John McDonnell MP sparked a political row when he said he would find it hard to be friends with a Tory because of the impact of Tory policies on his constituents. I completely understand why he said it and I agree with him. This something we aren’t really supposed to say, so let me explain […]
Month: November 2018
Brexit Means Indy or Bust for Scotland
The problem now lies not in Scots understanding that the conception of the British Union as a ‘Union of Equals’ is nonsense, but in whether or not they care enough to do something about it. One could write an analysis of the British government’s Brexit deal the size of a small book, but, for Scots, […]
Northern Soul
How 60s American soul shaped 70s Working Class Britain In an interview with Mojo Magazine in 2012, DJ, anarchist, former Motown rep and record shop owner Dave Godin explained how he coined the term ‘Northern Soul’. In the interview he mentioned how he first mentioned it in his column in Blues and Soul in 1970, […]
Independence: First Convince Labour
Labour for Independence – A Reply It is an interesting dichotomy within Scottish politics today. While we have a Nationalist leader not only holding back the tide by stalling on any future independence referendum, but also arguing the case for further multinational governance. At the same time the socialist leader of the Labour party has […]
A Tribute to Stan Lee
It’s really hard to put into words just how much Stan Lee’s work and legacy has influenced my life. Having tired of writing the same stories for 20 years he was ready to quit comics, until his wife convinced him to give it one last try and write the characters he wanted to write. What […]
Michelin Closure Highlights Need For A Just Transition
I was devastated, but perhaps not really surprised, to hear of the closure of Dundee’s largest industrial employment base – Michelin – a couple of weeks ago. Last month I wrote about how the 2008 financial crash signalled just how broken our economy is. The Michelin closure is perhaps the most recent example, close to […]
Truth Revolution
The theme for this episode of the left political podcast Ungagged, introduced by Neil Anderson, is a quote: In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act George Orwell. Um. Possibly. And of course, this being Ungagged, our contributors have interpreted that in lots of different ways. Debra Torrance’s piece, Infectious Intolerance, […]
Outlaw King – Spoiler* Free Review (*almost)
As spoiler free as a historical biopic can get. It was worth the wait! I had stayed up late planning to watch Outlaw King for an early morning review, however by 2am, it still wasn’t available and I fell asleep. As soon as I opened my eyes, I was ready for some Chris Pine as […]
In Defence (sort of) of the Harlequin Ladybird
As one publicity slogan goes: ‘Everyone loves a ladybird’. Well, if we do, it is surely time to give them a little thought and care. A nineteenth century ‘Ladybird, ladybird’ children’s nursery rhyme from Dorset runs: Laedy-bird! Leady-bird! Vlee away home,Your house is a-vire, your children will burn. In some ways, the whole world is […]
Ungagged Winter Writing Competition
The clocks have fallen back, the nights are drawing in, it’s that time of year again…time for the second annual Ungagged Winter Writing Competition! We enjoyed last year’s competition so much, we decided to make this year’s even bigger. So, not only will the winning entry appear on our site and be dramatized on our podcast […]