Hi and welcome to RobinMcAlpine.org. This is my attempt to do what I can to contribute more to Scotland by creating a place where you can get solid news and policy analysis, opinions on current affairs, new ideas to think about and resources to help explain important things that are happening. But it really isn't about me. My work in Common Weal means I get great access to a lot of information, knowledge and expertise – but I can't even begin to cover the entire gap in the scrutiny of Scotland's policy and democracy. That's why I want to start by asking for your help. If you have policy expertise or direct experience of public life in Scotland and think that people would benefit from you explaining what you know or revealing what you've seen and are willing to write about it, please get in touch. Or perhaps you're struggling to get a community initiative off the ground in the face of...
RobinMcAlpine.org
Opinion Analysis Ideas
RobinMcAlpine.org
Opinion Analysis Ideas
Lead
Read the article
Latest
We’re here – for everyone
Common Weal is about to publish an independence strategy paper – but that will never mean we don’t value our supporters who don’t support independence.
Could you help me out please?
I’m about to launch a piece of work I care deeply about and I fear it runs a serious risk of being distorted, undermined or misappropriated. Can you help?
How to make sense of things that don’t make sense
Why is it that so many things in politics don’t make sense to ordinary people? It’s because they’ve been led to believe that politics is waaaay more rational than it really is…
The trams scandal is Scotland’s future – unless we act
The public inquiry into the Edinburgh Trams disaster is a fairly neat encapsulation of everything that is wrong in public sector Scotland. And yet it is going to change nothing – unless citizens really demand change.
A decade without a strategy, and another to come
The independence movement now appears to have many possible strategies to achieve its goal – but actually has none. The reason is because the most important part is missing from them all.
A community-destroying corporation is mounting a massive operation in Scotland. Did you know?
Right now in Scotland a corporation which has done untold damage to communities around the globe is mounting a major campaign to do damage in Scotland. Would you be able to tell who it is?
Lead
Welcome – come on in
Hi and welcome to RobinMcAlpine.org. This is my attempt to do what I can to contribute more to Scotland by creating a place where you can get solid news and policy analysis, opinions on current affairs, new ideas to think about and resources to help explain important...
Latest
We’re here – for everyone
Common Weal is about to publish an independence strategy paper – but that will never mean we don’t value our supporters who don’t support independence.
Could you help me out please?
I’m about to launch a piece of work I care deeply about and I fear it runs a serious risk of being distorted, undermined or misappropriated. Can you help?
How to make sense of things that don’t make sense
Why is it that so many things in politics don’t make sense to ordinary people? It’s because they’ve been led to believe that politics is waaaay more rational than it really is…
The trams scandal is Scotland’s future – unless we act
The public inquiry into the Edinburgh Trams disaster is a fairly neat encapsulation of everything that is wrong in public sector Scotland. And yet it is going to change nothing – unless citizens really demand change.
A decade without a strategy, and another to come
The independence movement now appears to have many possible strategies to achieve its goal – but actually has none. The reason is because the most important part is missing from them all.
A community-destroying corporation is mounting a massive operation in Scotland. Did you know?
Right now in Scotland a corporation which has done untold damage to communities around the globe is mounting a major campaign to do damage in Scotland. Would you be able to tell who it is?
Opinion
We’re here – for everyone
Common Weal is about to publish an independence strategy paper – but that will never mean we don’t value our supporters who don’t support independence.
Could you help me out please?
I’m about to launch a piece of work I care deeply about and I fear it runs a serious risk of being distorted, undermined or misappropriated. Can you help?
How to make sense of things that don’t make sense
Why is it that so many things in politics don’t make sense to ordinary people? It’s because they’ve been led to believe that politics is waaaay more rational than it really is…
Opinion
We’re here – for everyone
Common Weal is about to publish an independence strategy paper – but that will never mean we don’t value our supporters who don’t support independence.
Could you help me out please?
I’m about to launch a piece of work I care deeply about and I fear it runs a serious risk of being distorted, undermined or misappropriated. Can you help?
How to make sense of things that don’t make sense
Why is it that so many things in politics don’t make sense to ordinary people? It’s because they’ve been led to believe that politics is waaaay more rational than it really is…
Analysis
What’s the problem with heat pumps?
Air Source Heat Pumps are presented as the solution to decarbonise heating, but the debate so far has failed properly to take account of problems and limitations – and there are plenty
The three philosophies which aren’t climate change denial
This is a great week for climate change deniers and a disaster for children – so it is helpful to understand properly the three political philosophies which offer an alternative. They’re not all equal.
The question that reveals a black hole in Scottish political debate
There is a subject on which the Scottish public are particularly dissatisfied with current policy which the political parties don’t seem to realise. What is it? And why don’t the politicians get it?
AudioVisual
Coming soon…
Ideas
Start a National Leasing Service
How to have everything you ever wanted, pay less and save the world…
Create ‘public journalism’
Scotland’s media is under-resourced so can’t scrutinise properly – a publicly owned news agency would set journalism free
Set up Policy Academies
Big, open, transparent, public centres of thinking to develop the best possible public policy in Scotland, Policy Academies could transform government
Elsewhere
Biden’s foreign policy is a complete mess
David Pratt concisely and clearly explains how Joe Biden is making an absolute mess of the US’s foreign policy stance
Why Scotland never creates it’s supply chain
Really clear explanation by Dick Winchester of why Scotland is going to lose out AGAIN from the opportunity to develop a renewable energy supply chain
Scotland’s real government…
An excellent piece from Nick Kempe on the insidious role of KPMG (and the other Big Accountancy firms) in the government of Scotland