“The achievement of a shorter working week would require the involvement of a strengthened trade union sector, and particularly the expansion of sectoral collective bargaining – a notion which elicits predictable horror from right-wingers with a diehard fetish for ‘labour flexibility’.”
Common Weal
“This was a tragedy. In government, this was a disaster. But in communities, in small businesses, in the caring professions and in our hearts and souls – this has been a triumph.”
Robin McAlpine: Covid is a tragedy – but, in our people, it has also been a triumph
“Perhaps the most damning thing I can say about this report is I couldn’t really find anything in it that would be out of place in any Scottish Enterprise Annual Review in the last 40 years. This is continuity Scotland.”
Robin McAlpine: More an essay than a plan, the Recovery Group thinks the thunk
Global stock markets have tumbled as evidence emerged that several US states which have re-opened are seeing rising cases of Covid-19. Stock markets don’t actually tell you much about what’s going on in the real economy, but it is a sign of just how precarious investors think economic recovery is, as it hinges on avoiding […]
Tear up the old economic rules
“Far from our economic model being the realisation of Adam Smith’s dream, it is the embodiment of his worst fears. It’s not a ‘free market’ – it’s a cartel.”
Robin McAlpine: I’m a socialist – but I’m here to save capitalism
“Tax dodging billionaires seeking taxpayer bailouts and the collapse of global supply chains are just two of the very obvious failings of the free market during the pandemic. They highlight the fundamental weaknesses of a system that does not allocate resources efficiently, let alone fairly.”
Dave Watson: ‘Resilience Economics’ must be credible – and build a better society for all
Live in Edinburgh? Your city needs you. For the good of Scotland’s capital, you must “act like a tourist”. You see, the tourist industry doesn’t have any tourists to sell their stuff to, so residents need to take their place. Out of the goodness of your hearts, the people of Edinburgh need to rush back […]
‘Act like a tourist’, or build community wealth?
Common Weal Versus the Virus: The virus is exposing the reality of the weaknesses in our economy, society and democracy. Over the last six years Common Weal has been showing that the weaknesses can all be fixed. Over the next few weeks Common Weal Director Robin McAlpine will write a series of columns showing how Common […]
Robin Mcalpine: Scotland is in desperate need of good journalism – this is how we can have it
Scotland’s new Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith, can’t say when the lockdown measures will be lifted here. We “are not quite at the stage yet where we have got the data which would allow us to be able to pinpoint when these measures are likely to be lifted,” he told the BBC. Correct, but […]
A viable route out of lockdown
Front-line workers are making their voices heard. The Scottish Government has been sent not one, but two, open letters from those we most rely on to battle Covid-19, expressing their unhappiness at insufficient and inadequate PPE. 100 medical professionals have signed a letter stating they have “grave concerns about the adequacy of what has been […]