There have been penalties for those who looked the other way when Epstein was convicted of child sex offences and decided to maintain relationships with the financier — but not for the British ambassador to Washington, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES
Scotland and foreign policy – breathing democracy into the debate
by KATY CLARK
HMS Vigilant at HM Naval Base Clyde, Faslane, which carries Britain’s Trident nukes
Labour’s new Treasury unit will ‘challenge unnecessary regulation’ by forcing nominally independent bodies like Ofwat to bend to business demands — exactly what Iain Anderson’s corporate clients wanted, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
DR DYLAN MURPHY looks at a Big Brother Watch report which exposes the government as an enabler of DWP secret spying on benefit claimants
The EU faces a critical choice: will it remain in the shadow of an increasingly unreliable US ally, or will it forge its own path in a multilateral world where co-operation with China is essential, asks MARC VANDEPITTE as leaders meet for the EU-China Summit
A lot of discussion about how the left should currently organise – including debate on whether the Green Party is a useful vehicle for advance – runs the risk of refusing to engage with or learn from the reasons the left was defeated previously, argues KEVIN OVENDEN
For Egypt trade trumps the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians, but how long can the country’s ‘misleaders’ – and others in the region – continue their indifference against the popular will of their own people, asks ROGER McKENZIE
A SIGNIFICANT driver of support for constitutional change in Scotland has been discontent with aspects of Westminster foreign affairs and defence policy. Currently, the Scottish Parliament has little role in international policy. It does however regularly discuss international issues, and votes on motions relating to a wide range of foreign affairs and defence-related matters.
The Scottish government is anti-nuclear but not anti-Nato. There is a widespread view in Scotland that the Parliament should support humanitarian projects and in the Parliament that the current aid cuts are unacceptable. There is no consensus in support of a principled stance against Western military intervention or a broader analysis of the West’s role or focus on the extent to which Scotland might seek to rupture from this settlement.
The Scottish government also has a small international budget. It undertakes work relating to several countries, and on specific issues such as safe water, and women and girls. Unlike the German Lander (states), it does not have the right to enter international treaties. Whatever position the Scottish Parliament or Scottish government takes, they have no direct input into any aspect of foreign policy taken at a UK level.
More from this author
Locals have been let down by procrastination over the upgrade to Ardrossan Harbour, says KATY CLARK MSP
Years of underfunding and hollow promises have pushed college staff to breaking point — the Scottish government must recognise further education as a vital public good deserving proper support, writes KATY CLARK MSP
We need genuine freedom of information legislation in Scotland to hold our government and all public bodies accountable, writes KATY CLARK MSP, introducing a new campaign
It is not the public ownership model that is failing Scotland’s ferry services, it is the government’s poor management – and privatisation would be far worse, writes KATY CLARK MSP
