The Equalities Secretary and the President of COSLA have praised the efforts of communities and councils across Scotland after confirming that more than 1,000 Syrian refugees have settled here. The milestone was reached following the safe arrival of a further 120 refugees to Scotland in the last week. Continue reading Safe haven: Milestone as Scotland welcomes 1000th Syrian refugee
It’s official: the EU referendum debate left voters totally in the dark.
The final result could not have been clearer. But the actual campaign was anything but. Today we’ve set out what went wrong – how people from both sides of the EU debate found the experience top-down, negative and personality-dominated – but more importantly, how to make referendums better in the future.
We’re proud to launch our definitive analysis of the EU referendum debate, ‘It’s Good to Talk: Doing Referendums Differently After the EU Vote’. Because now that the dust is starting to settle, we need to learn the lessons from the EU campaign.
So today, we’re calling for a root-and-branch review into how we do referendums in the UK, with nine key recommendations on how to ensure voters get the debate they deserve in any future vote
From giving an official body the power to censure claims that are misleading, to ensuring grassroots citizen involvement at every stage of the process, we’ve laid out the ‘referendum reforms’ that are needed to prevent us making the same mistakes again.
We hope you find the report interesting and useful. Instead of leaving voters out in the cold, together we can make sure that future referendums offer the kind of informed and engaging debate we need. Thanks for your support.
| READ THE REPORT |
Best wishes,
Katie Ghose,
Chief Executive,
Electoral Reform Society
119 days ago the SNP won the Scottish Parliament election and received a mandate from the people of Scotland to govern, albeit as a minority administration. What followed wasn’t a whirlwind of bold and radical activity, it was yet more constitutional debate. It simply can’t go on like this.
The Scottish Parliament returns for a new session next week. In advance of that today I am setting out Labour’s priorities, an alternative Programme for Government. These are some of the key issues we will push the SNP on in Parliament and across the country. They are firmly rooted in the manifesto we built together in May with a clear anti-austerity message at its core.
Education is our priority, because only by giving our young people the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future can we grow our economy and close the gap between the richest and the rest. We also want the government to introduce a Bill to ban fracking, to ease the pressure on our NHS by investing in social care, to secure rights for workers and to support refugees arriving in Scotland.
At the heart of everything we do is the message that to invest in our public services and give everybody a fair chance in life, the SNP must stop the cuts. The Scottish Parliament has major new powers over tax and it’s time the nationalists started using them to end austerity in Scotland.
You can read our full alternative Programme for Government here.
If, like me, you think the last thing Scotland needs or wants is a second independence referendum, then share this with your friends and let them know what the Government should be doing to deliver that fairer future we want for all.
Kezia Dugdale
Scottish Labour Leader
Youth & children work opportunities at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre
Edinburgh lights up for childhood cancer awareness
Deidre Brock MP welcomed the Edinburgh skies lighting up in gold at the launch of the parent-led ‘Glow Gold September’ childhood cancer awareness campaign this evening (Thursday 1 September) Deidre is attending the switch on of the ‘Luminations of Love’ light display in St Andrew’s Square. Continue reading Deirdre Brock backs ‘Glow Gold September’
Police have arrested and charged a man following the discharge of a firearm in Leith. The incident took place in Cables Wynd at round 11pm last Friday when a 25-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to his leg and was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Continue reading Leith shooting: man in court today
Prime Minister: “We must make life easier for the majority of people in this country who just about manage”
The Prime Minister will today reaffirm her commitment to pursue a bold programme of social reform, chairing a new Cabinet committee focused on making Britain better for everyone, not just the privileged few. Continue reading Theresa May: Making Britain better for everyone
Sunday 28 August saw the battle of all battles. Morrisons Granton took on Morrisons Ferry Road in a Charity Football match held at The Spartans Football Club’s Ainslie Park Stadium. The result was a victory for Ferry Road – and over £1200 raised for charity! Continue reading Morrisons local derby raises over £1200 for charity
Dear all,
Forum discussion
Thank you to everyone who participated in the last forum meeting. There was a good discussion and lots of good ideas to follow up on, including how we can make North Edinburgh an area of excellence in terms of diversity in employment. I’m attaching the minutes (below). The next forum meeting will be on Thursday 12th October from 10 – 12 noon.
Race report
I’m also including a summary of a recent report produced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission which Douglas Samuel shared. This highlights further the worrying inequalities present in many walks of life, employment being one of them.
A new report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on race equality, has found that in Scotland, if you are born into an ethnic minority household today, you are nearly four times more likely to be in a household that is overcrowded and up to twice as likely to be living in poverty and experiencing unemployment.
The report is the biggest ever analysis of existing evidence into race equality in Scotland and focuses on poverty, education, employment, and housing.
Findings include:
Download the full report here.
Kind regards
Hannah Kitchen
Development Worker, Living in Harmony,
Pilton Community Health Project
0131 551 1671
Like us on Facebook for regular updates www.facebook.com/PiltonCommunityHealthProject
Continue reading Beach wheelchairs event at Porty this Saturday
