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"How progressive people in different parties can coalesce and do something positive..."
News, Campaigns & Events
Support the Brewdog workers
Aberdeen's branch of Unite Hospitality are organising a show of solidarity for the workers of Brewdog. Join the action at 6.30 pm on Wednesday 25 February outside Brewdog Union Square Aberdeen AB11 5RG. Hard working staff members have faced years of cuts to pay, hours and conditions - and now there is more uncertainty during t he ongoing sale of the once supposedly 'punk ethos' beer producer. Unite the Union said it has been inundated with “messages of serious concern” from
To make hope possible
How to counter right-wing populism? That is the urgent question which will be the focus of an important and hopeful event which will run twice - in Edinburgh on Tuesday 10 March and in Glasgow on Wednesday 11 March. Caroline Lucas, who was the UK's first Green Party MP and led the Greens in England and Wales, will be in conversation with Scottish journalist Adam Ramsay. Her latest book argues that the Right has hijacked, distorted and misdirected Englishness: there's an urgen
What next for Scotland’s Fire Service?
Thursday January 15th saw Maggie Chapman MSP move a motion in parliament on 'A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Fit for the Future'. Members of the fire brigades union (FBU) were in the gallery to hear an informed debate on a motion that enjoyed cross party support . From all the parties there was rhetorical support for the fire service and those that work in it. But words do not equate to resources. FBU Scotland had been left unhappy with the budget settlement agreed earlier
Perspectives & Views
Shaking the pillars of the status quo
Erik Cramb writes from Dundee on why we are here. Sharon Graham, the General Secretary of Unite the Union, claimed that the ‘shame and shambles’ surrounding the government in recent weeks merely confirms that over the past 18 months ideals put forward when the Labour Party was first established have been ‘corrupted, most likely irretrievably’. Writing in the Financial Times , she notes that Unite was historically the biggest affiliate to Labour and is still its biggest union
Transformation not Reform
What will it feel like on the weekend of the 9th and 10th of May when the results of this year’s Scottish Parliament elections become clear? How will Holyrood operate with the expected significant cohort of Reform UK MSPs? What will it mean for Scotland? At this point, perhaps it is possible to take some solace from the way that polling figures may be potentially inflated. And justified unhappiness may be directed at the regular media coverage for a party that has won, thus
What's going on?
How to respond to conspiracy theories? Our discussion pieces on this issue have got people talking (click here and here for the initial posts). With everyone agreeing that it’s important to counter myths, misinformation and irrationalism, there are nevertheless a range of different views on what is to be done. Paddy emailed from Edinburgh stating that ‘ I found the discussion on conspiracy theories very thought-provoking! Before I retired, my work took me into vaccines and
Reviews and Reflections
The feeling of a changing world
Harvey Duke writes on protest songs and the power of art, highlighting Bruce Springsteen's new protest song 'The Streets of Minneapolis' , which was the fastest trending song on YouTube in the United States on the day of its release. We’ve all heard the idea: the personal is political. There are moments in our lives when what had felt deeply personal also begins to feel deeply political. Even before we know much about politics, Art can sometimes help us feel connected to the
Burns Day: online poetry - and nuclear disarmament
The good people at Scottish CND have established a tradition of successful Burns events, gathering renowned poets based in Scotland for a programme of peace-themed poetry. As the organisers say, 'these events have been heartening antidotes to the often oppressive, militaristic discourse that is all too common in the national political conversation'. This year, the Scottish CND Burns Afternoon Event will take place online - it's on Sunday 25 of January between 3pm-5pm, and is
Highlights / 2025
With scope for more many visitors, this website, like Democratic Left Scotland itself, is a a 'modest and fragile endeavour' - but one which we hope continues to prove useful and promising. Our commitment to provide spaces for critical reflection on politics and society, to generate shared discussion across party political divides, and to promote campaigning and alliance-building and action on progressive causes, has been expressed in a range of posts across the last year. Cl
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