In a world of free choice, do we really need chaplains?

The time spent by universities on recruiting chaplains with palatable views would be better spent promoting equality of opportunity and a positive educational experience for each and every student.

Oh boy, it’s bad form to call a grown woman a ‘good girl’

There is a world of difference between a man or woman self-describing as a boy or a girl, or using the term to refer to their peers, and the word being assigned to them.

Stop telling girls they must put male feelings first

IT first happened when I was seven. A boy in my class tried to give me a giant Valentine’s card, and a bear holding a heart-shaped “I love you” sign. I said I didn’t want them and he burst into tears. Big, blubbery, seven-year-old tears, in the middle of the playground. Everyone in the vicinity

It’s wishful thinking to suggest that Scotland is racism-free

When the headlines proclaimed that Scotland has a problem with racism, just like the rest of the UK,
many were quick to cry “Unionist fake news!”. No-one likes to be told bad things about the country in which they live.

Lone wolf? No, these ‘incels’ are misogynist terrorists

It’s easy to see why the online world of “men’s rights activism” might appeal to the kind of young men who find social interactions difficult and confusing, and wish there was a scientific formula for success with girls and women. It’s not hard to see how neurologically atypical young men in particular could be sucked in.

Time to face facts: we can’t stop kids from watching porn

A big problem with trying to create legislation around pornography is that most people really don’t want to talk honestly about watching it, especially not to the Government. Most parents also don’t want their children watching it, even when they’re over 16 and allowed to have sex themselves.

The gig economy has taken root in Scotland’s universities

Many of these university workers have something important in common with those they teach: precarious employment.

Plans to change Scotland’s gender identity law must be prison-proof

From time to time, a case related to transgender identity and prisons will come to public attention – usually via a tabloid newspaper report quoting “prison sources” – that prompts outrage … and not everyone with concerns about transgender rights in prison is a frothing right-winger.

Asking For It: A Year of Outrageous Provocation

I’ve decided to document all of my unwanted interactions of 2018, and explain what I and/or others did to provoke them.

Time to think big when it comes to exporting Scottish skills

What lessons does Downsizing have for us about ethical living in a dangerously warming world? And should the Scottish whisky industry be worrying?