Democracy

Contesting the austerity and “welfare reform” narrative of the UK Government: Forging a social democratic imaginary in Scotland

Stephen Richard — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 09:36:16 +0000

Contesting the austerity and “welfare reform” narrative of the UK Government: Forging a social democratic imaginary in Scotland

Primary Author or Creator

Jay Wiggan

Stephen Richard Wed, 10/06/2021 - 10:36

Category

Economy

Social welfare

Fast Facts

The Scottish government fuses nationalism with social wage and social investment concepts. It conjures up images of a prosperous, community led, egalitarian welfare state as a future reality. It recuperates “welfare” as a collective endeavour. It describes austerity as a poor distribution of resources between groups and within the UK as the “problem”.

More details

Purpose

The “welfare reform” narrative of successive Conservative-led UK Government emphasises public spending reductions, individual responsibility and strengthening of benefit conditionality. The purpose of this paper is to cast light on how this narrative is challenged and disrupted by the Scottish Government through their articulation of a social democratic welfare state imaginary.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws together a decentred governance perspective that emphasises ideational tradition for understanding (re)construction of governance (Bevir, 2013, p. 27) with critical discourse analysis to examine how welfare interpretations/representations are carried into the policy and public arena. The Scottish Government documents are deconstructed to interrogate the ideas and form of their emergent discourse and its relation to the independence referendum and welfare governance reform.

Findings

Responding to changing socio-economic contexts and welfare governance, the Scottish Government has developed a discourse of modernisation rooted in British and Scandinavian social democratic traditions. Fusing (civic) nationalism with social wage and social investment concepts, they conjure up imaginaries of a prosperous, solidaristic, egalitarian welfare state as a feasible future reality, recuperating “welfare” as a collective endeavour and positioning a maldistribution of power/resources between groups and constituent countries of the UK as the “problem”.

Originality/value

The paper is of value to those interested in how changes to centralised-hierarchical welfare governance can open new spaces for actors at different levels of government to articulate counter-hegemonic discourses and practices. Its originality lies in the analysis of how the Scottish Government has reworked social democratic traditions to weave together a welfare imaginary that directly contests the problem-solution narrative of successive Conservative-led UK Governments.

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy

paywall

Resource Address (URL)

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSSP-04-2016-0050/full/html

Keywords

Austerity

Democracy

social welfare

Language English

Scotland, Brexit and Broken Promise of Democracy

Stephen Richard — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 18:02:19 +0000

Scotland, Brexit and Broken Promise of Democracy

Primary Author or Creator

Klaus Stolz

Stephen Richard Tue, 10/05/2021 - 19:02

Category

Independence

Fast Facts

The perception of a democratic deficit began in the Thatcher premiership, long before Brexit. Scottish self government came to be positively linked with European intergation.

More details

A chapter from Contested Britain: Brexit, Austerity and Agency, edited by Marius Guderjan and Hugh Mackay.

Resource Address (URL)

https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=cGXXDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT181&dq=W…

Keywords

Political participation

Austerity

Democracy

Devolution

Language English

Brexit, Scotland, and the Continuing Divergence of Politics.

Stephen Richard — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 15:11:18 +0000

Brexit, Scotland, and the Continuing Divergence of Politics.

Primary Author or Creator

M K Thompson

Stephen Richard Tue, 10/05/2021 - 16:11

Alternative Published Date

2019

Category

Independence

Type of Resource

Academic Paper

Fast Facts

Differences of politics in Scotland and England leads to claims that the Scottish people are being governed against their will. This creates a constitutional crisis which has manifested in desires for self-government. Brexit contradicts the 2014 referendum assurances that only by rejecting independence could Scotland stay in the EU.

More details

The Midwest Quarterly, vol. 60, no. 2, winter 2019, pp. 141+ Paywall

Resource Address (URL)

https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA571680269&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&l…

Keywords

Brexit

Democracy

Language English

Brexit and the inevitability of Scottish Independence

Stephen Richard — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 11:55:59 +0000

Brexit and the inevitability of Scottish Independence

Primary Author or Creator

Paul Cairney

Stephen Richard Tue, 10/05/2021 - 12:55

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Centre on Constitutional Change

Date Published

Mon, 06/27/2016 - 12:00

Category

Independence

Type of Resource

Assessment report

Fast Facts

Only independence can remove the democratic deficit. Scottish independence is the cosmopolitan choice. There will be some economic damage, uncertainty, and a new currency.

No has, in some ways, a stronger case in the second referendum but a far lower chance of success: it will lose because there will be no-one out there able to tell the No story.

