Dear members and friends,
On Sunday mornings, I usually look in on Andrew Marr, Andrew Neil, then Scottish political commentators – newspapers and radio – my weekly immersion. I also visit human interest tidbits like the Observer ‘This Much I Know’ interview – this week Michael Heseltine, who thinks that signing article 50 is the worst decision Britain has made since the war. I once spent an hour in Heseltine’s company (eight of us in a meeting of the Millennium Commission) and was impressed; clearly a Tory patrician, but with the confident independence of a successful business entrepreneur – straight talking. In the Observer interview, he says something which resonates: “The garden has been my therapy – no matter what happened in my political life, I can be potting-out some seedlings and all is forgotten.”
I’m sure the power of gardening comes from our direct contact with nature – ‘soil and the soul’; its calming effect is particularly welcome in these unsettled times: is Trump really going to start another Korean war? Can Scotland really remain the domain of right-wing Tories? Ken Loach told the Herald last week that a Tory Brexit would push Scotland out of the union. This likelihood is obvious to most neutral observers (not subjected to Ruth Davidson) – prior to her elevation to PM, even Theresa May agreed.
By the time you read this on Friday, they’ll be counting the votes in Scotland’s local elections; this means a whole week to consider the results – while it’s expected to be warm enough to pot out seedlings – my sweet peas out at last.
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With billions of Euros under negotiation in the Brexit divorce settlement, we must assume that ‘games’ are being played – but accounts of Theresa May’s recent dinner with Jean-Claude Junker are alarming; particularly worrying are comments about how badly briefed our PM was – ‘delusional’. My mind returns to the January resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers – Britain’s highly-regarded ambassador to the EU – saying that politicians disliked his warnings about the pitfalls they would encounter – and that Europe had better negotiators. May’s petulance outside Number 10 on Wednesday indicates how unpleasant this will get. When eventually the essentials of the best available deal become clear – my sense is that most Brits will have realised that, on balance, leaving Europe is a mistake.
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The principle of subsidiarity – that decisions and tasks should be carried out at the lowest practical level – is a social reform I’ve been pursuing for over 50 years; Great article from Robin McAlpine SHAPE * MERGEFORMAT
. For reasons they neither share nor debate – the SNP Scottish Government follows a policy of relentless centralisation. We welcome an important contribution from Reform Scotland – a three-page PDF called Blueprint for Local Power – calling for a radical new relationship between local and central government. Also, Andy Wightman, the Green MP, intends to consult on incorporating the European Charter of Local Self-Government into Scottish Law.
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“Profit should never be a motive, nor play in part, in assessing or making decisions on people’s health and eligibility for benefit”. These are the words of Jeane Freeman, the social security minister, who recently gave the Scottish Parliament details of the new Social Security Agency she is putting in place, numbering 1,500 staff. Freeman is one of the Ministers who gives me confidence in our Government – great to see activists with her track record in positions of responsibility. “Private firms will be banned from carrying out assessments; we are building a system built on dignity and respect”.
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In the Michael Heseltine interview, linked in this week’s intro, the Tory elder statesman shares the principles underpinning his considerable urban regeneration involvement: changing perspectives, introducing new visuals, getting rid of mess. His vision is of external agencies – mainly the corporate sector – delivering change through gentrification. Compare this to a new report from the Common Weal – “Mapping Economic Potential in North Glasgow” – which calls for 40 derelict sites to be transferred to community ownership – so that the skills and energy of local people can be directly engaged with development. ABCD – Asset-Based Community Development.
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NOTICES: We can’t flag all notices here, but more jobs, events and tenders available on our website. See http://www.senscot.net/jobsevents.php this week:
JOBS: Crossroads Caring Scotland, Community Land Scotland, Loch Arthur Camphill Community, Mull and Iona Community Trust, Children Inc East Lothian, RAMH, Impact Arts (Projects) Ltd, Wasps Studios
EVENTS: Legal Structure for Social Enterprise, 8 May; Carluke on the Run 2017, 21 May; Social Enterprise: Start-up Awareness, 24 May; Supporting Communities Through SE, 1 Jun; Express Yourself, 10 Jun;
TENDERS: Office Cleaning Services 2017-2020 – Govanhill Housing Association; Environmental Network Improvement – Renfrewshire Council; Open Space Maintenance Contract from 2017 to 2020 – Shire Housing Association Ltd. Join the Ready for Business Linked-In group and follow on Twitter.
