@thecommongreen@mastodon.scot
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thecommongreen

@thecommongreen@mastodon.scot

Head of Policy and Research -
@Common_Weal
.
Wrote a book - http://tinyurl.com/AllofOurFutures
Used to play with lasers.
All of Us First.

Contact: craig@common.scot

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thecommongreen, to random
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If you believe that war crimes should only be prosecuted when your enemies commit them, you are complicit in the war crimes of your allies.

thecommongreen, to random
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My column in this week's @Common_Weal newsletter is directed at the Scottish Government's new and returning Cabinet Secretaries. For each of you, here are the Common Weal policy papers that should be at the top of your In Tray.

https://commonweal.scot/the-in-tray/

thecommongreen, to random
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Rishi Sunak drumbeating war as an election stunt at an event hosted by a think tank that scores the lowest possible rating for financial transparency.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/who-funds-you/policy-exchange/

thecommongreen,
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Well, that was a terrifying glimpse into Sunak's "Patriotic Future" - a dystopian and authoritarian nightmare for everyone who isn't absolutely loyal to the regime.

thecommongreen,
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Very telling that the "threats" to the UK according to Sunak are leftists, environmentalists, pacifists, migrants, peaceful protesters, democrats, those who human rights and (specifically) Scottish nationalists.

Not the far right, climate change deniers, polluters, pro-genocide militarists, racists and xenophobes, authoritarians and anyone in favour of stripping you of human rights.

He supports them.

thecommongreen, to random
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Go on Rishi. Declare Belfast a "foreign court". Do it. XD

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/huge-blow-rishi-sunak-court-32798530

thecommongreen, to random
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Yesterday I was at the Parliament to give evidence to the Finance Committee on a governing framework for Commissioners - a slightly arcane topic but one pretty fundamental to how our democracy might be changing without us realising it. I warned about the risk of government pushing responsibility away from elected Ministers and onto appointed Commissioners, for example.

An intense session but one that was received well by the Committee.

You can watch the session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fi5OJXdlLs

thecommongreen, to random
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My article in this week's Common Weal Newsletter.

The "economic case" for the 'Green Freeports' is that if we cut corporate taxes, they create jobs and income taxes offset the tax cut.

However, ScotGov hasn't done the modelling to see if this would be the case.

https://commonweal.scot/a-deal-with-the-devolved-part-three/

simon_brooke, to random
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Excellent and hard hitting Episode of the Common Weal Policy Podcast on profit extraction from Scotland. Yet another example of the fact that globalised benefits no one but the ultra rich.

The Common Weal Policy Podcast: Episode - Profit and Politics

Episode webpage: http://commonweal.scot

Media file: https://www.buzzsprout.com/264906/14990854-episode-209-profit-and-politics.mp3

thecommongreen,
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@simon_brooke One of our very first papers (before I joined the org) asked that very question. Aye. I'm very much up for more forms of worker ownership like Mondragon.

thecommongreen, to random
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The Vote of No Confidence in the Scottish Government
Yes - 58
No - 70
No Abstentions

The vote fails. Parliament retains confidence in the Government. The SNP shall continue a minority administration.

SNP and Greens voted against.
Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems and Alba voted for. There were no rebels.

thecommongreen, to random
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Given this week it takes some doing to wrestle a newspaper front page away from the party leadership stramash but...it looks like I've done it!

New Policy Paper released tomorrow (and it's not about the kelpies)

thecommongreen, to random
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This would mean the UK spending £5 on the military for every £1 it spends on foreign aid.

Tell you what. Flip that ratio, then we can discuss how much "defence" we'd need.

"Boosting" nuclear arms is also discouraged by NPT and outright banned by TPNW.

https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/starmer-labour-will-increase-defence-spending-to-2-5-and-boost-nuclear-deterrent-3002947

thecommongreen, to random
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Of the three former (and soon to be former) Prime Ministers quoted in this article, the one with the most morally defensible position (as weak as it is) is the one who himself ordered extrajudicial drone strikes on British citizens.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68751550

thecommongreen, to random
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New Policy Paper!

