A shorter working week would to help combat high levels of work-related stress and be good for the economy. While the UK government’s new flexible working plan is a welcome move in the right direction, it will still be too easy for employers to block requests. John Ashton, the President of the UK Faculty of Public Health recently said:
The sharks are circling Scottish Water
Jun 4th, 2014 by Dave Watson.Scottish Water is a public corporation that delivers a publicly owned water and sewerage service to the people of Scotland, unlike the privatised service in the rest of the UK. It’s a model that has served Scotland well, delivering clean fresh Scottish water to homes and businesses and removing sewage along some 60,000 miles of […]
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Health and care integration: right in principle but a challenge to deliver
Apr 15th, 2014 by Dave Watson.Health and care integration is right in principle but it will take more than moving the managerial deck chairs around to deliver quality care. I took a day away from the Scottish TUC congress in Dundee to make a day trip to Brighton to speak in panel discussion on health and care integration at the […]
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A fresh vision for devolution in Scotland
Mar 24th, 2014 by Dave Watson.Scottish Labour’s Devolution Commission and the accompanying policy paper provides what has been long missing from the No campaign – a fresh vision for devolution. A vision that provides new powers, but just as important, a start towards setting the agenda for what Scottish Labour would do with new powers – powers for a purpose. Two […]
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A budget aimed at the Tory faithful, not the economy
Mar 20th, 2014 by Dave Watson.Shiny new coins did nothing to cover up the Chancellor’s blatant attempt to shore up the core Tory vote next year. The budget giveaways were relentless targeted on the comfortably off, rather than those who have been hit the hardest by austerity economics. Changes in tax thresholds may take some out of tax, but they […]
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Zero-hours contracts – bad for workers, services and the economy
Mar 11th, 2014 by Dave Watson.The growing use of zero-hours contracts (ZHC) is primarily a conduit for the exploitation of working people. The growth in casual employment is contributing to the growth in in-work poverty, damaging public services and the economy. Yesterday, I was giving evidence at the Westminster Scottish Affairs Committee inquiry into zero-hours contracts. My evidence was largely […]
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Energy system needs fundamental reform, not just Ofgem tinkering
Feb 28th, 2014 by Dave Watson.Ofgem got out of their pram yesterday to complain about Labour and Which? criticisms of their ‘fundamental reforms‘ to the energy market. They said: For the Labour Party and Which? to dismiss Ofgem’s fundamental reforms is to misunderstand the barriers to competition that we have identified and are tackling. In fact Ofgem’s reforms go further […]
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Water is a public service – not a commodity
Feb 17th, 2014 by Dave Watson.Water is a public good, not a commodity. Today there will be a hearing in the European Parliament on the European Citizens Initiative – Right to Water (watch it live online). Nearly two million people signed this initiative across Europe, asking the European Commission to propose legislation implementing the human right to water and sanitation as recognised by […]
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Scottish Labour must be bold on extending devolution
Feb 12th, 2014 by Dave Watson.Scottish voters are entitled to know what type of devolution they will get if they tick the No box this September. While the pro-devolution parties are all working separately on their proposals, it is Scottish Labour that is expected to take the lead with the publication of the Devolution Commission report. There has been much […]
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Why Scottish Labour needs a new vision for 2016
Jan 27th, 2014 by Dave Watson.Scottish Labour’s electoral recovery continues with last week’s Scottish Parliament by-election win in Cowdenbeath. However, in 2016 the party will need to develop a new narrative and polices to attract the voters it needs to form a government. In 2011, Scottish Labour suffered a major electoral defeat and the hands of the SNP who mobilised […]
