Blog

If You Work It, You Should Control It: Reflections on How Policy is Made

This is a presentation made to the West Midlands Coops Member Education Group on Thursday 23 February 2023 ACTUAL West Midlands Presentation

Challenging the Legacy of Thatcher’s Framework

During the Conservative PM selection process, both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss constantly claim to be the heirs of Thatcher. But they don’t seem to understand that the period of Margaret Thatcher and John Major in Government from 1979 to 1997 was unsuccessful in challenging or ameliorating any of Britain’s economic and social problems. Using […]

Note on Leslie Huckfield Book Launch

21 External Communications LHR Site Note.N13 This note provides a brief summary and update on Leslie Huckfield’s new book “How Blair Killed the Coops”, for which the online launch with Owen Hatherley and John McDonnell MP is at 1900 on THU 18 NOV 2021. This is the Eventbrite Link to sign up for the launch. […]

COVID, Social Enterprises and Communities

This is the paper I presented on FRI 01 OCT 2021 to the Launch Conference of the Scottish Centre for Social Justice at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. This contribution projects that many now writing about an emerging new 21 ACTUAL SCSJ COVID and Communities.O01   period of ‘post neoliberalism’ are really describing higher level activity […]

A Social Economy for Scotland

This Note sets out a framework for a unified Third Sector or Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) – often called the Social Economy – offering a community focus during and after COVID and climate change Above all, for Scotland this cannot be the kind of mainstream or routine economic recovery of the 1970s, […]

Did the Scottish Parliament Elections Change Anything?

Despite the Scottish Parliament Elections, with a 71 to 57 majority for Independence, almost no progress has been made. This contribution gives some pointers to what should be happening. Please click on the link below: 21 ACTUAL Independence Article.Y04

What Comes After COVID? A Personal View

There’s a favourite topic of conversation where people are asked what they’re going to do “post COVID” or when “life gets back to normal”. I find difficult the relevance and significance of either of these phrases. Many of us who have been working from home are probably experiencing a better COVID than those who must […]

What I’m Currently Researching

I am pleased to be working on a joint research project “Comparative Analysis of Ireland’s and Scotland’s Approach to the Development of National Social Enterprise Policies” with Deiric O’Broin and Gerard Doyle, Professor of Public Policy Practice and Lecturer at Dublin City University, which we hope initially to be published as an article in Administration, […]

Anti-racism, Materialism and the Sewell Report

See this brilliant piece by Robert Knox on how the Disraeli followers in No 10 target the Red Wall to reshape UK cultural life to accept racism. Be prepared for more on welfare, immigration and criminal justice system, followed by the Democracy Commission. https://criticallegalthinking.com/2021/04/07/anti-racism-materialism-and-the-sewell-report/ In case you’ve forgotten, Disraeli was the driving force behind the […]

Independence will Not Happen Automatically

Despite opinion polls more favourable to Independence and regular contributions from Scotland’s liberal elite that “the Union in retreat is a banal fact of Scottish life”, independence for the people of Scotland will not happen overnight or automatically.

Sign up for Newsletter

Our newsletter brings you regular summaries, authoritative research and analysis delivered straight to your inbox.

Please select the topics you are interested in