We've developed a Scottish Land Tax that could raise £450 million a year and close the projected budget gaps of many of our Local Authorities.

https://commonweal.scot/policies/taxing-land-in-scotland/

thecommongreen,
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@SteveJonesnono1 I interviewed Richard on the Common Weal Policy Podcast about his report this week.

The critical difference is that his report looks UK-wide at reserved taxes, whereas mine is a devolved Scottish local affair. We're actually in agreement with both of our plans.

https://commonweal.scot/podcast/the-common-weal-policy-podcast-episode-205/

thecommongreen,
@thecommongreen@mastodon.scot avatar

The Scottish Government response to my paper mentions a joint working group with Cosla on local government finance but does not mention the Citizens Assembly they promised would be held during this Parliament. Has that promise been formally dropped?

https://govtracker.scot/policies/run-a-citizens-assembly-on-council-tax-reform/

thecommongreen,
@thecommongreen@mastodon.scot avatar

See coverage of our paper in @TheNational.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/24234627.scottish-land-tax-raise-450m-annually-new-paper-argues/

thecommongreen,
@thecommongreen@mastodon.scot avatar

For rural councils especially, a land tax could become a significant part of their budget. At the rate we suggest here, five councils would raise revenue equivalent to more than 50% of their current Council Tax revenue.

thecommongreen,
@thecommongreen@mastodon.scot avatar

It works by taking our 2021 proposal to reform Council Tax into a tax on the market value of homes and extending it to the market value of land as well.
(Right now, Council Tax is charged on a manor house, but not the larger estate)

https://commonweal.scot/policies/a-property-tax-for-scotland/

thecommongreen,
@thecommongreen@mastodon.scot avatar

@simonvarwell This is one of the reasons I see an advantage for our land tax (based on market rate) compared to a land value tax (based on notional economic value). If a landowner tries to dodge the tax by undervaluing their estate, that would just make it easier for locals to enact a compulsory purchase.

thecommongreen, to random
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I've written up some thoughts on the Land Reform Bill for Bella Caledonia

Some potential for some steps forward...but I worry, once again, about the amount of power ScotGov is claiming instead of building better local democracy.

https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2024/03/18/land-reform-or-another-power-grab/

thecommongreen, to random
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The Homework Machine
Shel Silverstein - 1981

Not a bad prediction of ChatGPT there...

thecommongreen, to random
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Today marks five years of the Common Weal Policy Podcast and this week saw us hit Episode !

Thank you to everyone who has listened to and supported the show, especially if you've been with us from the start.

Listen to this week's show at: https://commonweal.scot/podcast/the-common-weal-policy-podcast-episode-200/

thecommongreen,
@thecommongreen@mastodon.scot avatar

You can support the show and everything else we do at @Common_Weal with a one-off or regular donation here: https://commonweal.scot/donate/

And if you're running an interesting campaign, event or movement somewhere in or around Scotland and want to talk about it on the show, drop me an email.

simon_brooke, to random
@simon_brooke@mastodon.scot avatar

My friend Rob made up a jig to try to get the screws out of the field coils on the starter motor. We succeeded on three of the screws, but the second we mangled. We got the remains of it out with a screw extractor, but it means I'll have to source a replacement screw.

Inside the body, a miniature screw jack prevents us crushing it out of round.
The first screw successfully removed. It is a countersunk 3/8" UNC screw, 16 threads per inch, with an unusually steep countersink angle. It is shown lying beside its hole, on the cylindrical body of the starter motor.
Using a screw extractor to remove the remains of the mangled screw.

thecommongreen,
@thecommongreen@mastodon.scot avatar

@GlasWolf @simon_brooke This was absolutely a truism during my laser engineer days. Especially the systems that had to be turned around urgently.

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