Scottish politics dissected from a left, pro-independence stance. Each week, award-winning broadcaster and journalist, Lesley Riddoch chews over the week’s news with former media lecturer and Dundee United fan, Pat Joyce. If you like intelligent, quirky chat about Scottish society and culture, and Scottish, UK and international politics analysed from a Scottish perspective; this podcast is for you.
This week, Craig talks to SNP Policy Development Convenor Chris Hanlon and Agnes MacAuley from SNP Greenock & Inverclyde about the latest GERS figures and what they mean (and don’t mean) for Scotland, independence and the post-pandemic recovery. They then discuss up and coming motions to the SNP conference that have been influenced by or based on Common Weal policies including one for a National Transport Company designed to help decarbonise our cars and other vehicles.
This week, Craig Dalzell is joined by Ellen Dalzell to discuss the Demographics of Independence. Ellen has campaigned for several years both for “New Scots” to be included in Scotland’s democracy both through being able to vote – which they now can – but also for them to be better included in data that informs democratic campaigning. They discuss the current weaknesses in the data we have and how that has given rise to misconceptions about the voting intentions of New Scots.
his week, Craig is joined by Marion Macleod – an expert in social care and education for children and author of Common Weal’s latest policy paper on a strategic plan for childcare. They discuss the current patchwork state of child and early years care in Scotland, how the latest Programme for Government perpetuates that even if the policies themselves may be valuable and how things could be greatly improved by a strategic and holistic plan for care sitting within a National Care Service.
There is no country in the western world which has fewer people owning so much of its land as in Scotland and so there have been calls for land reform for hundreds of years. It is a social justice issue – but it is about so much more than that. It is about our environment, our wildlife, our communities, employment and homes for the next generation, the nation’s economy and the life of our towns and cities.
Common Weal believes in Scottish independence – but we believe it is essential to get it right. It’s not enough to tell people independence would be ‘good for them’, you have to explain how it would be done and be ready to answer your questions.
There is so much wrong with our housing system, from needless homelessness to spiralling costs (which have shut a generation out of housing) to over-mortgaged homeowners struggling financially to the sheer environmental inefficiency of much of the housing we build to the failure to build homes how and where communities need rather than where a developer can make most money.
The world is under threat from a series of approaching environmental crises and Scotland is a country which still has enduring social failures like poverty and inequality. Many people are pessimistic. But both can be tackled if we take them head-on and plan for them – which is what Common Weal did with The Common Home Plan, the world’s first comprehensive Green New Deal. It is a reason for optimism and hope.
Energy – electricity, heating and transport fuel – is crucial for the modern Scotland we live in. But it can also be one of our biggest threats if we don’t get them right. It can harm our environment and play a major role in causing the climate crisis. ‘Energy inequality’ can harm the health of those who can’t afford to heat their homes. Scotland is one of the few countries in Europe which does not own its energy publicly and the only one that doesn’t own its own National Grid.
Video 1:35 minutes
Banking has lost its way, forgetting that it should be serving its customers and not exploiting them. But a mutually-owned People’s Bank can change this.
Video: 2:09 minutes