Resource Address (URL)

https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/opinions/brexit-and-inevitabilit…

Keywords

Brexit

Democracy

Yes Campaign

Language English

Minimizing the Cost of Union: Fiscal Autonomy and the Case of Scotland

Stephen Richard — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 17:54:39 +0000

Minimizing the Cost of Union: Fiscal Autonomy and the Case of Scotland

Primary Author or Creator

Paul Hallwood

Stephen Richard Sat, 10/02/2021 - 18:54

Alternative Published Date

2020

Category

Public Finance

Type of Resource

Academic Paper

Fast Facts

Argues for federalism in public funding where taxation is devolved. Proposes that this financial autonomy would provide a better connection between democracy and public finance.

More details

Propositions from the theory of fiscal federalism are used to argue for closer matching of taxes raised in Scotland and spending by the Holyrood government. Incentives would then be enhanced for Holyrood to provide public goods and services in quantities Scottish taxpayers are willing to pay for. Empirical evidence shows that this increase in vertical balance improves rates of regional and national economic growth. Two sequential games are used to show that whether Scotland chooses first or second in the public spending game with Westminster it still ends up with overly-generous funding. The argument is made that in fairness to taxpayers in the rest of the UK (increased horizontal balance) Scottish fiscal autonomy should be moved to.

IN: Hallwood P. (2020) Minimizing the Cost of Union: Fiscal Autonomy and the Case of Scotland. In: Interpreting Historical Sequences Using Economic Models. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53854-5_8

Paywall

Resource Address (URL)

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-53854-5_8#citeas

Keywords

Democracy

Financial autonomy

Devolution

Language English

Populism, democracy and a pedagogy of renewal

Stephen Richard — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 18:53:39 +0000

Populism, democracy and a pedagogy of renewal

Primary Author or Creator

Margaret Petrie

Stephen Richard Fri, 09/24/2021 - 19:53

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Callum McGregor, Jim Crowther

Date Published

Thu, 05/23/2019 - 12:00

Category

Education

Democracy

Type of Resource

Academic Paper

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

1mB

Fast Facts

we explore the implications of populism for adult education aimed at defending and extending democratic life. We question the conflation of agonistic democracy with left populism on several grounds, and we consider how a focus on education might help to ground their theory and clarify its ambiguities.

More details

Laclau and Mouffe have long argued the democratic possibilities of ‘left populism’ underpinned by their agonistic critique of liberal democracy. We are currently witnessing the attempted application of their theories by European political parties. However, there remains very little international scholarship taking up the challenge of situating these arguments in the broader literature on the relationship between democracy and education. We argue that this is an urgent task, particularly in the context of populist trends which appear inimical to educational practice. Thus, we explore the implications of populism for adult education aimed at defending and extending democratic life. We question the conflation of agonistic democracy with left populism on several grounds, and we consider how a focus on education might help to ground their theory and clarify its ambiguities. We argue that adult educators can surface aspects of the context which representations of populism on the one hand, and populist representations on the other, often hide. Our argument is illustrated through two vignettes of populist events and the educational problems and opportunities they posed.

International Journal of Lifelong Education, Volume 38, 2019 - Issue 5 Full article behind a paywall

Resource Address (URL)

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02601370.2019.1617798

Keywords

Populism

Democracy

Adult education

Language English

DEMOCRACY MAX A vision for a good Scottish democracy

Stephen Richard — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 10:27:06 +0000

DEMOCRACY MAX A vision for a good Scottish democracy

Primary Author or Creator

Electoral Reform Society

Stephen Richard Mon, 09/13/2021 - 11:27

Alternative Published Date

2013

Category

Democracy

Type of Resource

Policy Paper

Fast Facts

The findings from the People’s Gathering are organised into three broad themes: Sovereignty of the People – How do we return more power to the people? Defending our democracy – How do we stop vested interests having too much influence? How do we write the rules – How do we get the checks and balances our democracy needs?

More details

It is popular to believe in the apathy of the voting public when it comes to politics. It is popular to believe that the man or woman in the street has no interest in deliberative democratic techniques and the case for a written constitution. And a vox pop conducted on those two issues, described in those terms, would almost certainly bear those theories out.

But people are interested in power. They know when they are denied it. They know when decisions are taken not in their interests, but in the interests of powerful lobby groups, or political parties themselves. They know when politicians act in bad faith. The clichés of, “They’re all as bad each other”, or “They’re all in it for themselves”, may do our parliamentarians a disservice, but those sentiments exist because of a real and deep dissatisfaction with modern politics. It cannot be wished away as ignorance, or railing against authority for its own sake.

