MAgazine
Don’t grandstand, plan
Many people would like the First Minister to take a stand with Donald Trump. This is not an effective stance - and there are much more effective actions which can be taken.
Want to get on a train? Time for philosophy
The underpinning philosophies of how to govern are not abstract or obtuse. Rather they are the battlefields on which the future of public service will be fought.
Rolling the dice with housing-again
Will Britain never understand the difference between making housing affordable and subsidising unaffordable housing to prop up the profits of developers? Apparently not...
Rolling the dice with housing-again
Will Britain never understand the difference between making housing affordable and subsidising unaffordable housing to prop up the profits of developers? Apparently not...
Scotland has no controlling intellect
Why does it feel like things in Scotland aren’t designed to work? It’s because they’re not designed to work by a person who cares, they’re designed to make profit by a bunch of people who don’t.
Four Ideas for Housing Scotland
Hysteria at Glastonbury: The intersection of music and politics
Lessons from New York
Democratic Socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani comfortably beat out billionaire-backed billionaire Andrew Cuomo, by 56% to 44% in the final round after vote transfers. Unlike Cuomo, his campaign centred around clearly articulated demands that reflected the needs of the people of New York.
What Scottish independence could deliver for the welfare state
To truly tackle poverty and build a fairer society, Scotland shouldn't just mimic others—it should be bold, learn from Europe's best, and lead with a Universal Basic Income that both saves money and eradicates poverty.
What I learned from the school that made my children
My last child leaves primary school and it gives me a moment to reflect on what our little rural primary school has achieved. There are lessons to be learned for all public policy.
Scotland is being dragged into an RTS crisis
The switch-off of the system that lets many households keep their electricity running is going to have a disproportionate in Scotland. For many it could be a real disaster.
Protest is not a threat to Democracy - Protest protects Democracy
The UK Government’s attempt to ban Palestine Action is a risky overreach that threatens to further quash the kinds of protest that protect rather than threaten democracy.
Why Liam Gallagher is right
It seems that Edinburgh Council has a bit of a snobbery issue—and, somewhat surprisingly, Liam Gallagher isn’t happy about it. Even more surprisingly, he might actually have a point.
Scotland is not for sale Pt. I
Scotland may not be privatising the public realm with quite the zeal of Starmer’s Labour, but it is happening constantly nonetheless. A vision for a public good-driven democracy is needed.
How Common Weal helped reform care
Craig Dalzell looks at the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill - what remains of the National Care Service Bill - and compares it to Common Weal’s own work to see how many of our proposals made it into the final Bill.
Investing pensions in the UK economy
Jim Osborne calls attention to the UK Government’s proposal to compel pension companies to invest into the UK economy - that plan that could support the economy by at least several tens of billions of pounds.
Information, “efficiency” and the Care Reform Bill – a missed opportunity
Nick Kempe looks at the portion of the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill and discusses the missed opportunity to reform how information is gathered in the care sector and how it could be used to improve care.
Seamless services? Only on better foundations
Politicians often talk about seamless public services but don’t want to tackle the underlying problem - public sector data is a mess and it makes our services grind against each other where they should click.
The Ocean Can’t Wait - Scotland Must Lead the World
A new piece of legislation currently passing through the Scottish Parliament would make Scotland world-leading on environmental protection. If you care about the sea, you should back it.
If we don’t get ahead of the game we lose
The chattering classes continue to chatter but fail to reach conclusions. But more chatter is a luxury we can’t afford; we need answers, we need action and we need some savvy.
