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

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

National Museums and Other Cultures in Modern Japan

This article examines the representation of Japan at three national museums in Japan: the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Japanese History and the National Museum of Ethnology. It explores the way in which the museums have displayed difference both within Japan and between Japan and the other countries to which it is compared. The essay examines how this has produced a claim of Japanese uniqueness in the museum, the difficulty museums therefore have in connecting the Japanese past to the present and a number of recent attempts to overcome these problems in the representation of Japan

Overview of the labour market [March 2013]

Inevitably interest in the Scottish labour market continues to focus on the trends in employment and unemployment and again we return to these themes. Concern is increasingly focusing on the rise in underemployment and the productivity puzzle - why has employment performed better in this recession, whilst the fall in labour productivity is larger and more persistent than in previous recessions. In addition the UK Government proposals reform public sector terms and conditions of employment continue to emerge as do a number of previously heralded changes to employment

Overview of the labour market [November 2009]

Inevitably current interest in the Scottish labour market continues to focus on the trends and patterns in the unemployment figures and again in this issue we note recent changes in Scottish labour market trends. Initially, however, the increasing recognition of the likelihood of widespread job losses in public sector and recent disputes involving postal services and threats of industrial action by British Airways cabin crew prompt a consideration of both the trends in public sector employment and of trade union membership

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)

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

Public sector employment in Scotland [June 2012]

Industrial action over proposals to change pension and related conditions continued in the public sector and widened with industrial action planned by the BMA. In 2008 doctors had agreed to changes which meant they would work longer, increase their contributions to their pensions and accept the risk of increased contributions in the future – they believe this agreement has been ignored in recent changes. Public sector employment in Scotland continues to decline. The latest data at the time of writing this section (Q4 2011) indicates that there were 586,600 (553,000 excluding public sector financial institutions) employed in the public sector in Scotland, a decrease of 23,800 (3.9%) over the year. Employment in the devolved public sector declined by 19,100 (3.7%) to 490,400, due mainly to a decline in local government employment (down 12,000 over the year)