Traditional representative democracy is faced with failing confidence, and without the people’s confidence it cannot function. That is why it is important to take the opportunity of the independence referendum to talk about a vision for Scotland’s democracy. To argue not just over whether power should lie in Westminster or Holyrood, but how Scotland can strike out and create new ways of exercising power, in partnership with its people. This third phase of the Democracy Max roundtables has been less concerned with long-term structural change than the previous two. Instead it attempts to identify ways of reaching out and widening the scope of, and audience for, this debate. Change will not happen of its own accord. It is hoped that this inquiry will be an important early step in challenging the political system to deliver on the high hopes that voters still hold for democracy in Scotland.

Resource Address (URL)

https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Democracy-Max-A-…

Keywords

Democracy

Political lobbying

Political participation

Sovereignty of the people

Language English

A Citizens’ Assembly for the Scottish Parliament

Stephen Richard — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 09:41:01 +0000

A Citizens’ Assembly for the Scottish Parliament

Primary Author or Creator

Common Weal

Stephen Richard Sat, 09/04/2021 - 10:41

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Sortition Foundation, New Democracy

Alternative Published Date

2020?

Category

Democracy

Type of Resource

Policy Paper

Fast Facts

How should parliament incorporate the public’s voice?

Opinion polls – measuring uncritical, off-the-cuff responses to complicated questions – are shallow at best, misleading at worst, and when amplified by the media and other sources can have a detrimental effect on policy making. Instead of gathering citizens’ opinions, political decisions should be made after garnering citizens’ considered and informed judgement.

This is what a Citizens’ Assembly will do.

The overarching benefit of a Citizens’ Assembly in the Scottish Parliament would be a profound increase in the legitimacy of Scottish laws by providing solid evidence of the considered endorsement by a representative sample of
deliberating Scottish citizens.

More details

― The Citizens’ Assembly would be selected by random sortition – i.e. a random sample of Scottish residents, balanced to reflect the demographics of Scotland.

― This Upper House would be permanent and distinct from any other Citizens’ Assemblies that Scotland could form to discuss either general views or a specific topic.

― Three models of Upper House are discussed. An Advisory Chamber would be the weakest form of Assembly, with the power to scrutinise bills and suggest amendments (in a manner similar to the current Committee system) and to apply censure to the Scottish Parliament or MSPs.

― The next model would be a House of Review similar to the House of Lords where bills could be directly amended or delayed but in most cases not permanently blocked.

― The most powerful Citizens’ Assembly would be a full Senate with the ability not only to amend legislation proposed by the Parliament but to introduce legislation of its own accord (with appropriate caveats).

― Citizens would be paid a rate comparable to MSPs while they sit for a two year term and provisions would be put in place – similar to those in place for juries – to support employers who lose their employee for this period and to assist Assembly members to re-integrate into their previous job when their term ends.

Resource Address (URL)

https://commonweal.scot/policies/a-citizens-assembly-for-the-scottish-parliamen…

Keywords

Citizens Assemblies

Scottish Government

Democracy

Language English

Renew: Six policies that can refresh the Scottish Government’s domestic agenda

Stephen Richard — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 09:26:21 +0000

Renew: Six policies that can refresh the Scottish Government’s domestic agenda

Primary Author or Creator

Common Weal

Stephen Richard Sat, 09/04/2021 - 10:26

Date Published

Fri, 05/26/2017 - 12:00

Category

Democracy

Scottish government

Type of Resource

Policy Paper

Fast Facts

This paper proposes six policy ways to renew the Scottish Government’s domestic agenda through fresh and eye-catching policy transformation after 10 years in power at Holyrood.

More details

The Scottish Government has been in power for ten years. It has also just faced an election in which there were some clear signs of discontent about the risk of stagnation and a perceived lack of ambition.

All governments must renew themselves if they wish to remain relevant; the Scottish Government is no exception. It swept to power in a swell of optimism and has, until now, strengthened and consolidated its position by continuing to talk the language of hope and progress.

However, people may be beginning to question whether there has been sufficient progress to sustain their hope. The Scottish Government requires an eye-catching refreshed agenda to persuade them that their hope remains well placed. Common Weal has been publishing policy papers on domestic policy throughout this parliament and has built up a suite of well researched and popular proposals.

This short paper proposes six ‘collections’ of policies that the Scottish Government should embrace and pursue as a way to let Scotland know its ambition has not dimmed and its radicalism remains in place.

1: Create a Scottish National Investment Bank and use it to finance an era of green reindustrialisation.

2: Build the homes and infrastructure that people need and rebuild the town centres they deserve.

3: Create a world-class childcare system.

4: Take democracy seriously and give more power to citizens.

5: Send out the right signals.

Resource Address (URL)

https://commonweal.scot/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Renew-Six-policies-that-can-…

Keywords

Scottish National Investment Bank

House building

Child care

Democracy