On the 20th October this year, we witnessed the ultimate demise of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Leader of Libya since 1969 who had led a Coup D'etat which deposed the Libyan King and installed Gaddafi as the autocratic leader of the 'Revolutionary Council' of Libya. Gaddafi's death marked the symbolic victory of the Libyan Rebels after the National Transitional Council officially took over power in September. This also marks the end of one of the bloodiest uprisings during 2011's Arab Spring.

The 'Arab Spring' started, oddly enough, in December 2010 with protests in Tunisia and Algeria, and these protests soon spread to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain and Syria throughout January, February and March 2011. These protests and uprisings demanded political reform in their respective countries and, in the specific cases of Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Libya, Bahrain, and Yemen, the resignation of autocratic leaders/dictators.

So what happens next for the 'Arab Spring', now that winter sets in?

Libya seems to have resolved its problems, but the big question lies in whether the various groups which make up the anti-Gaddafi coalition can co-operate and help to form a democratic system in Libya. The National Transitional Council has guaranteed democratic elections within two years in Libya, but there are already tensions between alienated former Gaddafi ministers and the Islamists.

In Tunisia, it would appear that things have also been resolved, as President Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia, thus ending his twenty-three years in power. Currently, the former Prime Minister under President Ben Ali tendered his resignation, Ben Ali's party, which had been in power for twenty-three years was dissolved, and a new President and Prime Minister were appointed, and a new Government made up of opposition members installed. The new interim President was appointed in February and, on 23^rd October, elections were held to form the new Tunisian Government and Parliament. The results gave the Islamist Ennahda Party 89 out of 217 seats in Parliament, and the ability to form a new Government. It is believed that they will form a coalition with the second placed party, the Liberal Congress for the Republc. Turnout was at 54% of a potential 7.5 million electorate, and the new Parliament that has been elected will also write the new Constitution of Tunisia.

The Egyptian revolution began in January and, after eighteen days of protests, President Mubarak, who had been in power for thirty years, resigned and gave all power to the Egyptian Military. The military immediately dissolved Parliament, the Constitution, and promised to end the country's thirty year 'Emergency Laws', but a civilian was appointed as Prime Minister. As of yet, elections have not occurred, and protests continue in response to the Military Council's lack of progress in reforming Egypt.

In Syria, protests started in late January and called for political reform, the re-instatement of Civil Rights, and the end to the State of Emergency which has been in place since 1963. Protesters are focussing their anger towards Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, who has been in power since 2000 after winning two uncontested elections in 2000 and 2007, and assuming power after the death of his father, Hafez, who was President for twenty-nine years. So far, the Assad regime as refused to negotiate or instigate reform and has cracked down very hard on protesters, with many being killed by security forces, and even evidence that children have been tortured after writing anti-Assad graffiti.

It seems that, on the whole, the uprisings of the 'Arab Spring' have had mixed success, but hope and popular support seems to still run high in those countries which have not forced reform. For Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, who have been successful in their protests and revolutions, the hardest part is yet to come. Despite being united against a particular leader or dictator, those involved in protests and revolutions have now to ensure that they co-operate with each other in order to establish democratic systems and consensus, otherwise these nations could erupt into Civil War which could destroy any progress made over the past year.

This is the true test of a people's struggle: how they deal after their common enemy is gone.

Alba, Caledonia, Scotland.

Whatever you want to call it, Scotland is one of the most contrived and unique places on Earth, with people of all nationalities and religions making their home here and seeing Scots as their fellow countrymen. However, as a Scot myself, what does it mean to be Scottish in the 21st Century?

Traditionally, there have been many ways of interpreting Scottish national identity. One of these ways has been through the success of our national sports teams. In the past, Scottish football and rugby teams have terrified the best teams in the world, and the football team regularly qualified for major tournaments. As you may or may not know, this has not been the case in recent years.

