Jimmy Reid Foundation

How do you fix Scotland's public libraries? Government handed 10-point plan A new report sets out a 10-point plan to fix Scotland’s public libraries, calling for a national universal offer, stronger oversight and funding…

Scotland’s public libraries: 10-point plan calls on ScotGov The report to implement report, including a Scottish Universal Library Offer, strengthening accountability and transparency, and a national costing exercise for properly funding services. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2592840...

'Firefighters were heroic in Union Street blaze - but the system is creaking' The Fire Brigades Union has been warning of the impact of cuts in Scotland - how might they have affected the Union Street fire?

Looming cuts to staff and equipment could make incidents like Sunday's in Glasgow harder to fight in future, the firefighters union has warned, with the service "creaking". www.heraldscotland.com/news/2592476...

Coming up on 30 years since the Dunblane school shooting massacre (13th March 1996) and watching another documentary about it. The families wanted to end legal handgun ownership and we passed those laws. We’ve not had a school shooting since. I ache for all Americans who cannot get this done there.

Looking forward to chairing this hustings on April 8th - your chance to ask the big questions of political parties about what you would like to see change in Scotland's food system

How a grassroots UK campaign sparked a multi-billion-dollar exit from public fossil fuel finance It began with red paint at the UK Treasury, and ended in one of the most successful international climate initiatives.

How a grassroots UK campaign sparked a multi-billion-dollar exit from public fossil fuel finance. It began with red paint at the UK Treasury, and ended in one of the most successful international climate initiatives. theconversation.com/how-a-grassr...

Wales becomes the first UK nation to remove profit from children's homes, fostering, and secure accommodation In less than a month, new providers of children’s homes, fostering services and secure accommodation will no longer be able to make a profit in Wales — making it the first nation in the UK to take thi...

In less than a month, new providers of children's homes, fostering services and secure accommodation will no longer be able to make a profit in Wales — making it the first nation in the UK to take this landmark step

Revealed: UK’s multibillion AI drive is built on ‘phantom investments’ Exclusive: Rented datacentres and unrealised supercomputer site raise questions for Starmer’s push to ‘mainline AI into veins of economy’

UK’s multibillion AI drive is built on ‘phantom investments’. “Big tech companies artificially inflate datacentres’ job creation and economic impact to please governments like the British one, which are desperate to claim they are making the economy grow.” www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

AI and work: an expert assesses how far this revolution still has to run What’s real, what’s over-stated and what risks have we missed so far?

AI and work: an expert assesses how far this revolution still has to run. What’s real, what’s over-stated and what risks have we missed so far? A more complex picture than is often presented. theconversation.com/ai-and-work-...

We are in a digital version of the enclosures – like the landowners, big tech has power without responsibility The Enclosure Acts allowed fencing of common lands that villagers had used for generations. Something similar has happened in the digital space.

We are in a digital version of the enclosures – like the landowners, big tech has power without responsibility. Over time they began regulating the landlords. We need to do the same with today’s digital landlords, and break their stranglehold. theconversation.com/we-are-in-a-...

He’s lying!! Those countries which currently have Tomahawk Cruise Missiles as part of their arsenal are U.K. Japan, Netherlands, Australia and the United States.

‘The cover-up is brazen’: one journalist’s tenacious, traumatic fight to expose Ghislaine Maxwell Lucia Osborne-Crowley has endured threats and sexual harassment to report on Jeffrey Epstein’s chief enabler. Maxwell’s conviction was only the start of the quest for justice, she says

‘The cover-up is brazen’: one journalist’s fight to expose Ghislaine Maxwell. Lucia Osborne-Crowley has endured threats and sexual harassment to report on Jeffrey Epstein’s chief enabler. Maxwell’s conviction was only the start of the quest for justice. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Average UK office attendance ‘settling’ at highest level since before Covid Figure above 40% every week since early January as report says situation ‘no longer in freefall nor in recovery’

“The question is no longer whether people will return to the office but what kind of office experience genuinely supports the way people now work.” www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Footage reviewed and geolocated by Bellingcat confirms US tomahawk missiles hit the girls’ primary school in southern Iran that killed 175 people, most of them children.

Researcher Trevor Ball notes Israel does not possess Tomahawk missiles. United States does.

'They do not need another layer of bureaucracy. They need homes' Angela Currie of Hanover Scotland warns a new housing agency could add bureaucracy as 115,000 remain on waiting lists and planning delays persist.

Housing chief warns new agency risks ‘layer of bureaucracy’. “Many local authority housing leaders argue that funding should instead be fully devolved to councils,” she wrote, pointing to existing models in Edinburgh and Glasgow. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2590288...

University chiefs accused of 'circumventing governing structures' in savings bid Sources told The Herald that they fear senior leaders are attempting to “circumvent” a key requirement in a bid to make £12m in savings.

