Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill will be taking your calls on Friday's Morning Extra.
Two of the most talked-about subjects on Morning Extra are sentencing and reform of Scotland's laws on alcohol. So we thought it was about time we got Mr MacAskill into the studio to answer your questions directly.
It's a timely visit what with the Scottish Government's criminal justice bill currently making its way through parliament and new laws coming into force this September to tackle Scotland's booze culture.
So call Kenny MacAskill with your questions on 0500 92 95 00 from 8am tomorrow. We're on-air from 9, but do call early as it's likely to be a busy one!
Licensing reform stories
(heraldscotland)
(30 Jul 2009)
(The Herald, 27 Jul 2009)
(6 Apr 2009)
(2 Mar 2009)
Sentencing stories
(30 Jul 2009)
(23 Jul 2009)
When a Glasgow museum decides it's fair game to deface a bible, is this an insult to believers, or a valid expression of art? And would we be so disrespectful of the Koran or other religious texts? That was the topic on today's Morning Extra.
The artist, Jane Clarke, herself a Christian, had said she wanted people who felt marginalised to be able to write their stories back into the Bible. But the exhibit, which part of an exhibition about sexuality at Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art, has been the subject of protest after Christian groups complained that visitors were writing obscene messages.
The Bible has now been placed in a glass case and the public will be able to write their comments in another book alongside.
First its banks crashed, then there was the disruption of the tram project... and now, piles of uncollected rubbish are mounting even higher as the capital city's bin men continue their work-to-rule. So what's going on in Auld Reekie?
I want to hear from you if you're a resident of Edinburgh, or if you've been known to visit the city over the years. Have you witnessed a decline? Or is this a temporary blip on an otherwise great city?
Plenty of interesting comments about this on today's Morning Extra. Do listen back and leave your thoughts here.
Bin dispute stories
(28 Jul 2009)
(25 Jul 2009)
(24 Jul 2009)
(23 Jul 2009)
(8 Jul 2009)
Tram stories
(20 May 2009)
(8 May 2009)
(20 Feb 2009)
(1 Oct 2008)
(15 May 2008)
We talk about a wide range of subjects on Morning Extra and the decision-makers do listen. But do you ever wish you could put a question directly to those in power? Over the months we've had a few guests in the studio taking your calls for the entire hour — and we're keen to do more. So far we've had:
* The four main Scottish party leaders — Alex Salmond, Iain Gray, Annabel Goldie and Tavish Scott;
* Scotland's chief medical officer, Dr Harry Burns, taking your calls on swine flu;
* the Scottish director of the Big Lottery Fund, Dharmendra Kanani.
There's already a bid in with the Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill. But who else would you like to question? Let me know by leaving your thoughts below.
Are our railways a mess? think train companies are taking advantage of passengers in the good times, and asking for government bail-outs in the bad times.
Plus we've also been discussing whether the cost of the Olympics is really worth it?
Links
Rail fares and franchises ( / )
Olympics links
Do you think road tax is hammering the motorist unfairly? and the reasons it gives for raising taxes. Instead, they've suggested a voluntary 'pay-as-you-drive' charging system. Is that the answer? And should revenues be spent on other projects such as cutting carbon emissions or improving public transport, or do you believe your money should only be re-invested in the roads?
Thanks for all your calls on this morning's show. You can, of course, continue the debate here.
Links
- House of Commons Transport Committee report (PDF)
A good, lively discussion on today's Morning Extra. We're not talking about serious sexual or violent offenders here. We're talking about young men who continually commit what we used to call "petty offences". You know the sort of thing - housebreaking, car crime and shoplifting - crimes which are often committed to feed a drug habit.
Young men usually aren't locked up for individual crimes, but for the kind of repeat offending that blights so many of our communities. And typically a cycle develops where they commit their offences, they're put in prison on a short-term sentence and within a few months are back out in the community committing more crimes.
It's clear that a lot of these short-term sentences aren't working. So that's why the Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is in Paisley today.
The Turnaround project will offer 10 young men help to tackle the reasons behind their offending over an eight-week period. If successful, the £1.5m scheme could form part of the Scottish Government's attempt to end short-term jail sentences.
Since he was put in charge of justice, Kenny MacAskill has always said that short-term prison sentences don't address the underlying causes of offending and that a lot of these young lads are "sad" rather than "bad".
Has he got a point? Are short term prison sentences failing young offenders?
Internet links
on the Justice Secretary's visit to the Turnaround centre
- body behind the new centre in Paisley
- tries to reduce re-offending by getting young offenders into work, education or training.
- works to give young people in care confidence and motivation.
