Beyond the Noise with David Jamieson is a weekly podcast with CommonSpace journalist David Jamieson, where he gets behind the 24/7 news cycle and gets to heart of issues, trying to find the substance behind the headlines.

THIS week, Jamieson is joined by Scottish socialist activist Jonathon Shafi to discuss the proliferation of claims of Russian and other foreign power influence over the chaos of UK and Western politics.

They discuss:

- 2:24 What argument does the idea of Russian intervention in Western affairs provide defenders of the status quo?

- 5:37 What is the "anti-sociological turn" in contemporary political analysis in the West?

- 14:58 Why Scottish independence supporters should reject claims of Russian influence.

- 26:37 Why opposition to UK and Western foreign policy matters so much in a Scottish context.

CommonSpace editor Ben Wray speaks to technology writer and engineer Craig Berry about his new report for Common Weal on automation, Disruptive Technologies: The Impact on Workers in Scotland.

The report proposes a new investment-led model for the Scottish economy so that workers gain from the fourth industrial revolution and the risk of mass unemployment is averted.

Questions discussed in the podcast include:

- What is the fourth industrial revolution and what stage is it at?

- What’s the difference between the technological revolution we are entering and ones in the past?

- What changes do we need to make to Scotland’s economic model to be prepared for the fourth industrial revolution?

- Does the Growth Commission report on the economics of independence prepare an independent Scotland for automation?

- Is the Universal Basic Income, a Job Guarantee Scheme, or both, the best approach to social security in the age of automation?

- How does education have to change so that Scottish workers have the skills for the fourth industrial revolution?

To read the full report click here: http://www.allofusfirst.org/library/disruptive-technologies-the-impact-on-workers-in-scotland/

As part of CommonSpace's week of coverage on the modern mental health crisis, we spoke to Darren 'Loki' McGarvey about men, masculinity and mental ill-health.

This podcast should be listened to alongside the main feature article: https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/13686/how-do-we-make-next-generation-men-better-masculinity-and-mental-health

In the podcast, McGarvey discusses:

- 1:24 What's wrong with some mainstream attempts to deal with the issue of men's mental health?

- 6:37 What are the limitations in understanding men's mental health from the point of view of a psychological as opposed sociological standpoint?

- 15:03 Is men establishing their own moral hierarchy an appropriate response to the destructive impact of some masculine behaviour on society?

- 19:55 Does Scottish society host a serious conversation about male suicide.

Please support CommonSpace's ability to produce more podcasts like this by supporting us here: http://allofusfirst.org/donate/

Picture: Steven Reynolds

If you are going through mental health issues of your own and want to talk to someone, Mind offers this guide to helplines and mental health listening services - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/crisis-services/helplines-listening-services#.XBj0Z2j7TIU

Beyond the Noise with David Jamieson is a weekly podcast with CommonSpace journalist David Jamieson, where he gets behind the 24/7 news cycle and gets to heart of issues, trying to find the substance behind the headlines.

THIS week, Jamieson is joined by CommonSpace editor Ben Wray and CommonSpace multimedia journalist Rhiannon J Davies to review 2018 in tumultuous global politics and public affairs.

- 1:12 - Why the general picture of the world in 2018 is a confirmation of those tendencies which caused panic in 2016 - the collapse of the political centre and polarisation.

- 22:08 - Why the Growth Commission is going to become a big issue for the independence movement in 2019.

- 35:20 Why Extinction Rebellion, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Yellow Vests are all reasons to be cheerful at the end of 2018.

- 45:10 How CommonSpace has changed in 2018 and what we want to do in 2019.

Please help us produce more podcasts, videos and articles putting across the news and views the mainstream media won't by donating to CommonSpace here: http://allofusfirst.org/donate/

Fossil Free Now follows the campaign of Fossil Free Glasgow, a group of volunteers organising for the Glasgow City council to renounce to its investments in the fossil fuel industry. This podcast series will discuss the blocks in our current systems that prevent us from meaningfully addressing the threat of climate breakdown, but also what a society freed from fossil fuels would look like.

