RSS Parrot

Scotland mustn't stumble into 'data centre politics'

https://www.commonweal.scot/daily-briefings/briefing-fypmn

Published: June 5, 2026 10:13

One of the most debated socio-political issues in the US just now is the politics of data centres. The degree of interest among analysts is directly related to the scale of the gap between the politicians and the public. And now we are starting to see the…

Why losing music festivals signals a wider problem

https://www.commonweal.scot/daily-briefings/briefing-wb3x8

Published: June 4, 2026 09:00

The total number of summer music festivals now cancelled or postponed in Scotland this summer has reached eight. This is a depressing reflection on the extent to which the economy is delivering quality of life in Scotland, and is explained away by a litany…

Rogue officials must be brought to heel

https://www.commonweal.scot/daily-briefings/briefing-d26cn

Published: June 3, 2026 09:10

Is a technical report from a quango available on its website or not? This sounds like the kind of question which few but political anoraks could be interested in, and yet it is another indicator of a deep and serious malaise in the practice of government…

Scotland’s Green Transition is happening, but remains far from Just

https://www.commonweal.scot/daily-briefings/briefing-7hth5

Published: June 2, 2026 07:14

A new report from the CBI this week has revealed that the number of jobs in Scotland’s renewable energy sector has now exceeded the number of jobs in the oil and gas sector. 105,000 people are now employed in and around renewables compared to 83,000 in oil…

Shortages: plan for the future, not the past

https://www.commonweal.scot/daily-briefings/briefing-45ysa

Published: June 1, 2026 09:29

When we think about the future we usually stimulate what is known as an 'optimism bias'. There is a range of evolutionary benefits that come from thinking in terms of successful outcomes rather than negative ones, but there are clear risks as well. The…

Horrific yet inevitable – care failures can no longer be ignored

https://www.commonweal.scot/daily-briefings/briefing-lwddc

Published: May 29, 2026 10:37

There is depressingly little in the awful case of 'Beastie House' that surprises Common Weal. This appalling failure has led to calls for the resignations, but it is essential that people understand that it is the whole system which has failed, and the…

The disappearing first rung of work

https://www.commonweal.scot/daily-briefings/the-disappearing-first-rung-of-work

Published: May 28, 2026 09:00

Britain is increasingly at risk of creating a generation locked out of the first rung of economic life. That is the underlying warning contained within Alan Milburn’s latest review into youth unemployment, which found that almost one million young people…

Social media regulation: is fast and shallow better than not at all?

https://www.commonweal.scot/daily-briefings/briefing-lj9a8

Published: May 27, 2026 09:17

Very slow and then very quick – that is the impression you would get on progress on greater regulation of social media for teenagers from the UK Government. For a long period it wouldn't say anything very much. Then, under increasing pressure (and in the…

You can’t end corruption but you can create anti-corruption systems

https://www.commonweal.scot/daily-briefings/briefing-xkhh9

Published: May 26, 2026 09:11

Common Weal has for a while been interested in the model created by New South Wales in Australia to deal with corruption. On a day when corruption is dominating newspaper headlines it is certainly worth looking at what steps can be taken to further…

Retail rentals show why and how capitalism is broken

https://www.commonweal.scot/daily-briefings/briefing-48dw8

Published: May 22, 2026 11:00

One of the most important factors for many struggling Scottish businesses is never mentioned, which should raise concern. The retail and hospitality sectors have complained relentlessly about increasing payroll taxes and rising business rates, and not…