Scotland's Futures Forum

Scotland's Futures Forum (Scottish Gaelic: Fòram Alba air Thoiseach) is a think tank set up by the Scottish Parliament. It has the aim of looking beyond the immediate electoral cycle to consider the opportunities and problems that the country might face.

History

The forum was launched in August 2005, with the first meeting chaired by Presiding Officer George Reid.[1][2] When it was launched, the Forum webpage on the Parliament website included links to two other corporate lobby groups, the International Futures Forum and the Global Business Network which had been influential in setting up the Forum. In March 2006, the forum launched its own website.[3]

Purpose

According to the Parliament:

'Scotland's Futures Forum, the Scottish Parliament's initiative to develop strategic thinking on the issues which will shape Scotland's future, moves forward today with the announcement of the eight individuals who will make up the Forum's board of directors. The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has agreed to create a new company, with the SPCB as the sole member, which extends the Parliament's outreach and participation work to academia, the arts, blue chip companies, civic Scotland and entrepreneurs. Leading figures from the private and public sectors have volunteered their services on a two year initial basis.'[4]

In 2007 the forum considered matters such as ageing and addiction.[5][6][7] In 2013, together with the Goodison Group, they published a report on future of education in Scotland.[8][9]

Board of directors

In 2018 the directors are:[10]

  • Rt Hon Ken Macintosh MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament (Chair)
  • Claudia Beamish MSP
  • Sir Andrew Cubie CBE
  • Professor Sir Ian Diamond, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen
  • Clare Haughey MSP
  • Louise Macdonald OBE, Chief Executive of Young Scot
  • Sarah Munro, Director of the Baltic Mill Centre for Contemporary Art
  • Adam Tomkins MSP
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gollark: You can do "thing A, the infinitude of bees, is bad. Thing A is really bad, even", but it's bad.
gollark: You may update any variable in scope.
gollark: Yes, but it's long and annoying.
gollark: We should make English a register machine.

References
  1. "Forum to kick-start engine of Scotland". The Scotsman. 18 August 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  2. "Why we still cling to our working class past George Reid on Scots paradox". The Herald. Glasgow. 26 August 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  3. "Briefing board". The Scotsman. 31 March 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  4. "Parliament Announces Board of Directors for Scotland's Futures Forum" (Press release). Scottish Parliament. 18 August 2005. Archived from the original on 13 March 2006.
  5. "Call for fresh look at addiction". BBC News. BBC. 15 January 2007.
  6. "'Dis-union' debates at Holyrood". BBC News. BBC. 19 January 2007.
  7. "A Leap towards drug treatment". The Herald. Glasgow. 24 September 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  8. "'Provocative' education report imagines Scotland's future". BBC News. BBC. 1 February 2013.
  9. "2025 Scotland". Scotland's Futures Forum. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  10. "About Scotland's Futures Forum". Scotland's Futures Forum. Retrieved 20 June 2018.


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