu…

bellacaledonia.org.uk

'Is this simply bad luck, or have governments and central banks deliberately created an economy that keeps unemployment high, house prices out of reach, and opportunities increasingly scarce?' Richard Murphy

The bottom is rising

Young people are beginning to realise something that previous generations rarely had to face: the economic system no longer works for them. In this video, I begin with an unexpected political message from the United States. A Democratic Senate candidate from Maine, Troy Jackson, summed up today’s politics in a single...

taxresearch.org.uk

'Those stoking division and hatred are increasing their visible presence. Scotland is not peripheral to the rise of the far right; it has instead become a focal point.' Kaukab Stewart, via The National archive.is/Ehzft

'The BBC would literally do anything to avoid broadcasting a main news programme that gave Scottish news its correct prominence instead of adding a “news where you are” segment portraying Scotland as no more than a UK region.' Richard Walker, via The National archive.is/z6VAy

'The question is not whether Scotland will ever become independent. The question is: for whom would that independence be?' Simon Hale, via Bella Caledonia

The Flag Factory: Who Really Runs Scotland While You Vote

By Simon Hale * Imagine every party at Holyrood worked for the same company. A firm that appears in no register but has a name: Scotland Ltd. Its business is not making your life better. It is sell…

bellacaledonia.org.uk

'Almost everywhere you look right now, there’s an ominous sense of preparation and battening down the hatches for some forthcoming cataclysm. No-one, of course, dares mention what that might be; it’s the great “unspoken”.' David Pratt, via the National archive.is/VI7ku

A petition created by a friend of mine that's worth a look and possible support: Create a “stage not age” health and social care and benefit system for people with exceptional complex medical needs petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE...

Petition: Create a “stage not age” health and social care and benefit system for people with exceptional complex medical needs

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to create a “stage not age” health and social care and benefit system for people with exceptional complex medical needs, including a ...

petitions.parliament.scot

This Saturday! #Stirling Are you positively for Scotland? Come and join the team @believeinscotland.bsky.social Hand out some leaflets, have some cheery chats about #ScottishIndependence

'The violence has grown worse as thugs are emboldened in their attacks by politicians insisting that they're citizens with legitimate concerns and won't admit that these violent rioters are British nationalists, never mind fascists. weegingerdug via The National archive.is/yZESq

'Extreme concentration of wealth is produced by design, not by accident. Hedge funds, share dividends, banking bonuses, massive salaries – none of this is ordained either by God or by nature. It is a construct which is becoming unworkable.' @craigmurrayorg.bsky.social

'Men in balaclavas were doing Nazi salutes, they were violent, they shouted racist and Islamophobic chants and cheered for remigration – if that is not fascist behaviour, what is?' Talat Yaqoob, via The National archive.is/tU96B

'Why is it that our Chancellor and Prime Minister continue to expose themselves as economic ignoramuses when they demand compliance with these fiscal rules when they are nothing of the sort?' Richard Murphy, via the National archive.is/SglYS

'Scotland produces 120% of its electricity needs from renewables. If we treat energy not as a commodity to be traded on the London market, but as a public utility—the bedrock of human life—everything changes.' Simon Hale, via Bella Caledonia

Power to the People: Why Scotland Needs Energy Expropriation, Not Social Democratic Band-Aids

By Simon Hale Picture this: wind turbines spinning on mist-shrouded hills generating enough clean electricity to power Scotland twice over, while a family in a cold, damp Govanhill tenement turns o…

bellacaledonia.org.uk

'The reality is that jobs are going because the oil is running out in this ultra-mature basin. That’s not an opinion, but geological fact.' Tommy Sheppard, via The National archive.is/V5q6O

'It is beyond ridiculous – it is crass, smug, and astonishingly self-regarding – for failed politicians like Sarwar to describe their acceptance of titles, ­honours and ministerial office as acts of reluctant and humble service.' PeatWorrier, via The National archive.is/YD3Xi

'The comparison with Notre Dame shames us: France’s most cherished building burnt down one year after our second fire, but is now gloriously rebuilt, while the Mack still stands as four gaunt walls round a sepulchral void.' Mike Small, via Bella Caledonia.

Knife the Mack

Glasgow School of Art has finally settled its two-year insurance dispute over the 2018 fire that gutted the Mackintosh Building. But the school’s Board of Governors has now admitted the payou…

bellacaledonia.org.uk

'When the deal was announced, many observers both in Iran and beyond were quick to point out the inherent hypocrisy in that the Trump administration was now prepared to give Saudi Arabia the very things they were bombing Iran for.' David Pratt, via The National archive.is/uBZud