The Common Weal Policy Podcast

Episode 139 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week Craig talks to Common Weal's Robin McAlpine about the energy transition that Scotland needs to go through if we are to meet our obligation to avert the climate emergency. Scotland is in many ways in an envious position with rich resources and potential for decarbonising our energy needs. Robin...

Episode 138 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Katy Clark, MSP for the West of Scotland and Carole Ewart from the Campaign for Freedom of Information. They discuss their new campaign to launch a Members' Bill in the Scottish Parliament designed to strengthen and improve Freedom of Information legislation by, amongst other t...

Episode 137 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here .  This week, Craig talks to Prof. Richard Murphy, accountant and tax expert, about the multiple economic crises crashing into the UK at the moment. They discuss the impact of the release from Covid lockdowns, the inflation spike this caused and which was then exacerbated first by the war in Ukraine and then b...

Episode 136 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast - Extended Edition   You can download the episode directly here . This is an extended edition of Episode #136 and includes around 12 minutes of extra content. This week, Craig talks to James Foley and Ben Wray who, along with the late Neil Davidson, have written a book looking at the "two souls" of the independence movement. On one hand, the...

Episode 136 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to James Foley and Ben Wray who, along with the late Neil Davidson, have written a book looking at the "two souls" of the independence movement. On one hand, the pluralistic and largely left-wing grassroots "Indy Movement" and on the other, the more top-down, centra...

Episode 135 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Cat Train and Gail Squires from Incredible Edible Neilston, a community growing group who grow food on unused land in their community and give away the produce for free to anyone who needs it. They talk about how they got started guerrilla gardening a piece of council land, how the...

Episode 134 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Simon Brooke a land activist, smallhold farmer and previous guest of the podcast when he talked about his experience self-building his home. They discuss the Scottish Government's new Land Reform Bill and the public consultation that is being held to inform it.  We encourage e...

Episode 133 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to fellow Common Weal staffers Leo Plumb and Kaitlin Dryburgh. After an introduction to Kaitlin - our new Policy Comms Coordinator - they talk about Common Weal's involvement in the upcoming Doune The Rabbit Hole festival and the Douniversity - a tent of interesting political and...

Episode 132 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Ellie Harrison from Get Glasgow Moving about new legislation that allows Scottish Local Authorities to  bring their bus networks back into public ownership, what else needs to happen to allow them to practically do so and what this would mean for existing passengers and for people...

Episode 131 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Dr W. Elliot Bulmer about the UK's recent Constitutional turmoil. They discuss why the UK does not have a codified or written constitution, what that has allowed to the UK Government to do with regards to things like our human rights and how an independent Scotland could go ab...

Episode 130 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Barbara Sharp and Fi Thorburn from West Kilbride's Community Roots. Formed at the onset of the pandemic, they created a community garden and growing network called SHED (Social Horticulture for Experts and Dummies) and now help people learn how to grow as well as providing foo...

Episode 129 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Ellen Dalzell about Freedom of Information in Scotland and how the Scottish Government may still be using loopholes in the legislation to limit access to information requested via FOI. Her journey starts with an investigation into whether the Scottish Government had conducted any p...

Episode 128 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Jeff Kirschner CEO and founder of Litterati - a company in the USA that enables communities to identify dumped waste in their area, track it back to the company who made it and to build up a database and map of the worst offending products and companies. They rely on communities of...

Episode 127 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Ruth Watson from Keep Scotland The Brand a campaign organisation that calls for clear labelling of Scottish produce and resists replacing "Made in Scotland" labels with less clear, less valuable "Made in Britain" labels or shops removing marks of provenance altog...

Episode 126 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Susan Guy from Dunbar's Miixer Zero Waste Hub. The hub intercepts and redirects materials that would otherwise be thrown out as "waste" and makes it available for reuse - boasting that they can reclaim over 1,000 tonnes of material every year and that they manage to a...

Episode 125 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Nancy Barr and Terry Paterson both from Larkhall Community Growers and the Larkhall Lighthouse Community Centre. They discuss the various projects they run around the town - including the community gardens - and the impact they've had on the collective wellbeing of the people...

Episode 124 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Andrew Stark - Land Policy Officer at RSPB Scotland. RSPBS and Common Weal are both members of the Scottish Food Coalition who have recently been campaigning to improve the Good Food Nation Bill presently moving through the Scottish Parliament. Andrew discusses the impact that this...

Episode 123 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week Craig talks to Kathie Pollard, Policy & Practice Lead at the Scottish Land Commission, about Scotland's vacant and derelict land. Derelict land is more than an eyesore. It represents a loss of resources, unused potential and can even harm the vitality and self-image of a community. SLC hav...

Episode 122 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Andrew Fournet, Innovation Lead at Astrosat - a company that uses satellite and ground data to create maps of Scotland such as maps of fuel poverty or access to transport. Andrew talks about the importance of accurate data in policy development and in tracking the effectiveness of...

Episode 121 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks once again to Keith Baker - convenor of the CW Energy Working Group, co-founder of the Energy Poverty Research Initiative and researcher at the BEAM centre at Glasgow Caledonian Uni - about the latest report from the IPCC about what needs to be done and what can be done to mitigate ag...

Episode 120 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to John Hutchison about his involvement with community land buyouts on Eigg, Rum and Knoydart. They discuss how conditions prior to the buyouts stymied development in the communities and how this has changed since. They also discuss the barriers raised against community land buyouts, h...

Episode 119 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig is joined by Susanne MacDonald who is the Policy Officer for Cultarlann Inbhir Nis, a charitable organisation attempting to create the first immersive Gaelic Language Hub and cultural centre in Inverness. They discuss the success of similar hubs in Ireland and Wales and how they can be used...

Episode 118 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Cornell Hanxomphou from the Environmental Rights Centre of Scotland. ERCS seeks to raise awareness about environmental rights in Scotland, make it easier for people to seek restitution when their rights are breached and are actively campaigning for the creation of a Scottish Environ...

Episode 117 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast You can download the episode directly here . This week is the third anniversary of the Policy Podcast and to mark this, Craig is reunited with co-founder and former co-host of the show Jonathon Shafi. Jonathon has recently launched a new weekly newsletter, Independence Captured , which aims to critically examine the barriers that have been placed in fr...

Episode 116 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast  You can download the episode directly here . This week, Craig talks to Nick Kempe - Convenor of the Common Weal Care Reform Working Group - about their recent blueprint for a National Care Service. They discuss how the Care Reform Group formed, how it has approached designing a National Care Service. The culmination of 18 months of work, their bluepri...