Aberdeen University bosses accused of 'circumventing' governance rules. “This is exactly what Dundee did and got it in hot water,” they said. “Cloistered decision making amongst small groups of high level people and a bunch of secrecy.” www.heraldscotland.com/news/2591810...

Did baby boomers eat all the pies? John Lanchester on the truth about the generation gap It’s a grim time to be in your 20s, no doubt, but don’t blame it all on older people: being chopped up into ever smaller rivalries only serves the market

Did baby boomers eat all the pies? John Lanchester on the truth about the generation gap. There’s more profit in noticing the ways in which we’re different than there is in noticing the ways in which we’re similar. www.theguardian.com/inequality/2...

Why an Iran war inflation shock could wreck global economic recovery Central bankers and economists warn prolonged conflict could raise retail prices and rip up growth forecasts

Why Iran war inflation shock could wreck global economic recovery. “The White House appeared to have given little consideration to the geopolitical impact of its opportunistic assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and subsequent bombing campaign.” www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Female writers and readers have been challenging the patriarchy for more than 200 years As long as women continue to write, read and reimagine the world, novel reading will remain a vital site of feminist resistance and possibility.

On International Women’s Day, how female writers and readers have been challenging the patriarchy for more than 200 years. theconversation.com/female-write...

More than half a million tonnes of sewage sludge spread on Scotland's fields Huge volumes of sewage sludge have been used to fertilise Scottish farmland. Studies show it contains microplastics, forever chemicals and cancer-linked pollutants.

Some 643,000 tonnes of sewage sludge has been spread on Scotland’s fields amidst mounting evidence that it contains a cocktail of toxic chemicals. As we highlighted two years ago, the contents are not properly monitored. www.theferret.scot/tonnes-sewag...

Pleas over Scottish Water rejected as customers face rising bills for six years Scotland's largest trade union Unison has said the government's stance on Scottish Water is "deeply concerning" amid proposals by the…

Ministers reject union place on Scottish Water board. "Having unions on the board is a recognised practice in other public services, and it is deeply concerning that the Scottish Government has rejected this in Scottish Water." www.heraldscotland.com/news/2591125...

This is a life and death story for the UK – so why is it being brushed under the carpet? | Aditya Chakrabortty The news that healthy life expectancy is in decline in Britain exposes a serious truth about the state we’re in, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

This is a life and death story for the UK – so why is it being brushed under the carpet? The news that healthy life expectancy is in decline in Britain exposes a serious truth about the state we’re in. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

FT comments section this morning - saying what everyone else is thinking, right?

TUC: Member voice in pension scheme governance. Consolidation can improve efficiency, including oversight, controls and decision making. However, they can also reduce direct member voice if members do not have representatives able to influence outcomes.
www.tuc.org.uk/research-ana...

Why we need a new law requiring every school in Scotland to have a library Scottish Book Trust is campaigning for a law requiring every school in Scotland to have a dedicated library.

Scottish Book Trust campaigns for library in every school. Without legal protection, school libraries are exposed to local budget pressures that can leave young people without guaranteed access to books, digital resources and trained support. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2590381...

Ferguson shipyard to be given contracts to build four vessels The Clyde yard is to be commissioned to construct two small ferries and two fisheries research and protection vessels.

Ferguson shipyard to be given contracts to build four vessels. The award of the four contracts would help unlock up to £14.2m of promised funding to modernise the Port Glasgow shipyard.👏👏

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Wet winter, hot summer? What ‘climate whiplash’ means for the UK Sharp seasonal swings are happening more often – and they’re a big problem for homes, food and infrastructure.

Wet winter, hot summer? What ‘climate whiplash’ means for the UK. Sharp seasonal swings are happening more often – and they’re a big problem for homes, food and infrastructure. Are we doing enough to adapt? theconversation.com/wet-winter-h...

Spring Statement delivers a Barnett bonus The UK Spring Statement delivers £921 million extra for Scotland, easing budget pressures and boosting future flexibility.

Spring Statement delivers a Barnett bonus. In total, the Scottish Budget will receive £921 million in additional Barnett consequentials between 2026-27 and 2028-29. This is over and above consequentials flowing from the UK Autumn Budget. spice-spotlight.scot/2026/03/03/s...

A graphic explanation of why we need to decouple our energy prices from gas prices in the age of renewables.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

The oil price surge is just one symptom of a supply chain network that is not fit for this age of global tensions Oil prices are responding to risk – not just supply shortages.

The oil price surge is just one symptom of a supply chain network that is not fit for this age of global tensions. The challenge is to redesign supply chains and energy sources for a world in which geopolitical risk is no longer exceptional, but structural. theconversation.com/the-oil-pric...

As we approach the Scottish Parliament elections, our policy guide shows the way to a better Scotland.
reidfoundation.scot/2025/05/scot...