A young man who began binge-drinking at 13 after being denied a life-saving liver transplant. Gary Reinbach, 22, from Dagenham, was given only a few weeks to live after developing cirrhosis of the liver.
Specialists denied him a donor organ because applicants must prove they can remain sober outside hospital for six months before the operation. Tragically for Gary, his condition was so severe that doctors were unable to discharge him — preventing him from fulfiling the criteria for the surgery he longed for.
Gary is one of the youngest people in the UK to die of advanced cirrhosis brought on by bingedrinking. His parents split up when he was 11 and just two years later he turned to booze after falling in with a bad crowd.
Do you think he should have been given a second chance instead of being left to die? And why are so many young people dying prematurely after drinking too much?
It's summer — it's festival season, but will your local festival still be around next year?
´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland's Arts correspondent Pauline McLean has been hearing warnings from the industry that the credit crunch will hit our festivals next year, when arts budgets are squeezed and sponsorships run dry.
Whether it's the annual Edinburgh extravaganza, your local civic week or the weekend of rock concerts you go to every year, our festivals are worth millions to the economy and also play an important role in shaping our communities. But with increasing competition in the market and less funding to go round, will our festivals survive?
You can hear Pauline's Investigation at 09:00 on Monday and I'll be taking your calls after her report. I want to hear from you if you're worried about the future of local festivals. Maybe you're involved in organising one, or you regularly attend them. Call me on 0500 992 95 00 from 8am on Monday morning.
On Friday's Morning Extra, I'm giving you the chance to put your views about how the ´óÏó´«Ã½ performs in Scotland to the man who represents your interests as licence payers.
Jeremy Peat (right) is the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s National Trustee for Scotland and chairs the Audience Council Scotland (ACS). The ACS is there to engage with the public and advise the Trust on the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s performance and how well it's meeting the needs of licence payers in Scotland.
So anything related to our radio, television or online output — not just in Scotland but also UK-wide — Jeremy wants to hear your opinions.
And there's been a lot in the press about ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland in recent days following the publication of the latest Annual Review for Scotland on Tuesday. Do have a read of it if you can before calling us from 8am on Friday.
News stories
(´óÏó´«Ã½ News)
(The Herald, 15 Jul 2009)
(The Scotsman, 14 Jul 2009)
(The Guardian, 14 Jul 2009)
* The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Other links
´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland Annual Review 2008/2009
How Trust members like Jeremy are appointed
About the Audience Council Scotland
ACS Meeting Summaries
Do you think working on Sunday has destroyed our way of life? Caledonian MacBrayne has confirmed it from the mainland to Stornoway on Lewis from this weekend.
The leader of Western Isles Council, Angus Campbell, was on Morning Extra today defending the sanctity of Sundays and he said that it's not just about religion: it's just as much about preserving a way of life that a majority of the islanders support. Is he right? Is unbridled commercialism destroying family life?
Or should people have the right to choose to work and travel on a Sunday if they so choose? Let me know what you think.
Previous ´óÏó´«Ã½ News stories
(5 June 2009)
(3 June 2009)
(2 June 2009)
(19 May 2009)
(15 May 2009)
(14 May 2009)
(9 Apr 2006)
Are we too reluctant to put vulnerable kids into care? It's often assumed the best place for a child is with their family. But, as a reveals, social workers in the community are struggling under massive caseloads. Is it now time to face the difficult choices?
We've discovered that in six areas of Scotland social workers dealt with more than 30 vulnerable children, twice the number recommended by the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie.
The Scottish Government says the percentage of children under local authority care has risen steadily in recent years and that shows that social work departments are getting support to those young people who needed it.
The government also said recent figures had shown that the number of social workers in children's services was at its highest since records began - up by more than 500 since 2003 - which it said demonstrated its commitment.
I want to hear your stories this morning. Phone lines open from 8am on 0500 92 95 00.
* You can watch Samantha Poling's investigation, Home is Where the Hurt Is, on ´óÏó´«Ã½1 Scotland tonight at 22:35.
Do you back the UK's mission in Afghanistan? A suggests public opinion is evenly split, but support is rising. Of 1,000 people questioned, 47% said they opposed the British operation, while 46% said they supported it. Compare that with a similar poll in 2006 which found 31% backed the UK's action while 53% opposed it.
It comes as British troops in Afghanistan hold a to remember the eight men who died last week in a single 24-hour period. Three of them were just 18 years old.
Do you think the fight is worth it? You can continue today's Morning Extra debate below. Meanwhile, there's a specially-extended edition of Newsnight on ´óÏó´«Ã½2 Scotland at 22:30 tonight which is asking the question some of you raised this morning: Why Are We In Afghanistan?
