Common Weal volunteer Ben Simmons is making an ethical call for action this Christmas - and offering shoppers an alternative

SCOTLAND, like literally the whole world, is a direct democracy. Kind of. Bear with me. 

For those of you with election fatigue I bring the bad news that we have been voting every single day, have done so forever, and will continue to do so until someone figures out a better system. And we get we what vote for in spades more or less right away.

Writer Rhiannon Spencer-Jones says we have a responsibility to consider the consequences of how we spend our money

EARLIER this month, every single person who went to their polling station took an active step in deciding our country's future. 

However, the voting doesn't stop there. It is critical to remember that every pound - every penny - we spend in our everyday lives is also a vote for one thing, and against another.

A green and ethical Christmas is one with more meaning and connection, says Sophie Unwin, director of Remade in Edinburgh, and she's sharing her top 10 tips on doing things a bit differently

I BUMPED into my neighbour at the grocery recently and I asked her what she was doing for Xmas? She told me that she doesn’t "do Xmas" and struggles with this time of year. 

It was nice to hear such an honest answer, especially when there can be so much pressure to express a sense of jollity – which, of course, we are unlikely all to be feeling all of the time.