The controversy over Alasdair Gray’s contribution to a recent collection of essays on Scottish independence points to the often fraught and false relationship between the arts and politics. This is the fourth piece in the ‘Restating Scotland’ debate series.
Chart the actual probable outcomes of independence, and there is little to recommend it to the Scots, if slightly more to the English. Yet the results would be devastating.
Britain has long been a country that looks back to a romanticised, recreated past. But what kind of country will we be celebrating and mourning with Thatcher's funeral tomorrow?
Economics, still a male-dominated discipline, excludes many issues of relevance to women in Scotland. No wonder they are being hit disproportionately by austerity measures.
What does the gender gap in attitudes towards independence tell us about Scottish women, their political attitudes and changing roles in society? This piece looks back to Gerry Hassan's article 'Mind the Gap' and gives a very different verdict.
How would a Yes or No vote in the referendum affect the everyday lives of Scots? The question of the Scottish constitution goes far beyond the domain of institutional relations. Crucial to this is the shape and nature of the welfare state envisioned. This is the second piece in the debate series '
Scotland is resisting the attack on British welfare, but blocking policy can only do so much. Scotland needs an examination and restatement of its distinct civil society and institutions. This is the first piece in the ‘Restating Scotland’ debate series.
Today sees the transformation of the British welfare system, combining crippling cuts to benefits with the full blown marketisation of England's NHS. This is Cameron's "compassionate conservatism". Scotland and the UK must find a different way.
Recent polling shows a big gender gap in Scottish attitudes to independence, with women far more pro-union. How should this be understood in the wider context of Scottish politics and what does it tell us about the motivations of the Yes and No camps?
Leading thinker on Scotland and our long-time contributor, Gerry Hassan, sheds a tear as the Big Day is set. What we need now, he says, is a non-partisan debate on the potential of a self-governing Scotland.
A new musical, Glasgow Girls, showcases the power of anti-deportation campaigns as both an expression of human solidarity and an essential device for holding states to account. But their key role, argues Jennifer Allsopp, is to build support for an asylum system that upholds the rights of all.
The Scottish Catholic Church was hit with a sex abuse scandal last week, while the Rangers football team defended itself against evidence of tax avoidance and illegality. Contrary to how Scotland likes to see itself, it is weak at holding power to account. These two unfolding scandals show this ha