This episode, discusses how setting up ground rules and a clear framework for organising has made the group more resilient and work more effectively. The group introduces the tools they use to make their meetings more inclusive, and talk about how fostering an egalitarian culture through the conscious establishment of group rules can contribute to challenging hierarchical structures.

CommonSpace editor Ben Wray speaks to Craig Dalzell, head of policy & research at the Common Weal think-tank, about their new report with research & design collective Lateral North, 'Back to Life: Visions of Alternative Futures for Scotland's Grouse Moors'.

The report challenges the case made by the landed gentry lobby that grouse moors are economically beneficial to Scotland's economy, instead contrasting the gross value added and jobs created in grouse moors to other land uses such as forestry, renewables agriculture, housing and sustainable tourism.

Wray and Dalzell discuss:

- How much of Scotland is taken up by Grouse Moors?

- Are the economic alternatives to shooting estates really viable?

- How can land use and ownership be challenged to make it work for the common good?

To find out more about the report, click here: https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/13650/back-life-visions-alternative-futures-scotlands-grouse-moors

Beyond the Noise with David Jamieson is a weekly podcast with CommonSpace journalist David Jamieson, where he gets behind the 24/7 outrage-driven social media news circus and gets to heart of issues, trying to find the substance behind the headlines.

THIS week, Jamieson is joined by Chris Silver, Scottish writer who is working with DesmogUK to produce a survey of Scottish attitudes to climate change and 'Just Transition' - the idea that the move to sustainable economy and society must not hurt ordinary people.

Among other things they discuss:

- 1:14 What is a 'Just Transition' and how does it relate to Scotland's economy and society?

- 8:27 Many Scots are rightly annoyed that the discovery of natural resources in Scotland wasn't used to the people's benefit - but is this the norm for energy production and use under capitalism?

- 21:40 Why Grangemouth and Jim Ratcliff represent the power of the energy industry over Scotland.

- 28:30 What do the 'Yellow Vests' movement in France tell us about the nature of class conflict under the pressure of climate crisis?

Beyond the Noise with David Jamieson is a weekly podcast with CommonSpace journalist David Jamieson, where he gets behind the 24/7 outrage-driven social media news circus and gets to heart of issues, trying to find the substance behind the headlines.

THIS week, Jamieson is joined by Adam Ramsay, editor at Open Democracy and one of a small group of journalists who have investigated the 'dark money' scandal, of covert funding for rightwing politics in the UK.

Among other things they discuss:

- 1:00 What is the dark money scandal, and how did Ramsay first come across it?

- 8:15 Who are the different factions of the British right, and how did they develop over time?

- 29:45 How should the British left orientate on the crisis in the ruling class, especially regarding Brexit?

- 15:39 Is a second referendum on EU membership a threat to future left advance, and specifically Scottish independence?

Beyond the Noise with David Jamieson is a weekly podcast with CommonSpace journalist David Jamieson, where he gets behind the 24/7 outrage-driven social media news circus and gets to heart of issues, trying to find the substance behind the headlines.

This week, Jamieson is joined by James Foley co-author of 'Yes: The radical case for independence' and the article 'In Fear of Populism: Referendums and Neoliberal Democracy' in the journal Socialist Register, to discuss referendums, populism and anti-populism as Britain and Europe are gripped by political crisis.

They discuss:

- 1:28 What does the Scottish independence referendum era tell us about the nature of referendums, populism and political changes in recent years?

- 12:52 How did the Elite/populist dynamic establish itself in the Scottish referendum campaign, and why has this model re-appeared in subsequent referendums and elections?

- 26:41 How the Scottish independence referendum outcome taught the Tory leadership the wrong lessons and led them on to losing the EU referendum.

- 37:35 The Guardian's special week of coverage on 'populism' would imply that nothing has been understood about the current political situation in the 'centre' of politics.

Fossil Free Now follows the campaign of Fossil Free Glasgow, a group of volunteers organising for the Glasgow City council to renounce to its investments in the fossil fuel industry. This podcast series will discuss the blocks in our current systems that prevent us from meaningfully addressing the threat of climate breakdown, but also what a society freed from fossil fuels would look like.

This Episode looks at the new IPCC report, breaking down the newest climate science into real discussion, feelings and actions.