MAgazine
You can't reform oligarchs – we have to walk away
I retain the strong view that almost everyone is still greatly underestimating the power and control the US oligarchs have over our lives. Win or lose, it looks like they will destroy our standard of living so we should opt out of their rigged game right now.
Despite the challenges, football can still unite us
The World Cup shows much of the worst about football - along with much of the best. It may be captured by big business and political agendas, but so long as kids can kick a can in a playground, it remains our game.
Terrorists, troublemakers, and the winners of history
When child protection fails
Our public services: Subject to United States jurisdiction
Guest writer Douglas Guy explores how a U.S. government order to Anthropic exposed the fragility of digital sovereignty, arguing that Scotland’s key public systems, built on platforms like Amazon Web Services, sit under foreign jurisdiction with little scrutiny or an exit plan.
Why you should Get to grips with data centre politics
The backlash against data centres is only just reaching the UK but it would be a big mistake to mistake this for ‘just more Nimbyism’. Unless you understand what is different about this backlash you will miss one of the most significant things happening in politics right now.
Scotland’s Women’s health crisis was predicted
How Scottish politics got stuck in the mud
Guest writer Stuart Donald, author of a recent paper published in Compass and previous guest on the Common Weal Policy Podcast, looks at last month’s Scottish election results through the lens of his research into proportional democracy
Who Watches the Watchdogs?
Scotland’s Information Commission is doing a power of work to keep Government accountable. But there is a vulnerability in the system where the Government may try to defund organisations that become too effective at their job.
Round ’em up, boys! Are we glyphosatiated yet?
Things could get really scary, so why aren’t we preparing?
Is the Western economy on the brink of a worrying collapse? There are different views on this, but there is enough real world evidence to suggest our failure to prepare could be something we seriously regret.
Phone-free schools are not enough
How to solve Renewable Constraint Payments
Taking inspiration from a policy in Sweden, it is possible that the UK could move away from the need to pay energy companies to turn off wind turbines when there’s too much wind.
The problem with humans
It is human nature to be wrong, to be petty, to be scared, to be angry. We cannot stop these things from being true so we have to recognise this reality as we built the systems in which we operate.
What justice can’t fix
Scotland's Seabed Is Worth More Than This
Guest writer Fraser Brydon looks at the projected rental income from ScotWind and how it compares to energy choices made by our neighbours.
Scotland’s houses are crumbling around us
New statistics from the Scottish Government reveals that more than half of Scotland’s houses do not meet minimum standards of quality and state of repair.
Be angry – their stability is your chaos
You have heard politician after politician lauding the merits of 'stability', but have you ever stopped to ask what it is they want to be stable and for who? Once you realise the answer, your grocery bill (and starving children) make a lot more sense.
What makes a good national leader?
Strength or empathy? Stability or transformation? As politics becomes increasingly performative, the question of what make a genuinely effective leader has become harder – and more urgent – than ever.
How the Scottish Government drove a wedge between care experts and the cared for
Mark Smith and Marion Macleod from Common Weal’s Care Reform Group discuss their latest academic paper on how the Scottish Government overused the “lived experience” of cared for people to shield themselves from expert advice about the National Care Service.