Public sector employment in Scotland [November 2012]

Protest action against government cutbacks took place in October, and this, together with action over pay claims and changes to terms and conditions of employment, may well herald more action over the winter months. The UK Government has announced proposals, to be detailed in the forthcoming Public Services Pensions Bill to increase the retirement age and to effectively reduce pensions for the majority of public sector staff, although ring fencing those within 10 years of retirement

The Logic of Spectacle c. 1970

This paper examines the site plan and theme exhibit of the Osaka Expo of 1970, together with a week-long protest staged in the Tower of the Sun, which was the main element of the Theme Exhibit. Attempts to communicate a critical account of contemporary society and so transform the visitor were undercut by the Expo's ability to accommodate diverse interests and investments and to account for almost anything that was exhibited or staged on site. The Expo thus suggests that we need to supplement our understanding of spectacle as communication with an analysis of spectacle as a system

Overview of the labour market [November 2012]

Inevitably interest in the Scottish labour market continues to focus on the levels and trends in employment and unemployment and again we return to these themes. In addition the UK Government proposals to reform public sector terms and conditions of employment have emerged (see the Public Sector employment section of this Commentary). The employment law proposals emanating from in the Beecroft Report continued to surface at the recent Conservative Party conference (see the February and June issues of the Commentary)

An Extra Slice of Jo Brand

In this candid interview Jo Brand, one of Britain’s most popular and successful comedians, discusses her comedy career. Brand shares experiences and critical reflections on a wide range of comedy, from her first stand-up gig in the 1980s through to presenting the Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice [2014-present]. She discusses the inspiration and motivation for her comic material, explains the highs and lows of working in television comedy and offers pragmatic advice for comedians wishing to pursue a career in comedy today

Overview of the labour market [March 2011]

Inevitably current interest in the Scottish labour market continues to focus on the trends in both employment and unemployment figures and the emerging differences in the patterns of full and part time employment, a theme developed in other sections of this edition. Public interest continues to focus on public sector employment trends and pay and for a further issue we return to these themes. Over the past months there have been a number of developments, most notably a focus on training issues and possible changes to employment tribunals

Public sector employment in Scotland [March 2013]

Inevitably interest focusses on the recent trends in public sector employment; however, the themes of cuts, capacity and targets are indicative of more significant current and medium term issues affecting the public sector. Cuts in staffing and capacity (a 30% reduction in staff and loss of experienced managers) were seen as a contributory reason for the failures by the Department of Transport‟s West Coast rail franchise, as contributing to the failure to pick up the recent food contamination (Local Authorities in England collected some 21% fewer samples in 2011 – 2012 compared to earlier years), and underpinning concerns as to the reduced levels of fire service cover in London. The impact of cuts, capacity and targets on standards of care were highlighted in the publication the Francis Report (The final report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry) and we return to this later

Overview of the labour market [June 2011]

Inevitably current interest in the Scottish labour market continues to focus on the trends in both employment and unemployment figures, a theme developed in other sections of this edition. Public interest continues to focus on public sector employment trends and for a further issue we return to these themes. Of interest is the impact of patterns and behaviour of immigrants to and emigrants from Scotland on recent employment patterns, and initially recent findings are considered