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 […]
Financial
Reimagining our Economy
“Our economy is broken. Capitalism is not stable. It never has been and was never designed to be”
Pay To Spend
Can you imagine being charged £3 per every time you withdraw cash? 98% of us withdraw our money free of charge from cash machines, however changes to the way these free to use ATMs are funded could see many close and others having to charge withdrawal fees in order to stay open. The LINK Network, […]
Too Poor for Prosperity?
The Scottish Government’s Growth Commission has raised more questions than it has answered, it has worried and angered many independence supporters, and far from starting a debate about the positive vision of the growing economy of an independent Scotland is has set independence supporters against one another on the basis of those who will support […]
Power: A Winters Tale
I want to talk to you about power. Not political power, or entrenched patriarchal power, but the everyday kind you get from the socket in the wall. Because I heard something very disturbing indeed recently – the UK almost ran out of gas, at the worst possible time. Now at the time I heard […]
UNIVERSAL CREDIT EQUALS MISERY FOR ALL.
A version of this article first appeared in The Scottish Left Review The roll-out of the Tory government’s flagship policy is woefully behind schedule. However by this time next year all of Scotland and the UK will be covered, with individuals and their families in work age benefits having to apply. It is the […]
Universal Chaos
A shocking government briefing paper written by David Webster of the Child Poverty action Group has come to light exposing the failings of the Tories flagship Universal Credit system, including skyrocketing sanctions against pregnant women, and people with mental health problems. The scheme, which the government agreed in its universal credit white paper (pdf) was […]
Judge Tories on their Record
Theresa May is in hiding, too scared to appear in public, refusing televised debates, public appearances or questions from the electorate, asking that we judge her on the Tories record instead. So let’s have a look at that. May has been PM for nine months, and during that time she has consistently insisted she is […]
Twenty Three
The Trussell Trust reports food bank use is at an all time high, with over a million 3 day emergency food parcels given out to families in the UK over the last year. Thirteen million people live below the poverty line in the UK, with individuals going hungry every day for a range of reasons, […]
Fifteen
One of the best bits about the festive season is the winter feast – gorging on chocolate and christmas pud, stodgy spuds, Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes to build up some fat that we will lament in January, but that will keep us warm in the cold months ahead. For some, the reality is […]