Boris Johnson won back precious credibility with Britain’s vaccination programme. But it couldn’t last, and the Tories are mired in scandals to an extent we haven’t seen since John Major’s years of sleaze.
lobbying
“Unfortunately, this culture of big business-politics cross-pollination, and at times straightforward grift, has also landed in Scotland.”
Analysis: From Westminster to Holyrood, the corporate lobby is out of control
The founding principles of the Scottish Parliament emphasise accountability, accessibility and the need to treat all people fairly. While these are principles we all hold close, we know in practice that our politics can often fall short. Wealth and power can get people access and influence that normal citizens can only imagine. It is, after […]
Willie Sullivan: Scotland’s loophole ridden lobbying laws are in need of an urgent upgrade
I am currently reading recently published book ‘Alpha City: How the Super-Rich Captured London’. One of the points made by author professor Rowland Atkinson is that despite the city being the ultimate paradise for the super-rich, with more ‘High Net-Worth Individuals’ per inhabitant than any other city in the world, overt lobbying is not usually […]
The Jenrick scandal highlights London’s plutocracy problem
How can Scotland hold a public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic, when no written advice was recorded in the opening months of the crisis?
Scotland’s missing Covid-19 paper trail: Five questions that need to be answered
“This is why we always lose – we march, they rig the system from within. We have the slogans and (often) the best arguments, they have the membership of all the decisive committees and boards. We need enormous amounts of public effort to get issues onto the agenda, yet they can undo it all again quietly and in private without any real effort.”
Robin McAlpine: Corrupted Scotland needs a post-virus governance revolution
There is a gap between what the Scottish Government claims it wants to do in its economic response to this crisis and its actions. Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said on International Worker’s Day on Friday that: “If we’re to maximise the chance to renew our country, then we need to take a serious look at […]