Links
— mini-site with lots more information
This morning, your questions on swine flu will be answered by the man in charge of the nation's public health — Scotland's chief medical officer, Dr Harry Burns.
He'll be taking your calls, texts and emails on the handling of the crisis, the precautions to take and how the spread of this virus is likely to pan-out.
The vast majority of drivers think we need to toughen-up the process of learning to drive in order to save young lives. A survey by the charity Brake shows 87% want learner drivers to gain a specified minimum level of experience behind the wheel before they can take their test.
First of all, drivers want to see pre-test rules tightened:
* 9 out of 10 are in favour of statutory on-road experience, and
* 59% want learners to have compulsory lessons with an instructor.
Then, once learners have passed their test, 81% of British drivers think there should be a probationary period with certain restrictions, including:
* a zero drink-drive limit;
* a ban on driving powerful vehicles;
* a curfew on night driving;
* a ban on driving on motorways;
* and a ban on carrying lots of passengers who are not family members.
Many of these restrictions are already enforced in other countries. Three out of four drivers in favour of restrictions (75%) said they should be imposed until a driver was at least 20 years old.
What's perhaps most interesting about these findings is that while older respondents were more likely to be in favour of restrictions on young drivers, a large proportion of young drivers themselves are also in favour of restrictions. Even among the youngest age group surveyed (aged 17-24), more than half (54%) thought restrictions should be imposed.
What is the government planning to do?
The Government is planning to roll out a road safety pre-driver qualification that can be taught in schools. From October 2009 this qualification will count as a partial credit towards the theory test for car drivers. But Brake's survey shows almost four in five (79%) say the Government should go even further and make road safety a compulsory school subject.
Facts about young and newly-qualified drivers
• One in eight UK car drivers is under 25, 1 but one in three drivers who die on UK roads is under 25.
• Three-quarters of drivers passing their driving test each year are under 25.
• People who start driving aged 27 are about 30% safer than people who start driving aged 17.
• One in five new drivers has a crash within six months of passing their test.
• The average 17-year-old who passes their driving test is more than 50% safer after one year and after two years is two-thirds less likely to have a crash.
• Many newly-qualified drivers still identify areas where they need to improve their own performance.
• Employers do not feel that newly-qualified drivers are sufficiently trained to drive for work.
Put it away! I'm not sure this scene of naked people in a Glasgow pub is the best advert for naturism. But is nudity a crime?
French activists are in Scotland today to lend support to the Naked Rambler, who's spent the last three years in prison for baring all. Has society got an irrational hang-up? Or do you think there's already too much nudity on TV and in adverts?
Call me now on 0500 92 95 00.
Links
´óÏó´«Ã½ H2G2 - Naturism
A guide to naturism, including getting started, how to spot a naturist and FAQs
(18 Dec 2008)
(14 Nov 2008)
(18 Jan 2008)
(27 Jul 2006)
Landslides are a naturally occurring geological event, and Scotland experiences more than any other area in the UK because of its rugged landscape. Landslips pose an obvious danger to life and limb, though (by good fortune alone) there have been no fatalities in recent years. The more commonplace impact is on the economy. Road closures and diversions affect businesses that rely on transport links — and feelings run high on this issue!
That's the topic of today's Investigation, and I want to hear your thoughts and experiences on 0500 92 95 00... or by posting your comments here.
In the meantime check our our collection of photographs on landslides.
Her Majesty may have been stood-up by a third of MSPs this week, but is republicanism as strong as it used to be? When even an SNP government sees mileage in retaining a monarchy, is it the case that Scotland loves its Queen?
That's what we were talking about on Friday's Morning Extra. Please continue to leave your comments here.
Links
The Edinburgh to London line is being taken over by the government after National Express threw-in the towel. So on today's Morning Extra I want to hear whether your experience of the railways has been better or worse since the old days of British Rail?
Call me on 0500 92 95 00 after 8am.
Links
´óÏó´«Ã½ business editor Robert Peston's analysis
(external website)
The Queen is marking the 10th anniversary of Scottish devolution this morning by . But has the Parliament lived up to your expectations? That's what we were asking on today's Morning Extra.
It comes as a ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland survey suggests a majority of Scots either think the Parliament's made no difference at all (46%), or believe it was a bad thing (9%). Nonetheless, 41% do think it's been a good thing. Don't knows were 3%. (See the full findings and the question we asked .
What do you make of the poll results? And, more importantly, what do you actually think about the success or otherwise of the Parliament a decade on?
(The poll was conducted for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland by ICM. They interviewed 1010 people between 22 and 24 June.)
Poll links
Analysis by ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland's political editor, Brian Taylor
Background links
Look back: Covering the '97 poll
