The biggest changes to planning law in 50 years have been put forward in a bill at the Holyrood parliament. In it's current form it rejects the suggested Community Right of Appeal and contains powers for the Executive to class a development as of "National Importance" and therefore not subject to a Public Inquiry. This has implications for, e.g. roads campaigners as big projects (similar to the M74 Extension) could be waved through on an Executive / CBI say-so without regard to local people.

On Thursday, December 15th, 2005, Edinburgh tenants plunged the Council's much vaunted stock transfer plans into crisis with a no vote in the council’s ballot. The decisive blow to the council’s privatisation plans was rightly celebrated by tenants as a victory for people power and was quickly followed by a demand that the Council commit to direct investment in Edinburgh’s housing stock.

report on prestwick airport protest

Protests are to be staged at four Scottish airports over allegations that they have been used for CIA "prisoner transfer" flights. Amnesty International has claimed that planes refuelled in Scotland after transferring detainees to countries where they risked torture. Sunday's protests are being staged by campaigners who want Scottish police to investigate the "rendition" flights. Demonstrators plan to release 176 balloons to symbolise the number of CIA flights which they believe have landed at Scottish airports. The US has admitted that terror suspects have been flown abroad for interrogation, but denied they were tortured.

Protesters against early-morning raids on asylum seekers have renewed their blockade of an immigration office. Refugees, church groups, teachers and union members joined the protest outside the Brand Street offices. Strathclyde Police estimated about 200 people attended but organisers said nearly 500 had turned up to protest. Pupils from Drumchapel High School also joined the morning demonstration. Their campaign against the deportation of their former classmates, the Vucaj children, won the Public Campaign of the Year award last month. Robina Qureshi of Positive Action in Housing said the protest, which involved a blockade and dawn candlelit vigil, was to prevent vans leaving the centre to arrest failed asylum seekers. Members of the National Union of Journalists, the Fire Brigades Union and teachers from the Educational Institute of Scotland attended. The blockade is the latest in a series of protests about the use of dawn raids to deport failed asylum seekers.

The exhibition's up and looking good. Sunday afternoon will see people from various local campaigns and groups come together to talk a bit about what they're up to, including Save Dalkeith Park folk and news from Grangemouth, as well as a showing of the new Camcorder Guerillas film about Dungavel (as people will increasingly be displaced by climate chaos). We also have loads of powerful short films looking at oil, war and climate chaos, and somehow amidst all thuis darkness we will find hope in our common resolve to change it for the better. Come by for a tea, a gander at the art and a listen, even if it's just for half an hour...

Details of protest actions against renditions flights on Sun Dec 18th

EAST has used the press coverage to call upon the political leaders across Edinburgh to unite and call for the cancellation of the existing housing debt and to demand that the Scottish Executive ensure that there is direct investment in council housing.

Edinburgh council tenants have voted against stock transfer, while Argyll and Bute tenants vote "yes".