Decriminalisation of hard drugs may make a lot of sense. But it won’t stop...
—————————————————————————————— Whenever I hear talk of decriminalising hard drugs, I think of “Hamsterdam”. That was the street name for an enlightened, albeit fictitious, decriminalisation scheme in...
View ArticleUniversal Basic Income or universal basic poverty?
Covid has changed the landscape of employment out of all recognition. Around two million people have lost their jobs, millions more are on the government’s furlough scheme. Indeed, if you add in the...
View ArticleCack-handed censorship has turned the Salmond affair into a full blown scandal
Alex Salmond decided that there was little point in giving evidence to the Holyrood Harassment Inquiry today, leaving an empty chair. He clearly thought that the chair could speak more eloquently than...
View ArticleIs sex work just work?
The late SNP MSP, Margo Macdonald, was a long time champion of the rights of sex workers – “working women” as she called them. She campaigned for tolerance zones and defended sex workers against heavy...
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Discontented Liberals Read On
“Liberalism and its Discontents” by Francis Fukuyama. Profile Books £16.99 The American political scientist, Francis Fukuyama, has made a career out of being wrong. He famously announced “The End of...
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Monarchy is an absurd anachronism. But so is nationalism. ————————— “The monarchy is not rational”, opined The Guardian editorial in a statement of bleedin’ the obvious. Like much of the media it has...
View ArticleTrussonomics what’s not to like? Well…
I have a sneaking admiration for Liz Truss. Not for her economic policies – they make little sense – but for her cojones. She has taken on the tax and spend consensus and turned it upside down. All...
View ArticleThe Uses and Abuses of Referendums
Referendums had a bad name after the Second World War. We tend to regard them as the most democratic way to resolve constitutional issues. Back then they were seen as the tool of dictators. Putin’s...
View ArticleFinal Herald column: It’s been a hell of a ride
This is my last column for the Herald after around 2.5 million words. THE WORLD HAS TURNED AND I MUST TURN WITH IT In late 1999, when I returned from London to help launch the Sunday Herald,...
View Articlehttps://iainmacwhirter.substack.com
I have moved to Substack. It’s easy to subscribe and it’s free. Just click: https://iainmacwhirter.substack.com That’s where all my columns and podcasts will be in future. Look forward to meeting you...
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