Our Scottish Future

Our Scottish Future

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Join former UK Prime Minter Gordon Brown and the Our Scottish Future team for conversation and debate with interesting individuals, smart thinkers and people with new ideas about how we can build a more cooperative UK. Our Scottish Future fights for a better Scotland within a reformed UK, and for a more cooperative UK.

Our Scottish Future


    • Feb 19, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 43m AVG DURATION
    • 21 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Our Scottish Future

    Bringing Positive Change to the Community with Katie Kelly

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2024 57:34


    Positive change is possible in Scotland, and it's happening. New podcast with former East Ayrshire local authority leader Katie Kelly on how the council there helped to build vibrant communities. Political consensus needed to promote this brilliant work across Scotland.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Scotland's Schools: The Next Pisa the Puzzle with Lindsay Paterson and Melvyn Roffe

    Play Episode Play 50 sec Highlight Listen Later Jan 23, 2024 47:48


    In the wake of disappointing PISA results, Our Scottish Future Director Eddie Barnes is joined by two experts in Scottish education: Lindsay Paterson, Emeritus Professor of Education Policy at the University of Edinburgh and Melvyn Roffe, Principal of George Watson's College.Listen as they dive deep into Scotland's PISA results; why do they need to improve and how can they improve? This engaging and informative conversation covers multiple areas of Scottish education policy, including the Curriculum for Excellence. Eddie begins the podcast as a pessimist, but by the end is an optimist!Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    A Little Less Conversation: Closing Scotland's Implementation Gap

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2023 51:08


    *LINK TO VIEW SLIDES REFERENCED*The recording of the presentation of the new report from Our Scottish Future. Titled, "A Little Less Conversation: Closing Scotland's Implementation Gap", the report argues that the successes of devolution has been stymied in recent years by a combination of “too much politics, too much government, a failure to cooperate, and a centralised political culture”. It praises several successes under the Scottish Government but concludes that Ministers too often “govern by press release”.The panel consists of report author, Jamie Gollings, OSF Chair, Prof Jim Gallagher and former civil servants Philip Rycroft and Lucy Hunter Blackburn.

    Scotland's NHS under the microscope

    Play Episode Play 34 sec Highlight Listen Later Sep 14, 2023 61:12


    Our Scottish Future's Eddie Barnes is joined by Alex Neil, former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Helen Puttick, health reporter at The Times and Professor David Kerr, head of the OSF health commission and professor of cancer medicine at Oxford University, to discuss Scotland's NHS and how it can be improved.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    The Robin Harper Interview

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2023 29:01


    Eddie Barnes interviews Robin Harper. They cover; Harper's headline news making decision to resign from the Scottish Greens -the party he once led as the first Green MSP in the Scottish parliament- to climate change and the future of the UK. Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

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    Pump Up The Volume

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2023 24:44


    Heat pumps. You've heard a lot about them, but what actually are they? Are they a solution to our energy troubles? Are the Scottish government's lofty goals deliverable? Our Scottish Future's Eddie Barnes speaks with Dr Peter Wood, an Associate Lecturer at The Open University in Scotland, a researcher in sustainability, and a trade unionist to find out more.You can read Pete's blog on the topic here:https://ourscottishfuture.org/pump-up-the-volume/Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Scotland's Drug Deaths with Annemarie Ward and Stevie Wishart

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2023 52:57


    The Our Scottish Future podcast is looking at key policy areas in Scotland to ask why things aren't working, and what we can do to fix them.This week we look at the scandal of Scottish drug related deaths. More than 1330 suffered a drug related death in the last year, 3.5 times higher than in the rest of the UK.Why? What's going wrong? How should our governments sort it? Two leading Scottish activists - Annemarie Ward of the charity FAVOR UK and Stevie Wishart - set out their views. Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    How excellent is the Curriculum for Excellence? With Aveek Bhattacharya, Emma Seith & Dr Neil McLennan

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2023 50:27


    Welcome to our revamped podcast! Rather than provide a running commentary on recent political events, we want to use this podcast to discuss policy and specifically policy implementation. How can we do things better?This week, Our Scottish Future Campaign Director Eddie Barnes discusses education and the Curriculum for Excellence. He is joined by a stellar cast including:Aveek Bhattacharya, research director of the Social Market Foundation.Emma Seith, senior journalist at the Times Education Supplement.Dr Neil McLennan, former teacher and education expert.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Fast Start or False Start for Humza Yousaf? With Willie Rennie MSP, Jenny Marra & Philip Rycroft

    Play Episode Play 60 sec Highlight Listen Later Mar 30, 2023 43:13


    Our Scottish Future Chair Prof Jim Gallagher fills in for Eddie Barnes this week and is joined by former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP, former Scottish Labour MSP (and proud Dundonian) Jenna Marra and former senior civil servant Philip Rycroft.They discuss the challenges facing new First Minister Humza Yousaf, rebellious party backbenchers, SNP party unity, if there is a plan for Scottish independence and much more!Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    What Awaits The Next First Minister? With Prof Jim Gallagher, Lucy Hunter Blackburn and Lucy Dunn

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2023 55:47


    This week's Our Scottish Future podcast looks ahead to the challenge facing the new SNP leader and First Minister who will be elected next week. What should their priorities be? What do they do about independence? And how should they cooperate with the UK Government? OSF's Eddie Barnes is joined by three leading experts to discuss this and more: OSF chair Professor Jim Gallagher, former civil servant and education expert Lucy Hunter Blackburn, and the Spectator's social media editor Lucy Dunn.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Scotland's democratic health with Prof James Mitchell, Johann Lamont and Donald Cameron MSP

