Assa Samaké-Roman

1 month ago | thenational.scot | Assa Samaké-Roman

Kaye Adams had opened the phone lines to discuss immigration, and one by one, callers rang in to say the same thing – they didn’t have a problem with it. They didn’t blame immigrants for the state of the NHS or for their children’s schools being under strain. What they wanted to talk about were political failures, austerity, and the underfunding of local services. The elephant in the room wasn’t the Polish nurse or the Ghanaian care worker, it was Westminster.

1 month ago | thenational.scot | Assa Samaké-Roman

In France, as in many EU countries, membership isn’t up for debate. The focus tends to be on what kind of Europe people want, what it stands for, how it works, and what more it should be doing. In Scotland, the conversation is still shaped by the fall-out of Brexit. That rupture continues to define debates about trade, mobility, identity and sovereignty. For EU citizens living here, Brexit changed the terms of belonging.

1 month ago | thenational.scot | Assa Samaké-Roman

Big political ideals are important. But the true test of a democracy is not just in constitutions or elections; it is in the everyday, practical ways people can – or cannot – organise their shared lives. It is in the management of the buildings we live in, the maintenance of our streets, the survival of our public spaces. In recent months, I have found myself reflecting sharply – and sometimes critically – on life in Scotland. It would be tempting to frame these criticisms as disillusionment.

2 months ago | thenational.scot | Assa Samaké-Roman

LATELY I’ve found myself turning to older thinkers. Not out of a belief that they had everything figured out, but because they sometimes help make sense of what feels increasingly difficult to explain. The steady rise of the far right. The cost of living outpacing wages. Institutions that no longer feel responsive or fair. And a broader, quieter sense – shared by many – that something fundamental is breaking down. In the midst of all this, one name keeps appearing – Karl Polanyi.

2 months ago | thenational.scot | Assa Samaké-Roman

People don’t rally behind constitutional timelines. They rally behind ideas, writes Assa Samake-Roman I WENT to a couple of events organised by pro-independence groups last week. They were well attended and lively, with a mix of energy and seriousness. What struck me most was how many people were willing to spend an evening thinking collectively about Scotland’s future and how to build a new country. What also stood out was how focused the conversations were on strategy.