THIS WEEK the Scottish parliament passed a piece of national legislation that will make Community Wealth Building - or CWB - the strategic basis to Scotland's local economy. The public sector will now have to adopt Community Wealth Building plans and actions across the Five Pillars - including the support of local suppliers, growing cooperatives and circulatory finance. Wealth made in Scotland will have to remain in Scotland, rather than sucked out by obscure shareholders far away. https://www.democracycollaborative.org/blogs/the-long-road-to-economic-transformation

This says a lot about Australian politics ... https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/feb/05/australian-politics-live-anthony-albanese-sussan-ley-labor-liberal-question-time-chalmers-budget-cost-of-living-marles-defence-leadership-challenge-spill-ntwnfb?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with%3Ablock-6983e8248f08837ebb408f85#block-6983e8248f08837ebb408f85

From the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/these-voices-are-the-loudest-in-australias-climate-wars-272347?fbclid=IwY2xjawPvSVtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZaHlzQUVQVFVLQkxMSzVDc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmMJKLZrCvC9UaWmL0BREsirfTcC4oDLC7YGXjlEoWZ_yBWbKT3ysg6eUvJk_aem_GxMVbSBS0DllMKOkOyR-1g

How can we begin to understand the character of the colonisation of Australia on the whole? What are its key features and turning points? In part seven of our series Jonathan and Jacob take stock of the ground covered so far. Listen here: https://mannagum.podbean.com/e/ep-42-conquest-considered-legacies-of-colonisation-pt-7/

Was Australia settled or was it conquered? How do you conquer a continent in the space of 70 years? Find out in part 6 of our colonisation series, out now! Listen here: https://mannagum.podbean.com/e/ep-41-the-conquest-of-australia-legacies-of-colonisation-pt-6/