Councillor SAM WHEELER says there’s a tangible shift in mood on the left in the city whose mayor has recently become PM — but there’s no room for complacency
Scotland and foreign policy – breathing democracy into the debate
by KATY CLARK
HMS Vigilant at HM Naval Base Clyde, Faslane, which carries Britain’s Trident nukes
Communist Party leaders Alex Gordon and Lorraine Douglas deliver vital medicines in trip to besieged socialist island
TUC Cymru is playing a leading role in tackling far-right ideas in the workplace, says LAURA DOEL
A New Delhi press conference in which Sheikh Hasina and her son implied the new order in Bangladesh is a security threat to India has sparked fears she is planning a comeback. SIAM SAROWER JAMIL reports on the fallout
Two months of student unrest have forced out India’s education minister and rattled the BJP regime. Could this be the beginning of the end for Modi, asks Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary MA BABY
MAT COWARD says the heatwave is a testing time for gardeners — but he has some tips
A SIGNIFICANT driver of support for constitutional change in Scotland has been discontent with aspects of Westminster foreign affairs and defence policy. Currently, the Scottish Parliament has little role in international policy. It does however regularly discuss international issues, and votes on motions relating to a wide range of foreign affairs and defence-related matters.
The Scottish government is anti-nuclear but not anti-Nato. There is a widespread view in Scotland that the Parliament should support humanitarian projects and in the Parliament that the current aid cuts are unacceptable. There is no consensus in support of a principled stance against Western military intervention or a broader analysis of the West’s role or focus on the extent to which Scotland might seek to rupture from this settlement.
The Scottish government also has a small international budget. It undertakes work relating to several countries, and on specific issues such as safe water, and women and girls. Unlike the German Lander (states), it does not have the right to enter international treaties. Whatever position the Scottish Parliament or Scottish government takes, they have no direct input into any aspect of foreign policy taken at a UK level.
Similar stories
MIKE MARTIN surveys the regional opposition to US attempts to force the region into a military confrontation with China
Expanding Britain’s nuclear capability increases the risk of nuclear confrontation. It does not keep us safe – it makes us a target, argues CAROL TURNER
While politicians fixate on defence budgets, the real answers lie in peace-building and economic justice, says ALAN SIMPSON