The Scottish government fuses nationalism with social wage and social investment concepts. It conjures up images of a prosperous, community led, egalitarian welfare state as a future reality. It recuperates “welfare” as a collective endeavour. It describes austerity as a poor distribution of resources between groups and within the UK as the “problem”.
The perception of a democratic deficit began in the Thatcher premiership, long before Brexit. Scottish self government came to be positively linked with European intergation.
Differences of politics in Scotland and England leads to claims that the Scottish people are being governed against their will. This creates a constitutional crisis which has manifested in desires for self-government. Brexit contradicts the 2014 referendum assurances that only by rejecting independence could Scotland stay in the EU.
Only independence can remove the democratic deficit. Scottish independence is the cosmopolitan choice. There will be some economic damage, uncertainty, and a new currency.
No has, in some ways, a stronger case in the second referendum but a far lower chance of success: it will lose because there will be no-one out there able to tell the No story.
Argues for federalism in public funding where taxation is devolved. Proposes that this financial autonomy would provide a better connection between democracy and public finance.
we explore the implications of populism for adult education aimed at defending and extending democratic life. We question the conflation of agonistic democracy with left populism on several grounds, and we consider how a focus on education might help to ground their theory and clarify its ambiguities.
The findings from the People’s Gathering are organised into three broad themes: Sovereignty of the People – How do we return more power to the people? Defending our democracy – How do we stop vested interests having too much influence? How do we write the rules – How do we get the checks and balances our democracy needs?
How should parliament incorporate the public’s voice?
Opinion polls – measuring uncritical, off-the-cuff responses to complicated questions – are shallow at best, misleading at worst, and when amplified by the media and other sources can have a detrimental effect on policy making. Instead of gathering citizens’ opinions, political decisions should be made after garnering citizens’ considered and informed judgement.
This is what a Citizens’ Assembly will do.
This paper proposes six policy ways to renew the Scottish Government’s domestic agenda through fresh and eye-catching policy transformation after 10 years in power at Holyrood.