    Play Episode Play 60 sec Highlight Listen Later Mar 17, 2023 62:27


    This week Eddie is joined by James Mitchell, Professor of Public Policy at Edinburgh University and one of Scotland's foremost experts on devolution and public reform; the former leader of Scottish Labour, Johann Lamont, who was Labour's representative on the cross-party Commission on Parliamentary Reform; and Donald Cameron MSP, the Scottish Conservative Party's Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution.They discuss whether Scotland's democratic institutions hold the government to account, how  we want our democratic institutions to work, their shortcomings and how we fix them. They consider these questions in the context of the SNP leadership campaign and ask whether the big change at the top might provide a reset which allows the question of Scotland's democratic health to be debated and discussed.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    The Fallout Continues with Prof Jim Gallagher and Cllr Molly Nolan

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2023 40:48


    Prof Jim Gallagher and Cllr Molly Nolan discuss the continuing fallout  from Nicola Sturgeon's decision to quit office. They set out their opinions on the first few hustings events involving the three candidates and all the various issues that they have been discussing from the apparently doomed bottle deposit scheme, to the place of religion in the modern secular society, and the concept of an independence readiness thermometer in George Square in Glasgow.2f2c772f2a42f21d09ac1f616b9f6b6577fd06bfThanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

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    Scotland's Shaken Kaleidoscope with Kirsty McNeill and Philip Rycroft

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2023 45:07


    Kirsty McNeill and Philip Rycroft join Eddie to chat about the extraordinary couple of weeks we've seen in Scottish politics since Nicola Sturgeon announced that she would be stepping down as FM. They examine where the turmoil in the SNP leaves Scottish politics and our wider constitutional debate - and how this moment represents an opportunity to take Scotland forward.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Making Change Happen with Eitan Hersh [LIVE EPISODE]

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2022 55:00


    On Wednesday 6th October we were joined by renowned US political scientist Eitan Hersch, author of "Politics is for Power", for our online event event "Making Change Happen". We talked to Eitan about how to turn yourself into an effective activist, what it means to be part of a community and the role of young people in making change.Our new chair, Kirsty McNeill, was also on hand to talk about how we can all get involved in listening to people across Scotland about the change they want to see.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Playing to win with Ruairidh Macintosh

    Play Episode Play 60 sec Highlight Listen Later May 18, 2022 19:01


    In this week's podcast, Eddie Barnes speaks to Ruairidh Macintosh, the author of our report on Scotland's video games industry. Globally, the video games industry is now worth $200 billion - a figure that is set to double by 2028. Scotland accounts for a disproportionate share of the UK-wide industry, with Scottish based firms punching well above their weight. Yet Scotland's gaming sector now risks being left behind as American, Chinese and Japanese giants dominate the market. He talks about our proposals to help turn Scotland's gaming sector into a global superpower.Click the link to read Ruairidh's report Playing to Win.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Buses with Dr Pete Wood and Mark Ross

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2022 36:28


    In this week's podcast, Eddie Barnes speaks to two experts in sustainable transport, Dr Pete Wood and Mark Ross, the co-authors of our report on reforming Scotland's bus network, which was released earlier this week. They chat about their proposals, which include maximum £2 bus fares, as well as Scotland's ferries row and the nationalisation of Scotland's rail network.Click the link to read Pete and Mark's report Cheaper Journeys, Faster.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Gordon Brown on the Cost of Living Crisis [LIVE EPISODE]

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2022 51:40


    On Wednesday 16th March, Gordon Brown sat down with an online audience to share his plan to tackle the looming cost of living crisis and reveals why any solution must be rooted in better cooperation between governments.Next month, when gas bills are set to rocket, households across the UK will be plunged into the deepest cost-of living crisis since the 1970s. We urgently need a plan to deal with this crisis. For 13 years in government between 1997 and 2010, Gordon Brown steered the UK economy back to growth, slashing child and pensioner poverty. At this event, he shared his plan to tackle this economic crisis and took questions from our audience.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Joining up with Lisa Nandy MP, Sarah Boyack MSP and Prof Jim Gallagher

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2022 16:32


    On Friday 4th March, Our Scottish Future and the Scottish Fabians held a joint event near the Scottish Labour conference, joined by Lisa Nandy MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities), Sarah Boyack MSP (Scottish Labour Spokesperson for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture), and Professor Jim Gallagher, the Chair of Our Scottish Future.We took as our theme the idea of “joining up” – because if we're going to level up then we need governments to join up. And that's not just the UK government and the devolved governments, but also local government. How do we get all three working better on an issue that we all agree is vitally important? And how are Edinburgh and London delivering?Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    A United Kingdom with Catherine MacLeod and Andrew Dunlop

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2022 48:27


    Catherine MacLeod was a special adviser to Alistair Darling when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer and is a former political editor of The Herald. Andrew Dunlop was chief adviser to David Cameron and played a key role in the Government's response to the Independence referendum. In this week's podcast, they chat to Eddie Barnes about how we can tackle the social, economic and political disenfranchisement being felt across the UK - and compare Downing Street drinks cabinets.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Health inequalities with Prof David Kerr

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2022 32:02


    Prof David Kerr is one of the most respected NHS figures in the UK. He is a leading voice in NHS reform and co-author of our report on the UK's widening health inequalities. In this episode David talks to Our Scottish Future Campaign Director, Eddie Barnes, about growing up in Maryhill, his experiences of NHS reform under the last Labour government, why he considers widening health inequalities to be a breach of human rights, and how cooperation across the regions and nations of the UK can end the national disgrace of health inequality.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

    Gordon Brown, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2021 42:05


    Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram are the metro mayors of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region. In this episode they join Gordon Brown to reflect on the nature of the UK, and on how their cities can work more closely with cities and towns in Scotland.Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

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