Sexual abuse survivors: forgotten victims of ACEs?

By Sarah Nelson In Scotland and internationally, most policy on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has placed overwhelming emphasis on children. Traumatised adults have been surprisingly neglected.  Yet as I describe in my recent article for Scottish Affairs, the key message…

A century of temperance in alcohol policy and licensing law

By Stuart MacLennan “Crackdowns” on alcohol my well be de rigueur, but they are most certainly not novel. The early 20th century provides the genesis for many contemporary alcohol restrictions, with the temperance movement having achieved considerable influence over public…

When conservation is not enough

By Dominic Hinde In its nine years in power, Scotland’s Scottish National Party (SNP) government has sought to redefine many areas of how the country is governed. In many fields, from healthcare to education, the party has attempted to create…

Finding offence

How are we to assess the impact of activities (e.g. words, songs or gestures) associated with sectarianism in contemporary Scotland? In the increasing absence of easily attributable effects such as crimes or disorder, or blatant forms of discrimination in the…