Author Archives: AlysonMacdonald - Page 4
Gender, Privilege, and Political Blogging
In recent months it has become popular to gather statistics on the lack of diversity of people working in the media. Feminists started using the #diversityaudit hashtag to record information…
Cuts and Privatisation: Still on Edinburgh's Agenda in 2012
In November 2011, the City of Edinburgh Council took the decision not privatise environmental services (that's waste and recycling, street cleaning, and parks maintenance), following pressure from a local grassroots…
Defending Health and Safety
I have a confession to make: I'm a big fan of health and safety. I'm not just saying that just to be contrary, or because I like everything the Tories…
Dick of the Year – Dave Hartnett
This is (probably) the final nomination for 2011's Dick of the Year award. We will open voting tomorrow. Nobody expects The Telegraph to like the taxman, but when they're criticising…
Dick of the Year – Iain Duncan Smith
The current cabinet is hardly short of potential nominees for Dick of the Year, but this year my nomination goes to the Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith. IDS…
Saying No to Abstinence Education
The really frustrating thing about Nadine Dorries is that, just when you think she might have gone away for a while, she comes back spouting more evidence-free drivel about sex.…
Women’s Work? Women’s strike!
A brief reflection on the N30 strike One of the differences between the 30th November strike and most other industrial actions was the highly visible presence of women on the…
Tory Women: why “female” and “feminist” aren’t interchangeable
The current government's spending cuts disproportionately affect women. That's not my opinion; it's fact. Women make up 65% of the public sector workforce, so are more likely to be affected…
Privatisation and the SNP
While Alex Salmond received a hero's welcome at the SNP conference in Inverness last weekend, controversy has been brewing back in Edinburgh. On Thursday, the City of Edinburgh Council –…
Fifth Edinburgh Uncut Activist Arrested
A UK Uncut activist was arrested in Edinburgh at around on Saturday for breach of the peace and obstructing the pavement. Under Scots Law, breach of the peace is a…