Sport is the one area where Scotland is defiantly autonomous on the global stage. But even with a match against England at Wembley, constitutional politics barely featured as a point of interest or controversy.
Analysis
“The Afghan War, which inaugurated a wave of western attacks in Asia and North Africa 20 years ago, will prove in its last act the futility and destruction of ‘humanitarian intervention’.”
Analysis: Taliban rule and further conflict are the fruits of ‘western interventionism’
The real-life case of Daniel Morgan, the private detective murdered 34 years ago in a South London car park, could be Line of Duty’s case for the defence. The independent inquiry into his death features enough elaborate plot twists and cartoonish villainy to keep Ted Hastings busy for another six series.
Source Direct: Bugging, Burglary and Bribing Bent Coppers
The ultimate the “bad guy” here isn’t really the local authority, the devolved administration or even the outsourcers — it’s the Home Office. But their demonstrable badness only adds to the vicious cycle of rival nationalisms.
Source Direct: Outsourcing, Dispersal and Hostility
In the festival of great power politics, Britain and Europe are nowhere near the main stage; for all the shouty antics, both are being drowned out by the big acts.
Source Direct: Special Relationships on the Couch
“Will Scottish civil society be strong enough to resist dangerous escalations, waged not in the name of the ordinary citizens of China or Scotland, but in the name of competition for wealth and power?”
Analysis: Is Scottish politics mature enough to resist the anti-China axis?
If students pass through an American history course believing Woodrow Wilson was a saint, or a British history course believing the same of Winston Churchill, education has become indoctrination.
Source Direct: Britain’s Empire – Education as Propaganda
The launch of the People United, a cross-border campaign for Scottish independence, will hopefully inject some positivity into a melancholic movement. It aims to start an international debate about self-determination, not just for Scotland, but for the rest of the UK, Catalonia, the Basque Country and beyond.
Source Direct: Independence – Uniting the Peoples
“A low tax regime and de-regulation are the preferred models of attracting foreign investment, and the Scottish Government is certainly exploring just such incentives.”
Analysis: Does foreign investment mean the rise of ‘global Scotland’?
The poll demonstrates, if nothing else, that it’s theoretically possible to win massive public majorities for a post-oil economic agenda. So, what’s stopping us?