Wealth does not 'trickle down' – we need a wellbeing economy
READ MORE: Spell out the facts to voters about the value of North Sea oil and gas
When Western governments bailed out the banks following the 2007 crash, the rich didn't take the hit. Shareholders were saved – and the ordinary people of the country got stagnant wages, austerity, in-work poverty, and a state pension that falls far below the 'wellbeing pension' sum of £241.50/week – the figure calculated by the Wellbeing Pension Campaign as the amount required to cover pensioners' basic costs of living.
A wellbeing economy is one that recognises that, contrary to promises, wealth doesn't trickle down – it is created when society offers access to opportunity and wellbeing for everyone. A society that doesn't only measure its 'wealth' in economic growth as measured by GDP, but which gives equal weight to measures for quality of life, equality, fairness, happiness and health. It isn't only pensioners who should be able to heat their homes comfortably – everyone should be able to do that, without having to do without other measures that contribute to our quality of life.
The choice for Scotland is between 'more of the same', or working with other wellbeing economy governments in reshaping our economy to deliver a just transition to a net zero, nature-positive economy based on the principles of resilience, equality and prosperity for all. Comments following the presentation included: 'I was well impressed with what was said and the delivery'; 'This is the way forward for our country'; and 'We certainly left feeling far more optimistic about Scotland's future than we had been'.
Ian Waugh
Dumfries & Galloway Indy Hub
THE public and political silence about the Liberation journey to the Decolonisation Committee of the United Nations has been quite deafening but the Yes movement's references to it are becoming more frequent. What is going on behind the scenes? I would like to know what the Scottish legal establishment made of Professor Robert Black's speech titled 'For England. Nothing Changed'.
But one thing is certain – the political leadership of all Scottish independence parties need to keep up to speed or they will be in danger of being bypassed by political events.
READ MORE: No changes to council tax 'in this decade', says Scottish Government
In Scotland we have been at the mercy of the most accomplished propaganda machine in the world. On the issue of the Treaty and Acts of Union in 1707 and 1708,we have all been forced into one narrow road which takes us to the endpoint of belief in a Union of equal partnership while being forced into many positions and actions which we do not support, but accept in the belief of Westminster authority and the 'United Kingdom'.
Sara Salyers and her Liberation team have changed all that. Craig Murray, as Liberation's acting Scottish ambassador, has assured us of a warm welcome at the UN and has received declarations of interest by several major bodies such as the African Union.
If it is found at the UN Decolonisation Committee that in fact there is no such thing as the UK then that will pose problems for the membership of the Security Council, for example.
We must have a developed strategy for what our next Scottish step will be to confirm our sovereignty and recover our Scottish parliamentary authority. The actions of the last two Westminster governments have found little support among the Scottish population.
It is clear from the letters pages of our Scottish newspapers that there is serious dissatisfaction with the current situation.
Maggie Chetty
Glasgow
I HAVE been a friend and supporter of Craig Murray since his return to Scotland after being sacked by a Labour foreign secretary for exposing torture in Uzbekistan when ambassador there. Since then Craig has devoted himself to the cause of Scottish independence as well as being a fine journalist and has proved fearless, whether in front of Scottish judges or Israeli drones! Despite this, a secret Alba committee has refused him the
right to be considered as a candidate for Alba for next year's Scottish Parliament elections. I believe this is a mistaken decision and should be reversed.
READ MORE: Craig Murray: Alba blocked my Scottish Parliament 2026 bid
The reason for excluding Craig is that he stood for the Workers Party in last year's General Election. Yet Craig did so with Alex Salmond's approval. I know because I talked to Alex and he told me that Craig had his full support and would be a very important voice for Scotland in Westminster.
I was approved as an Alba candidate last year but in solidarity with Craig decided not to put myself forward as a candidate this year. I am calling for Alba's conference in October to reverse this decision and allow Craig to be an Alba candidate next year.
