Joyous Johnstone Jamboree!

I've just realised that I promised to put my review of Arthur Johnstone and Friends at The Mitchell Theatre, Glasgow up once it had been published in the Morning Star, and I've forgotten to do this! (although I did tweet a link to it). Here it is -

THIS turned out to be a memorable night of song and celebration with and for Arthur Johnstone at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival.

Celebrating 50 years of song and protest by the veteran, the packed hall lapped up a great bill in an evening ably compered by singer and actor Dave Anderson.

Luminaries abounded. Tommy Sands delivered a beautiful There Were Roses, matched by Rab Noakes’s Jackson Greyhound and 16 Tons, while Danny Couper and Martin McDonald joined rising talents Siobhan Miller and Paul Sheridan, actor David Hayman and Gaelic singer Maeve McKinnon to pay tribute to Johnstone’s talent and commitment to the labour movement.

The emotive heart of the concert was the return of the Patton brothers to reform The Laggan for the night. The band’s John McDermott, who had died since the group disbanded, was represented by his banjo, played by Billy Patton.

The Laggan reunite! l-r Tony and Billy Patton (with John McDermott's banjo), Arthur Johnstone, ably assisted by Brian Miller.

Awards and tributes showered down. From the STUC’s lifetime achievement award — invented, said deputy general secretary Dave Moxham specifically for Johnstone because “he is in a group of one” — and Brian Filling, consul for South Africa. And there was a tribute from the Morning Star’s Scottish Campaign Committee because, as its secretary Keith Stoddart said: “This concert is a sell-out but Arthur has never sold out!”

Johnstone, performing solo or with old or new band mates, took centre stage. Songs not heard for some time, such as Four Green Fields and Doomsday in the Afternoon, were interspersed with old favourites It’s My Union and The John Maclean March and the concert wound up all too soon with Hamish Henderson’s rousing Freedom Come All Ye.

Top talent, top evening.

Time for the left to reclaim its place in Scotland

Now that the referendum is over, it is time (some would say past time) for the rebuilding of bridges and the mending of fences. If we on the Scottish left are genuine about our votes in the referendum  being about tackling austerity, defending the NHS and challenging poverty, then we owe it to ourselves to start doing these things - here in Scotland and at a UK level. I've just written about this in today's Morning Star.

It mentions a good start in bringing people of the left back together, being Sunday's Morning Star
Conference What now for the Labour Movement at the STUC in Glasgow from 11.00 till 3.30. 

This has speakers from both the Yes and No side of the referendum. Neil Findlay MSP, Chris Steohens of the SNP TU Group, Cllr Gordon Munro, UNISON Convener- Lilian Macer. There will be workshops on some of the key issues - Trident and NATO; Trade Unions, the People's Assembly and the community; and the EU, and the closing debate features People's Assembly Vice Chair, Bill Greenshields; Unite Senior Organiser, Rozanne Foyer; STUC Deputy Gen Sec, Dave Moxham and Scottish Left Review Board member, Isobel Lindsay.

My Star article lists some other events that could also usefully form part of the journey back.

Scottish Parliament has key opportunity to boost Freedom of Information

The Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland (CFoIS) is cranking up its campaigning this week to urge the Scottish Parliament to back a series of amendments to the Scottish Government’s Freedom of Information (Scotland) Amendment Bill. This Bill will have its Stage 3 debate in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 16 Jan and a series of amendments are proposed to ensure FOI rights extend to public services provided by private, voluntary and arms-length bodies. 

The CFoIS wants the Scottish Government to heed the concerns expressed by the Finance Committee’s Stage One report. The Campaign is taking part in a briefing meeting for MSPs on Tuesday 15 Jan, the day before the Parliamentary debate, and will be circulating a written briefing outlining the need to amend this bill to reinstate eroded rights to information. The meeting will be chaired by Paul Martin MSP, and addressed by Carole Ewart of the CFoIS, and Dave Moxham of the STUC.

Carole Ewart, Co-Convener of the CFoIS, said

Carole Ewart - co-convener, CFoIS

“A number of MSPs, including members of the Finance Committee, have submitted amendments to this Bill, as the Scottish Government appears unable or unwilling to accept our arguments in favour of protecting our information rights.”

The major reason why the Bill should be strengthened is to retrieve peoples’s information rights lost as increasing outsourcing of our public services removes services from coverage.  Neither the Scottish Government nor previous Scottish Executive Administrations have ever used their powers to add named bodies and categories of bodies to the list of organisations covered.

Amending the Bill is also necessary to meet the Scottish Government’s own FoI principles, 1 and 2: that “the public’s right to know remains an essential part of an open, democratic government and responsive public services” and FoISA “will be adjusted where it is necessary and sensible to do so”

You are all urged to get in touch with your MSP to lobby them to support the amendments (Amendments 1-9, 12 and 14) being backed by the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland. There is  an email message available on the UNISONScotland website, that allows Campaign supporters to lobby their MSPs easily. 

Carole Ewart said  “At a time when Audit Scotland estimates over 130 arms-length bodies are involved in delivering public services, and when the Scottish Government is proposing bills like the Procurement, and Community Empowerment Bills that will bring more bodies into public service delivery, it is very concerning that they seem oblivious to the threats these pose to everyone’s right to know about how our cash is spent.”

An article on the need for a 'purpose clause' in the legislation written by the Captain is also published today's Scottish Review.

• a copy of the briefing sent to MSPs in advance of the debate will be available  from Monday on the CFoI website at http://www.cfoi.org.uk/scotland.htmlhttp://www.cfoi.org.uk/scotland.html