Notices by Dr Craig Dalȝell (thecommongreen@mastodon.scot)

My article in this week's Common Weal Magazine.

While the UK wants to join itself to the hip of the US's "Department of War", Scotland should consider what 'real security' means - for example, we should secure our Digital Commons against the US turning our tech against us.

https://www.commonweal.scot/articles/magazine-ectj6

Third principle, however:

3) The Minimum Promised Deliverable - This is the least action they can take that will enable them to say that the promise has been fulfilled.

Look at their caveats with caution. If necessary, return to Principle 1) and apply more pressure.

Two principles to follow when it comes to getting a politician to do something they don't want to do.

1) "Enough pressure" is the point at which doing the thing is less worse than continuing to not do it.

2) Everything is impossible until the moment that it becomes inevitable.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cdrkj810plvt

Lesson for the Left:

If being even moderately Left sees you accused by your opponents - Centrist and Rightwards - of being "a pure communist", then you've already baked in the exact same opposition that you'd face for being an actual pure communist. There's no more need to moderate your views on their account. Might as well be as radical as you think you should be.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/trump-zohran-mamdani-citizenship

They actually came for the trade unionists.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/california-union-president-arrested-ice-raids-b2765547.html

"The AI company I used to work for has already broken the law on such a level that you may as well make it legal" doesn't strike me as the most defensible argument.

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/technology-uk/article/nick-clegg-work-train-ai-l6xl5djb7

Two questions I hope Sunak will be asked at this launch:

The Belfast High Court recently warned about the risks of pulling out of the ECHR. Is Belfast a "foreign court"?

If National Insurance is dropped, how will state pension entitlement be calculated? If it's via Income Tax payments, does that mean people earning more than the National Insurance allowance but less than the Income Tax Personal Allowance will not be eligible for a state pension?

#UKPolitics #GeneralElection #conservatives

Communities are indeed doing amazing work in land reform. The problem is that just four people currently own more of Scotland than all community-owned land combined.

It's like pointing at the good and worthy work you're doing with your own recycling bin while the oil company next door is creating more pollution than your entire country.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23929897.rewilding-scotland-not-just-green-lairds-capitalists/

A wonderful example of an inverted #PorcupinePlot.
The global growth of #solar power has consistently outstripped annual projections.
#Renewables

Source: https://www.carbonbrief.org/solar-is-now-cheapest-electricity-in-history-confirms-iea/