Search: Peter Watson

“Mediation is no-one’s little brother. Mediation is not alternative dispute resolution. It is not the easy option. Mediation is how the most intractable issues can be resolved.” The words I quote above are those of leading New Zealand mediator, Mark Kelly. Kelly has done mediation

Lianda Barnes discusses Transport Scotland's new road safety strategy. Silver Linings Playbook. What a great book, and quite the film. An emotional roller coaster. Might need to re-watch it again soon. If you’ve not seen it, I can recommend it. But that’s not the point of this article.

A former MSP has lost a case against Glasgow City Council in which he alleged that it had acted unlawfully in permanently excluding him from being employed by them as a social worker on the basis that doing so would present an unacceptable level of risk. Tommy Sheridan, who served as an MSP from 199

Harper Macleod has recorded turnover of £43.5 million for the year to 31 March 2025, an increase of nearly 20 per cent compared to the previous 12 months (£36.5m). Profit before remuneration rose from £13.7m to £16.1m for 2024/25. Headcount across its five offices in Glasgow,

The number of solicitors registered to provide legal aid in Scotland has fallen by more than 12 per cent in just three years, according to new figures. As of 26 May, there were 1,122 solicitors registered to provide criminal and children’s legal aid, while 450 firms were registered for civil l

A new University of Stirling academic journal dedicated to sharing research on human rights aims to influence policy and decision makers in the UK and worldwide. The University of Stirling Human Rights Journal (USHRJ) is the first of its kind in Scotland.

A new suite of template agreements have been developed and issued to encourage landowner and investor participation in UK woodland and peatland carbon projects. The templates are the outcome of an 18-month collaborative project led by Scottish Forestry in partnership with the IUCN UK Peatland Progra

Views are being sought on the implementation of the ban on MSPs from also serving as MPs or in the House of Lords. Following the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill being passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament in December, a consultation seeking views on the principles and pra

David J Black tackles the issue of the day. One of the more annoying things about the British media in general, and the navel-gazing BBC in particular, is the irritating habit they all have of prioritising so-called news stories which are so trivial and ephemeral they barely deserve to make the insi

Messrs Reeves and Friedman with this study present a modern sociological view of ‘the British elite’. Who are the purported elites, or, following one definition, the ruling minority?

A former lord chief justice has lent his support to calls for prisoners serving indefinite jail terms to have their sentences reviewed. Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who was England and Wales' most senior judge between 2013 and 2017, worries that those imprisoned under the abolished imprisonment for publ

Lesley Johnston, Laura Mundell, Garry Sutherland and Paul Ralph have been appointed as sheriffs. The new sheriffs will serve the Grampian, Highland and Islands, North Strathclyde, South Strathclyde, Dumfries & Galloway and Tayside, Central & Fife sheriffdoms from 28 October 2024.

A national campaign to help young people to safely navigate social media and prevent violence has been launched. ‘Quit Fighting For Likes’ aims to get young people to think about and discuss attitudes and behaviours around the filming and sharing of violent incidents.

Victims of historic miscarriages of justice cannot claim back "bed and board" costs deducted from their compensation for the time they spent in prison. Last year, the Conservatives scrapped the policy of making such deductions in the wake of the high-profile Andrew Malkinson case.

The former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation Lord Anderson has called for tighter rules on political lobbying. In a new interview with the lord speaker, Lord Anderson of Ipswich called for a new offence to be created to tackle corruption in public life.