A New Scotland: Building an Equal, Fair and Sustainable Society

by Gregor Gall (Editor), Carlo Morelli (Contributor), Gerry Mooney (Contributor)

Inequality and unfairness still stalk Scotland after more than twenty years of devolution. Having done little to shield against austerity, Brexit and an increasingly right-wing Westminster agenda, calls for further constitutional reform to solve pressing political, economic and social problems grow ever louder. The debate over further devolution or independence continues to split the population. In A New Scotland, leading activists and academics lay out the blueprints for radical reform, showing how society can be transformed by embedding values of democracy, social justice and environmental sustainability into a coherent set of policy ideas. Structured in two parts, the book takes to task the challenges to affect radical change, before exploring new approaches to key questions such as healthcare, education, public ownership, race, gender and human rights.

Genres: Nonfiction, Scotland

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2022

About the author

Professor Gregor Gall (b. 1967) is director of the Jimmy Reid Foundation.

Reviews

[Mo Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to the more moderate principles of the movement for a radical Scotland. The book contains a number of very interesting and worthwhile contributions which can signpost readers to further exploration of the issues that matter in Scotland today.

The book loses two stars from me for the following reasons:

(1) the omission of some of the key issues in Scotland today, such as the experiences of LGBTQ+ people under British rule, the experiences of young people, and the drug death crisis. The chapter on climate was weak, and the book also didn't sufficiently explore Scotland's place in the world system (though at least some credit to the Chapter 20 for referring to it).

(2) the book had a tendency to fall back on the Nordic model of social democracy, despite presenting suggestions that would ultimately lead to a ruthless backlash from capitalist and small business classes. The book shied away from discussing class conflict in a meaningful way, avoiding discussion of how a radical programme of, for example, housing, community wealth, land reform, would deal with capital strike, flight and coercion.

Overall a good read, but more radical articulation is needed.

[Oban Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched and convincing. SCOLTAND FOREVER