On 15 March, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt will deliver the Spring UK Budget. While many of the specific measures will not apply to Scotland due to devolved powers, they will impact the Scottish economy and the financing of public services through the fiscal framework. The Jimmy Reid Foundation has published a briefing on… Read More »UK Budget 2023 BriefingThe post UK...

The Jimmy Reid Foundation is hosting a meeting on ‘Scrutiny of Private Sector Delivery of Public Services – Reforming FoI law to deliver equal transparency in Scotland’. Katy Clark MSP has issued a consultation seeking views on the reform of FoI law and one of the proposals is to cover the private sector when delivering… Read More »Meeting on FoI Reform – 6...

We are pleased to announce that Dave Watson, a longstanding member of our Project Board, has agreed to take the post of Interim Director. Dave was formerly UNISON Scotland’s head of policy and public affairs and now works as a policy consultant. He is engaged in various projects, mainly in the third sector, including charities,… Read More »New Interim DirectorThe post New...

Launch of new Jimmy Reid Foundation book called 'A New Scotland: Building an Equal, Fair and Sustainable Society' with editor & contributors

Christina McAnae, the first woman general secretary of Britain’s biggest union, UNISON, delivered the 9th Annual Jimmy Reid Foundation lecture in the Banqueting Hall at the Glasgow City Chambers on Thursday 6 October 2022. The Jimmy Reid Foundation is grateful to Glasgow City Council for the use of the venue and to UNISON Scotland for… Read More »Video of 9th (2022) annual...

Tory Turmoil and the Cost-of-Living Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities for Our Trade Unions The Foundation is delighted to announce that Christina McAnea, the first woman general secretary of the largest union in Britain, UNISON, will be giving the annual lecture this year on Thursday 6th October.  She will outline the challenges and opportunities that trade unions… Read More...

This meeting will examine the lessons to be learnt from Joe Strummer so the left can fight its own cultural war against the right. Joe Strummer (1952-2002), as lyricist and leader of The Clash, did more than any other individual musician in the post-war period to inspire people to be on the left and sustain… Read More »Music as a terrain of struggle for the left – lessons...

This meeting will examine the lessons to be learnt from Joe Strummer so the left can fight its own cultural war against the right

Both language and leaders are critical to understanding the 'how' and 'why' of campaigns becoming mass, popular and successful campaigns.

Both language and leaders are critical to understanding the ‘how’ and ‘why’ some campaigns become mass, popular and successful campaigns while others do not. Here, Professor Gregor Gall will use the work of Professor Chik Collins to look back at the deliberate use of the discourse of the ‘moral economy’ to counter that of the… Read More...

The Jimmy Reid Foundation, in association with Pluto Press, is pleased to announce the publication of a major new book on the past, present – and critically – future of society in Scotland. Priced at £14.99, for further details on the book and how to purchase see here.The post Publication of ‘A New Scotland: Building an Equal, Fair and Sustainable Society’ appeared first...

On the 50th anniversary, Jim Phillips, Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Glasgow gave a talk on Jimmy Reid’s famous ‘rat race’ University of Glasgow rectorial address. The talk was for the University of Glasgow UCU union branch. The video can be accessed here, using the password: ^KH5=F97The post Jimmy Reid’s ‘rat race’ speech...

Ahead of its official publication date of 20 May 2022, the Jimmy Reid Foundation (supported by UNISON Scotland) launched its major new publication, ‘A New Scotland: Building an Equal, Fair and Sustainable Society’ at a lunchtime fringe meeting on 27 April 2022 at the 125th Scottish Trades Union Congress in Aberdeen. Introduced by Lilian Macer,… Read More »STUC launch of...

Fifty years ago today, 28 April 1972, Jimmy Reid gave his powerful and influential address to the University of Glasgow in the Bute Hall, having been elected as its rector, the position to represent the interests of the students to the university and more widely. It became known as the ‘rat race’ speech and the… Read More »Fifty years ago today, Jimmy Reid made his...

The Jimmy Reid Foundation is delighted to announce from 1 April 2022 it began operating as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). Our registration number with the Office of the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR) is SC051331. The purpose of the Jimmy Reid Foundation SCIO is the advancement of education, and its has two activities. The first… Read More »Jimmy Reid...

The report of the Education reform consultation on behalf of Professor Ken Muir, University of the West of Scotland and Independent Advisor to the Scottish Government was published on 9 March 2022. On behalf of the Jimmy Reid Foundation, Brian Boyd and Henry Maitles made a submission to the review in October 2021 based upon… Read More »Muir education review submissionThe post Muir...

The Jimmy Reid Foundation was pleased to be among the forty plus organisations in Scotland signing the response drawn up by the Human Rights Consortium Scotland to the UK Government’s proposals to reform and replace the Human Rights Act. We carry the full text of the response below: Human Rights Act Reform: A Modern Bill… Read More »Reid Foundation supports Human Rights...

  The Jimmy Reid Foundation organised the ‘Women in unions today: Advancing the representation of their interests’ meeting on 2 March 2022 in the run up to  International Women’s Day on 8 March 2022.  The recording of the meeting is now available here, courtesy of the STUC. We thank our speakers: Lilian Macer (UNISON Scotland), Shavanah...

‘If a woman’s place is in her union, as a woman leader, what are your priorities and strategies for organising women workers in 2022?’ Since the early 2000s, union density for women (now 27% in 2020) has been higher than that for men (now 20% in 2020) and there are now more absolute numbers of… Read More »‘Women in unions today: Advancing the representation of their...

‘If a woman’s place is in her union, as a woman leader, what are your priorities and strategies for organising women workers in 2022?’