Hugh Kerr
Edinburgh
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Scotsman
a minute ago
- Scotsman
Tony Bloom speaks to Hearts fans about plans for the club - and challenge to Celtic and Rangers
Tynecastle meeting ahead of the Scottish Premiership match against Aberdeen Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Tony Bloom met Hearts fans tonight to outline his plans after agreeing to invest £9.86m in the Edinburgh club. A Foundation of Hearts event titled '90 Minutes with Tony Bloom' began at 7pm at Tynecastle Park as supporters gathered to hear from the British entrepreneur. Bloom is chairman and majority shareholder at English Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion. He also holds minority stakes in the Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise and Australian outfit Melbourne Victory. In June this year, he completed a deal to buy a 29 per cent stake in Hearts, although his shares do not entitle him to vote on club matters. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In his first in-person address to supporters, Bloom was welcomed by around 500 people inside Tynecastle's Gorgie Suite. After thanking the Foundation and Hearts chairwoman Ann Budge, he answered questions from club media and then responded to pre-submitted public questions. First, he explained how his investment came about and what he wants to achieve with Hearts. Bloom made it clear that he intends to topple Scottish football's Glasgow duopoly of Celtic and Rangers. 'I've been owner and chairman of Brighton for 16 years. A few years ago, I was looking to get involved with another football club. We looked all over Europe and landed on Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium. That has gone very well, perhaps better than I thought. A couple of years ago I was thinking of Scotland. Growing up in the 1970s and 80s, it was very different to today. Scottish football was talked about in the newspapers much more than other leagues - Italy, Spain - so I've always followed Scottish football. I like to see the Scottish national team doing well. Growing up it was always about England, I know that's not quite reciprocated across the Border. 'A lot of you will remember 1986. I'm sorry to have mentioned it but somebody scored two late goals. I backed Hearts at 8-1 to win the league and going into the last game it was looking very pretty. Needed against Dundee and it didn't quite happen. I believe I can make a difference here. I don't want to see a league dominated by two teams. I did look at clubs in Scotland. As soon as I met Ann and looked at Hearts, I knew this was the club I liked to invest in and here I am today. I think it's really important for Scottish football that it's not just a one or two-club show - and it's not going to be from now on. 'I welcome the investment from other clubs outside the Old Firm, I think that's really good for Scottish football. It's not good at all that Scottish clubs, historically, have not been doing well in Europe. That lowers the co-efficient, so even if you win the league, like Celtic this year, you have to win knockout games to get into the group stage of the Champions League. I'm very confident that the co-efficient will change over the next few years, it will be really good for Scottish football. I hope it will be good news for Hearts.' More to follow....
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
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Jackie Baillie on abuse of women and where Labour can win
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Kevin McKenna: 'This is the most Scottish moment in my entire life' Kevin McKenna: Misanthropic, be-whiskered sociopaths: cats are for the watchin' Kevin McKenna: As fake left of Labour and SNP condemn Trump, Reform keeps on rising Kevin McKenna: A room full of politicians and me: what could possibly go wrong? I tell her this isn't surprising, given the abuse and defamation of high-profile - mainly SNP-women from within their own party. She discusses the abuse that's been directed at her. 'Social media is quite shocking in its treatment of women,' she says. 'A lot of us have social media comments directed at us that come from a sewer. 'They comment on how you dress, your size and ask if you've got shares in Greggs. But they're just keyboard warriors who would never say it to your face. 'It'll take an effort by all parties to remove this, and I know some of our people do it to SNP people. We need civility in politics. You can disagree – and passionately – but you don't need to abuse people. 'You can grow a hard skin and ignore it as best you can, but I think it's about women encouraging other women. It's about giving them confidence and support. 'The Scottish Labour Women's Committee has been hosting events for women to come along and have a chat if they're thinking about standing.' Ms Baillie has already interviewed more than 100 prospective MSP candidates and says that the party has never previously been as exhaustive in its selection process. 'We're always thinking too about who we would want in the cabinet, if we gained power. They should have some expertise in their chosen policy area. "Sam Galbraith once suggested to me that cabinet secretaries ideally would have run a large organisation and not be scared of instructing the civil servants on how they want things done.' Ah yes: the civil service. A drone-class of dull-eyed automatons have emerged at the top of the Scottish government in the Sturgeon/Swinney era. They're easily picked off by better-educated civil servants who find it easy to impose their own luxury beliefs on them. The contagion has spread to Labour, while the Scottish Greens are little more than a flash mob of itinerant, middle-class flag-warriors. They turn up at the right meetings and get to carry a minister's Costa coffee: posh kids who want a short-cut to parliament without doing the hard graft. 