Big-picture reform may not be on everyone’s list of priorities, but governments should be able to tackle big long-term projects while also addressing the immediate issues. Unfortunately, the short-termism of so many politicians has undermined the…Read more…
From the national to the local
Yesterday, I was speaking at the book launch of ‘A New Scotland: Building an Equal, Fair and Sustainable Society’. I have previously written about the themes in the book, which I picked up in my Afterword. These go beyond traditional economic thinking …Read more…
Action on health inequalities
As the UK and Scottish Governments start the process towards another round of Austerity, we need to remember the impact this will have on health inequalities. Those in Scotland’s most deprived areas are 3.9 times more likely to die from an avoidable de…Read more…
I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library
This is one of my favourite quotes about libraries, written by the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. It seems particularly appropriate during Libraries Week. Coincidentally, I contributed to a pan-European study this week on libraries, highli…Read more…
Governing With Purpose – a guide for charity trustees
As someone who works with and serves on several third-sector boards, I have sometimes wondered why anyone does this. External criticism and internal squabbling are not unknown, and thanks are not always forthcoming. Moreover, when personal time h…Read more…
Tackling drug deaths – Scotland’s national disgrace
Scotland’s drug-related death statistics are a national disgrace. In 2021, 1,330 people in Scotland died due to a drug overdose. That was more than three times the rate of the rest of the UK and the highest in Europe. As the chart below shows, this isn…Read more…
Lessons learned from the pandemic for social care
I was in Stockholm this week speaking at a workshop looking at Europe-wide experiences of the pandemic on social care. The On the corona frontline – Lessons learned, promises broken? event was hosted…Read more…
A New Scotland
In the book, A New Scotland, leading activists and academics lay out the blueprints for radical reform, showing how society can be transformed by embedding values of democracy, social justice and…Read more…
ScotRail – the start of a new journey
Today is a special day for rail campaigners who have been making a case for bringing Scotland’s railways back into public ownership for the 25 years since privatisation. ScotRail is back as a public…Read more…
Putting the local into reducing health inequalities
While national strategies are essential in reducing health inequalities, we need to emphasise local action. This week the Scottish Government statistics division published its long-term…Read more…
Time to reform sick pay
‘Fixing the UK’s broken sick pay regime would reduce the spread of infectious diseases – and be a small step towards a fairer country.’ I read these words in a Guardian editorial just before a…Read more…
A wake up call for a realistic energy policy
This month, I returned to familiar territory when asked to write an overview of UK energy policy as part of a wider European project. Energy policy can be quite parochial, particularly in…Read more…
The ‘poor relation’ in railway policy
I was speaking at a European symposium on rail policy this week, providing an update on developments in the UK. It was interesting to hear what other countries were doing post-pandemic. Most are…Read more…
The not so ‘Great Resignation’
There has been a lot of talk about ‘The Great Resignation’ in the media and HR circles. However, for some sectors, this is not new and certainly predated the pandemic.
I have been doing some HR work…Read more…
The future is railfreight
In July, I was asked to write an overview of rail policy in the UK for a European think tank. An absolute pleasure for a rail buff like me after working for a union with no railway members. They…Read more…
Delivering a fairer society – policy and people.
I am in London this week, mostly doing some research in the National Archives and British Library. However, I spent a day at the Labour Party conference in Brighton, and it was good to meet in person…Read more…
National Care Service
The Scottish Government has published a consultation paper on the creation of a National Care Service in Scotland. This follows the Independent Review of Adult Social Care (Feeley report, Feb 2021)….Read more…
UK rail policy in transition
One of the many things I enjoyed about working for UNISON was the range of issues we covered. While some days I wished I worked for a single industry union, it was rarely dull! However, I have always…Read more…
Christie Commission – Ten Years On.
Next week is the tenth anniversary of the report of the Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services, known as the Christie Commission. I spent six months working as an expert advisor to the…Read more…
The future of work
I have been helping to review the HR policies of a charity as it considers a return to normal operations after the pandemic. We had a false start last year, although the return to…Read more…