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The SENs Weekly Update: Senscot is working with Citrus Energy to provide an impartial energy brokering service for our members. Citrus Energy has been created to provide ethical commercial energy advice, to help businesses, charities and fellow social enterprises find the best energy prices. Senscot and Citrus are looking to identify social enterprises interested in reducing their energy bills. We will be providing more information on our website in the coming weeks. In the meantime, for further information, please contact alan@senscot.net. Citrus Energy is a social enterprise subsidiary of Cunninghame Housing Association.
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Senscot is holding its 17th AGM next Thursday (11th May: 11am-1pm) at EVH’s Offices at 137 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3EW (5th floor). The theme for this year’s ‘discussion session’ will be the SE Action Plan – inviting contributions and perspectives from a series of speakers from across the sector on the opportunities and challenges for the SE community in Scotland. We still have a handful of places available – so if you would like to come along, please see booking form. The event is free – with lunch available – with around 40/45 folk expected – and hopefully a lively discussion.
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Senscot is currently involved in two new pieces of work – The Partnership and Procurement Hub and the Study into Consortia model for SENs – both designed to open the way for locally-based social enterprises to work more collaboratively – the pooling of resources and expertise to provide more effective services in their respective communities – and, at the same time, contributing to their sustainability. This article in the Guardian highlights how some innovative approaches in England, with community organisations and social enterprises working together, can provide a different kind of social care system in local communities.
————————————-
Piece in Saturday’s Guardian about Triodos – ‘Europe’s leading sustainable bank’ – which is about to launch its first ever British personal current account; Senscot has banked with Triodos since 2004 and enjoys a good relationship. Because it only lends to organisations which ‘make a positive difference to society’ – and publishes online the details of every loan – the article speculates it will replace the Co-op bank as the ‘ethical choice’, The Co-op hasn’t exactly gone yet – but is in hock to hedge funds – which are hardly aligned to the values of the co-operative movement.
————————————-
This week’s bulletin profiles a venture that provides a support programme for the development of social enterprises in Scotland with a link to a housing association or a co-operative. The Lintel Trust (previously the Scottish Housing Associations Charitable Trust) was initially set up in 1979. In 2015, it became part of the Link Group – setting up as a SCIO in 2016 – and also receives support from the likes of Fyne Homes; ng homes; Queens Cross HA etc. The Lintel Trust offers interest free, repayable grants from £1,000 to £10,000 with flexible terms of repayment to suit the respective social enterprise that is ready to start or already trading. One of the first beneficiaries of the programme has been Glasgow Wood Recycling.
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Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, has died aged 88. When his book became a publishing sensation in the 1970’s, I fancied myself as part of the counterculture – but not sure how much of the book’s meanderings I understood. The New York Times provides a good obituary.
‘One of Pirsig’s central ideas is that so-called transcendent experience and so-called ordinary experience are one and the same; the mind/body dualism soldered into Western consciousness by philosophers like Plato and Aristotle is wrong; that the real world is a seamless continuum of the material and the metaphysical: “The Buddha, the Godhead, resides quite as comfortably in the circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as it does on the top of a mountain or the petals of a flower”.’
That’s all for this week.
Best wishes,
Laurence
Subscribe to this bulletin: http://www.senscot.net/bsubscribe.php
To unsubscribe or change subscription address/ e-mail mail@senscot.net
Senscot is a Company, registered in Scotland. Company Reg No. 278156: Scottish Charity No. SC 029210
Blueprint
for Local Power – calling for a radical new relationship between local and
central government. Also, Andy Wightman, the Green MP, intends to consult on
incorporating the European
Charter of Local Self-Government into Scottish Law.
———————————————-
“Profit should never be a motive, nor play in part, in assessing or making
decisions on people’s health and eligibility for benefit”. These are the words
of Jeane Freeman, the social security minister, who recently gave the Scottish
Parliament details
of the new Social Security Agency she is putting in place, numbering 1,500
staff. Freeman is one of the Ministers who gives me confidence in our
Government – great to see activists with her track record in positions of
responsibility. “Private firms will be banned from carrying out assessments; we
are building a system built on dignity and respect”.
——————————————
In the Michael Heseltine interview, linked in this week’s intro, the Tory elder
statesman shares the principles underpinning his considerable urban regeneration
involvement: changing perspectives, introducing new visuals, getting rid of
mess. His vision is of external agencies – mainly the corporate sector –
delivering change through gentrification. Compare this to a new report from the
Common Weal – “Mapping
Economic Potential in North Glasgow” – which calls for 40 derelict sites to
be transferred to community ownership – so that the skills and energy of local
people can be directly engaged with development. ABCD – Asset-Based Community
Development.
