Colette Walker, women for Indy national committee member and disabled carer, says that there is still huge barriers for women to get into politics which must be overcome  – doubly so for disabled women and carers

IN 2018 women all over the UK have been celebrating 100 years since some women were given Suffrage; the right to vote.

There were conditions to this; you had to be at least thirty and own property. Not exactly what I am sure members of the Women's Social and Political Union were entirely happy with but it was a step in the right direction.

This is your opportunity to work with us to build a Common Weal Scotland

WE ARE RECRUITING a new Policy Officer and a new Campaigns Officer to join the ambitious Common Weal team as we continue to develop policy ideas and campaigns that we believe can transform Scotland into the best society, economy and culture it can possibly be.

Knowledge and interest in politics among Scots has coincided with growing cynicism about the UK political system

A NEW study has found that just 14 per cent of Scots are satisfied with the UK political system, the least of any part of the UK.

The Hansard Society has published its 2018 audit of political engagement, and found a 22 point drop in Scottish satisfication with the UK political system since the first audit in 2004 (three points since 2017).

Following the death of esteemed physicist Stephen Hawking, Morgane Colinet – who is a journalism student at the University of the West of Scotland and is completing a work experience placement at CommonSpace – takes a look at the lesser known political side of the scientist

CommonSpace looks at the policy issue now overwhelming this year’s General Election campaign: security

SECURITY AND COUNTER TERRORISM have come to dominate the UK General Election following the attacks in Manchester a fortnight ago and London Bridge on Saturday (4 June,) which took 29 lives combined and left many injured.

CommonSpace columnist Kirsty Strickland says there is no excuse in 2017 for continued imbalance in political commentary

DURING every election campaign, there is – or at least should be – a heightened focus on balance.

This usually applies to the balance of party representation, but regularly in Scotland there are calls for it also to extend to balance across the Yes/No divide.

Writer and human rights advocate Rob McDowall explains why he's campaigning for the Scottish Government to strengthen laws to protect parliamentarians

I AM an avid user of social media and I regularly disagree with policies and policy makers on Twitter and Facebook but I always try to do so as respectfully as possible. When you try to make a political point by attacking someone personally, I believe that you've lost the argument and lowered the tone into the bargain. 

Bronagh Gallagher says it’s time to reset what we think we know

YOU are living through a revolution. One you might not notice. One that may not be visible in the streets, but one which will, no doubt, have profound implications for anyone who wants to make change in the world. 

This is a silent revolution. One that takes place at a level which is so often unexamined that when first encountered it can leave you dizzy as some long-held assumptions are fundamentally challenged. I know it did for me. 

Scottish Labour’s council election plans rocked by UK General Election announcement 

KEZIA DUGDALE, the Scottish Labour leader, has sworn to defend the party’s last remaining seat in Edinburgh South following the news that UK Prime Minister Theresa May intends to hold a UK-wide General Election on 8 June of this year.

Dugdale who had been hoping to focus on the local elections launch for the party today (Tuesday 18 April) was instead forced to state what her expectations were for her party’s performance on both sides of the border.

Upcoming elections paint a picture of extreme under-representation of women in Scottish politics

ACTION OVER RHETORIC is the rallying cry of the Women 5050, the campaign advocating 50 per cent representation of women in councils and in the Scottish Parliament, as it revealed that across 32 Scottish councils only 30 per cent of local candidates are women.

After analysing the candidate lists of all wards in all 32 councils for the upcoming May local elections, the charity found that there are 21 wards in Scotland with only men on the ballot paper.