As the founder and CEO of the Core Solutions Group, I spend a great deal of time thinking and speaking about mediation, negotiation, conflict management, leadership and communication. I am told I should write some of these thoughts down… so, here goes…
Today, a new leader should be announced for the SNP. That person will then be nominated for appointment as First Minister in the Scottish Parliament. Those of us in the field of conflict resolution or, perhaps …
The breakthrough in the UK’s relations with the EU over Northern Ireland demonstrates yet again that there is no substitute for conducting negotiations with respect and dignity, building relationships with counterparts, being honest and frank …
“O, wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!”
I am writing this on Burns Night and reflecting on a recent conversation with an acquaintance. I left our meeting feeling deeply …
Gillian Bowditch’s description in The Sunday Times this week of the attack on a schoolgirl at Waid Academy in Anstruther, Fife, brought back memories from 50 years ago. In 1973, I became a pupil at …
“Our problem is there always seems to be someone else to blame. The tram inquiry is about to reach £13m. The other ongoing inquiry into the Pandemic will also cost millions. ... Huge sums of …
Stewart McDonald MP (SNP Defence Spokesperson) describes the horrors experienced in Ukraine and articulates well the concerns felt there about any change in the West’s position, prompted by “extreme voices from the left and the …
Recently, Sir Gordon Messenger, a retired senior Royal Marines officer who hails from Dundee, delivered an independent report to the Department of Health & Social Care. His brief was to examine the state of leadership …
With Scotland’s constitutional issue set to take centre stage once again, many will be fearful that division and rancour may follow.
Back in 2014 and in subsequent years, the debate has often generated more heat than light. …
The Auditor General’s recent report on the construction of two CalMac ferries identified various failures. One critical aspect was the breakdown of relationships between two of the main protagonists, CMAL, the Scottish Government-owned ferry purchasers, and …
As a mediator, and therefore as someone predisposed to peace-making, the situation in Ukraine is deeply troubling. Is there a time when peace-making is redundant? We must hope not. The alternative seems too awful to …