Culture Wars Human Rights Politics of Hate Trans Rights Ungagged Writing

A Charter for Transphobes by Damien Donnelly

What we know for sure is, with soaring hate crime rates, especially transphobic ones, across the western world fuelled by relentlessly negative press and a government in thrall to a vocal minority of ‘gender criticals,’ the real danger is not from treating trans people the way they wish to be treated. The conclusion of the […]

Climate & Environment Culture Wars Democracy Disability Rights Elections Human Rights Immigration Industry Israel-Gaza Labour Poverty Privilege Scotland Scottish Independence Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

Dreaming in Green by Val Waldron

Not a week goes by in Scottish politics when the decision to vote No in 2014 does not rear its ugly head. November 2023, the Scottish Broadcasting Company reports growing unrest south of the border. Massive crowds are gathering daily outside Westminster, demanding an end to Tory rule, following emergency legislation allowing the  General Election […]

Brexit Conspiracy Theories Culture Wars Democracy Elections Equality & Inclusion Fascism Left Politics Politics of Hate Scottish Independence SNP Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

Autoimmunity Within the Independence Movement

The obstacles to our independence are not all about media-led rabid unionism, or floating voters. We have a problem within the movement, something really toxic. It resembles a kind of auto-immune disease, a drive to eat away at the host and make barren the soil it depends on; the movement itself.  The dreaded anniversary of […]

Human Rights Immigration International Media Mhairi Hunter Privilege Racial Justice Racism Ungagged Writing

Anonymity and Tragedy: why telling stories of the asylum seeker is so important by Mhairi Hunter

We knew their names, their faces, their stories. That made us feel connected to them. And that’s a key difference with coverage of refugees, who usually remain a nameless and faceless mass to us.   There has been much commentary in the past few days about the difference in media/public perception of the Titan tragedy […]

Campaigns Conspiracy Theories Corruption Democracy Elections Equality & Inclusion LGBTQIAP+ Politics of Hate Scottish Independence SNP Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

A Stiff Kicking into the Long Grass by Val Waldron

Voters for Forbes or Regan were aware that GRR would be kicked into the long grass, serving as precedent for a power grab at any piece of legislation deemed unpopular    I never found it particularly difficult to understand why the Red Wall had fallen to the Tories in 2019. We’ve been living under the […]

Conspiracy Theories Fascism Feminism Holyrood Election 2021 Human Rights Left Politics Media Political Parties Scottish Independence Trans Rights Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

The Grass was Greener by Val Waldron

As for the grass roots, we pull out the tough old weeds and start again. Pick up our movement from where it left off. It’s already happening along the lines of single issues when it comes to protest against buffer zones, GRR threat, climate change, visiting fascists, immigration raids. No need to carry a saltire […]