——————————————
NOTICES: We can’t flag all notices here, but more jobs, events and tenders
available on our website. See http://www.senscot.net/jobsevents.php
this week:
JOBS: Crossroads Caring Scotland,
Community Land Scotland, Loch Arthur Camphill Community, Mull and Iona
Community Trust, Children Inc East Lothian, RAMH, Impact Arts (Projects) Ltd,
Wasps Studios
EVENTS: Legal Structure for
Social Enterprise, 8 May; Carluke on the Run 2017, 21 May; Social Enterprise:
Start-up Awareness, 24 May; Supporting Communities Through SE, 1 Jun; Express
Yourself, 10 Jun;
TENDERS:
Office Cleaning Services 2017-2020 – Govanhill Housing Association;
Environmental Network Improvement – Renfrewshire Council; Open Space
Maintenance Contract from 2017 to 2020 – Shire Housing Association Ltd.
Join the Ready for Business Linked-In
group and follow on Twitter.
————————————–
The SENs
Weekly Update: Senscot is working with Citrus Energy to provide
an impartial energy brokering service for our members. Citrus Energy has
been created to provide ethical commercial energy advice, to help businesses,
charities and fellow social enterprises find the best energy prices. Senscot
and Citrus are looking to identify social enterprises interested in reducing
their energy bills. We will be providing more information on our website in the
coming weeks. In the meantime, for further information, please contact alan@senscot.net. Citrus Energy is a social
enterprise subsidiary of Cunninghame Housing Association.
—————————————
Senscot is holding its 17th AGM next Thursday (11th May: 11am-1pm)
at EVH’s Offices at 137 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3EW (5th
floor). The theme for this year’s ‘discussion session’ will be the SE
Action Plan – inviting contributions and perspectives from a series of speakers
from across the sector on the opportunities and challenges for the SE community
in Scotland. We still have a handful of places available – so if you would like
to come along, please see booking
form. The event is free – with lunch available – with around 40/45 folk
expected – and hopefully a lively discussion.
————————————-
Senscot is currently involved in two new pieces of work – The Partnership and
Procurement Hub and the Study into Consortia model for SENs – both designed to
open the way for locally-based social enterprises to work more collaboratively
– the pooling of resources and expertise to provide more effective services in
their respective communities – and, at the same time, contributing to their
sustainability. This article
in the Guardian highlights how some innovative approaches in England, with
community organisations and social enterprises working together, can provide a
different kind of social care system in local communities.
————————————-
Piece in
Saturday’s Guardian about Triodos – ‘Europe’s leading sustainable bank’ – which
is about to launch its first ever British personal current account; Senscot has
banked with Triodos since 2004 and enjoys a good relationship. Because it only
lends to organisations which ‘make a positive difference to society’ – and
publishes online the details of every loan – the article speculates it will
replace the Co-op bank as the ‘ethical choice’, The Co-op hasn’t exactly gone
yet – but is in hock to hedge funds – which are hardly aligned to the values of
the co-operative movement.
————————————-
This week’s bulletin profiles a venture that provides a support programme for
the development of social enterprises in Scotland with a link to a housing
association or a co-operative. The Lintel Trust
(previously the Scottish Housing Associations Charitable Trust) was initially
set up in 1979. In 2015, it became part of the Link Group – setting up as a
SCIO in 2016 – and also receives support from the likes of Fyne Homes; ng
homes; Queens Cross HA etc. The Lintel Trust offers interest free, repayable
grants from £1,000 to £10,000 with flexible terms of repayment to suit the
respective social enterprise that is ready to start or already trading. One of
the first beneficiaries of the programme has been Glasgow Wood Recycling.
—————————————-
Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, has died
aged 88. When his book became a publishing sensation in the 1970’s, I fancied
myself as part of the counterculture – but not sure how much of the book’s
meanderings I understood. The New York Times provides a good
obituary.
‘One of Pirsig’s central ideas is that so-called transcendent experience and
so-called ordinary experience are one and the same; the mind/body dualism
soldered into Western consciousness by philosophers like Plato and Aristotle is
wrong; that the real world is a seamless continuum of the material and the
metaphysical: “The Buddha, the Godhead, resides quite as comfortably in the
circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as it does
on the top of a mountain or the petals of a flower”.’
That’s all for this week.
Best wishes,
Laurence
Subscribe to this bulletin: http://www.senscot.net/bsubscribe.php
To unsubscribe or change subscription address/ e-mail mail@senscot.net
Senscot is a Company, registered in Scotland. Company Reg No. 278156: Scottish
Charity No. SC 029210
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