'Your lot has them too, Jackie,' I tell her. 'So, how will you sort that out?' She's alive, at least, to the curse of the civil service as activists. She recalls a third-sector organisation's wretched experience of running into the Scottish civil service. 'They told me they had behaved like activists and that it had become clear they were trying to impose these beliefs on them before they could get anywhere near a minister. 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'The quality and calibre of prospective candidates I'm seeing is very high. We're getting people who are teachers, social workers, lawyers and at least one NHS consultant. These are people who can be our eyes and ears inside organisations that need to change.' She talks about Sam Galbraith again, the much-admired NHS consultant. "Sam was brilliant as health minister at the Scotland Office,' she says. 'Yet, the civil servants talked Donald Dewar out of putting him in Health in the Scottish Parliament and so he went to education. "That was a mistake. He knew more about Health than the civil servants, and I think they feared that. 'I always say to young people who come into my office: 'go and get a life first. Go out and experience life. Get a profession, do whatever you're going to do; then come and see me. I was 36 when I started in parliament. "I had a seven-year-old daughter. That was a hard juggling act. But it's life experience and it's better for your constituents. We want them to be more knowledgeable; to have done different things; to have interesting skill-sets. If we're fortunate enough to be the government next May, we want to have people who can hit the ground running. 'We'll also have a delivery unit. One of my major criticisms of the SNP is that they have loads of statutory documents, but they line the shelves of St Andrew's House and never get implemented.' I hear what she's saying and it all sounds tickety, but it'll help if you don't have – you know – too much socialism in your blood. In the Anas Sarwar era, a Star Chamber has emerged inside [[Scottish Labour]] which harries those deemed to be too left-wing. She describes this as 'complete nonsense' and says: 'Just look at the range of great candidates that have been selected to stand – people like Carol Mochan and Katy Clark – neither of whom could be considered right-wing.' This time last year, Labour might have been considered slight favourites to take Holyrood next year. 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I tell her that Labour need to understand why a large cohort of traditional Labour voters are backing Reform. And that the extent to which Labour and the SNP acknowledge this may have a significant bearing on next year's election. Thus far, the SNP's response is to dismiss working-class people who back Reform as ignorant bigots. If Labour do the same then they're doomed. The political classes have driven voters into Nigel Farage's arms because they don't like to be falsely accused of being racists and transphobes by a class of people who couldn't find their neighbourhoods with a satnav. 'I'm careful about the Reform factor in Scotland,' she says. 'But I don't think it's as great as people are saying. 'But yes, we need to be in these communities and to be listening to their concerns in a way that the SNP aren't. This is where we can win.'
The National
4 hours ago
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SNP members set for second meeting to challenge Swinney's indyref bid
Party members are set to hold a meeting in September in Glasgow, ahead of the conference in Aberdeen the following month. It is understood that the Glasgow Kelvin branch has drafted a motion to challenge Swinney's three-point strategy. This follows more than 40 SNP branches backing a separate challenge to the First Minister's independence strategy, who are set to hold a meeting in Perth on August 9. READ MORE: I am a Palestinian. Keir Starmer's recognition plan is an insult The resolution states that while members believe the SNP is the only party to deliver independence, a 'new strategy is required'. It states that the next step should be to convince a 'significant majority' of people in Scotland to support independence. 'Determining this as the settled will of the majority will be demonstrated by ongoing national opinion polls over an extended time period,' it adds. It argues that to achieve this, the party should provide 'credible, objective and impartial' answers on questions voters have about independence, as well as separating the issue from 'day-to-day issues regarding the governance of Scotland'. The motion then calls on the SNP leadership to engage with non-political groups and political parties as a 'matter of urgency' on the issue of independence. It adds that this should be 'with a view to articulating as far as possible a common prospectus for independence and establishing a cross-party and non-party campaign to ensure that these objectives are firmly established before the next Holyrood elections'. The National understands that former [[SNP]] MEP and MP Alyn Smith was consulted during the drafting of the resolution, and then invited members from the Kelvin branch to outline the plan to members in Stirling. And now, Glasgow [[SNP]] branches will be invited to an event on Saturday September 20 at The Boardwalk Theatre, where Smith will be joined by professor John Curtice and professor Nicola McEwen. After the experts give their talks, members will be presented with the Kelvin branch's motion, and asked to vote on it. We previously told how members unhappy with Swinney's strategy argued that the party should 'prioritise obtaining a mandate from the sovereign Scottish people to deliver independence'. They argued this would be achieved with a majority vote for pro-independence parties at the next election. Whereas Swinney has insisted that an SNP majority is the most credible route forward.
