Reform Scotland

New blog: Johann Lamont highlights the danger of looking for sound bites, as opposed to thoughtfulness and rigour, when considering long-term solutions for Scotland’s education system and young people. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/eCd7mvyx

If you missed our important discussion about the future of social care, with Donald Macaskill in conversation with Chris Deerin, watch it back here: https://lnkd.in/eaUezd-y

We were delighted to host Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee for a speech and Q&A on public service reform. The event was chaired by Chris Deerin & in partnership with Charlotte Street Partners. Watch back the discussion here: https://lnkd.in/e-3Mrh9s

Grateful to Jamie Greene MSP for highlighting our work on the need to reform higher education funding in Scotland at #FMQs today. Tuition “free at the point of use” can be maintained if we consider a graduate payment, but we need to act now. Read our briefing here: https://lnkd.in/ezECVK4b

At The Scottish Parliament general questions today Brian Whittle OLY has a PQ on children's participation in sport. Observatory for Sport in Scotland wrote for our #NHS2048 forum on the need for a Scottish Children's Sport Strategy to address obstacles to participation. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eX-HmVCj

MSPs have had a tendency, over the quarter-century of Holyrood, to pick off the low hanging fruit and leave the higher stuff for another day. But there is a moment here where they are going to have to get together to think bigger, and it is on the topic of funding higher education. Our Message Matters client, the Reform Scotland think tank (Chris Deerin & Alison Payne) have been a rare voice for a long time, calling for a sensible debate in how to both ensure that our kids can access university without paying up-front fees, at the same time as ensuring that those universities remain financially viable. Yesterday's announcement by the University of Dundee is the latest, and probably gravest, warning shot. Time's up - as Chris Deerin has said today: ”We have a small window to protect our universities and preserve the right of our children to attend them without paying up front. History will judge our politicians poorly if they are too afraid to lift their heads from the sand.” You can read the Reform Scotland think tank's emergency briefing here > https://lnkd.in/eSQk_Gdi

If the dreadful news from Dundee University isn’t a wake-up call on the unsustainability of Scotland’s higher education funding system, then we need to ask ourselves what will be? Tuition 'free at the point of use' can be maintained, but only if we act now. https://lnkd.in/ezECVK4b

Tomorrow in Parliament Brian Whittle OLY has a PQ on children's participation in sport. Observatory for Sport in Scotland wrote an article for our #NHS2048 forum on need to for a Scottish Children's Sport Strategy to address obstacles to participation. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eX-HmVCj

If the dreadful news from Dundee Uni today isn't a wake-up call re the unsustainability of Scotland's HE funding structure, then what will be? How many more jobs, courses and even institutions need to go before we face the truth? https://lnkd.in/eMc2h3pf Our view at Reform Scotland can be found below. I really don't see any other sustainable or equitable option. We've been kidding ourselves for too long. Enough. https://lnkd.in/eQPfPj4q