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The “West Lothian question” has been presented as being in some way difficult to understand. Putting aside those people who make it difficult by stating it incorrectly, it‘s actually quite simple. 1   In the olden days, legislation passed by the UK parliament at Westminster... Read More

Back in 1978, the then chief secretary to the UK Treasury, Joel (now Lord) Barnett, was having a hard time. It was an era of appalling management of the economy by the Labour government (the “winter of discontent” had amused the nation over 1978-79);  the government... Read More

Firstly, let’s get the numbers right. 1  84.7% of Scots voted, and 44.7% of them voted for separation from the rest of the UK. That means 37.9% of Scots voted to leave.  [source:  The guardian] Whilst, clearly, there will have been some Scots who were prevented at the last... Read More

Related material: > blog:  How should Scotland vote? There a further issues with this referendum. Firstly, if, in a relationship, one person walks out, the other person does have a right to express an opinion.  If the Scots are going to break up the relationship between them... Read More

This game has two sides, White—who has to play alone and who will turn on anyone who tries to help him—and Black, who can be played by any number of people. As far as White is concerned, the more the better. Bring it on! All must be members of a LinkedIn discussion forum. No... Read More

In a recent Radio 4 programme Lord Digby Jones argued that it would be useful if there were a covenant between business, society and government to address the lack of trust between these organisations. “The relationship between business creating wealth, government and society—all... Read More

Asking clients whether they received an above average service is meaningless. “Service” can’t be quantified, let alone measured, therefore calculating an “average” is impossible. And, it is possible for a large majority of a group to all be above average in a particular measure:... Read More

Related material: >  blog:  Scottish referendum:  what a shambles There are two problems with the Scottish referendum: Firstly, no relationship is over until it’s over. With a significant proportion of Scottish voters wanting to stay in the union, the relationship between... Read More

The view from colleges and universities Dependence, like every mental characteristic develops neither under the influence of nature, nor of nurture, but under the complex, dynamic interaction of nature and nurture.  (This video makes the case powerfully and clearly (in the... Read More

There is increasing concern among schools, colleges of further and higher education, and among employers that school leavers and graduates are “unemployable”. It is not just illiteracy and innumeracy—though it includes those things—it covers everything from a failure to perform... Read More