So, if we can't look to our sports teams, then our other measure of national identity has been to compare ourselves with our English cousins. In the past, this comparison has often left Scots reeling, as the English had superior economic growth, a healthier population, and a greater social cohesion and did not suffer from the crippling effects of sectarianism as Scotland had.

However, the past eleven years in Scotland have revitalised our national identity and fervour, beginning with the re-opening of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in 1999. In 2007, the victory of the Scottish National Party in the Scottish Parliamentary Elections shocked the British political system, as the SNP had always been a party of opposition and had never had the chance to potentially undertake it's 'threat' of an independence referendum. Now, in 2011, and after the landmark majority secured by the SNP at Holyrood, Scots are beginning to compare themselves far more favourably with England. I'm not necessarily saying that Scotland's new found confidence is solely down to the SNP being in government, but they certainly have made Scots more confident in their nation.

Traditionally the Scots were gallant losers, always trying their best but failing. Now, as Ian Jack wrote in his article for the Guardian on the 9^th September 2011, there is a growing confidence in Scotland, and a growing feeling of pity for the English. Scotland has free prescription charges for everyone, free University education for all, free care for the elderly, and so on. Scottish society and values should, on the whole, be praised. The UK Government is slashing budgets and welfare, whilst unemployment is rising much faster in England than in Scotland. Overall, despite general opposition to independence, there is overwhelming support for increased devolution powers, and even 'devolution max', which basically would make the UK a federal system and Scotland would essentially be independent from the UK Government, apart from Defence and Foreign Policy matters.

What I'm basically saying is that, yes Scotland still has one of the unhealthiest populations in Europe and is still attempting to stem the nation's major problem with alcohol, but Scottish society is moving forward and progressing, whereas it seems that English society is regressing into something that we (Scots) would never allow ourselves to accept. As Strathclyde Police have managed to significantly deal with the West of Scotland's gang problem, England suffers rioting and looting the likes of which it has not seen in decades since the heights of Thatcher. As Scotland maintains free University education for those educated in Scotland, English Universities raise their prices to eye-watering levels that will leave most in debt for the rest of their lives.

For the first time in many generations, I am proud not only to be Scottish in the way that Scots have been for centuries, but I am proud to see my nation looking forward and trying to make something of itself, and instil a new found confidence and enthusiasm in its people.

In the words of The Corries: “Those days are passed now, And in the past they must remain, But we can still rise now, And be the nation again” .

Welcome to the first edition of my soapbox. Here you find some Air3 News editorial comment on a current issue that has featured in the news.

My first is an issue that may of you may not be at first concerned with nor feel that it is relevant to you. I will first of all state that I hold this issue dear to my heart and have argues the case for it for many years.
The issue in question you ask? Lowering the voting age to 16. The SNP announced last week that it would be allowing 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote in an independence referendum that is due to be held in the second half of the parliamentary term. I am sure many listeners to the programme will be over 18 and may have exercised their democratic right to vote in an election. However if I could take a little wander down memory lane to when you turned 16, yes for some that may be a while ago and it is not seen to be a very big landmark and is usually overshadowed with your 18th birthday.

However when you turn 16 the government deems you to be of adequate age to be given many new and exciting rights and responsibilities. These include being allowed to work full time and paying tax, getting married, joining the armed forces, playing the lottery, learning to drive some forms of transportation, consent to sexual relationships, leave school, become a director of a company and the list goes on. For many people these rights are seen as life changing decisions that would require a good level of maturity and ensuring that an informed decision is made when exercising these rights.

From this long list, you would assume that 16 is when the government believes you are a mature enough individual and are responsible. However there is the small issue of not being allowed to vote for another two years. Why then does the government give such conflicting messages to our young people? Mature for some things but not to vote?

Our democracy is in some what of a turmoil with record low turn out rates across the recent elections. People are becoming disillusioned with our political system and I believe that lowering the voting age would help it restore the public trust. When most people are 16 they are still in full time education and receive a high standard of impartial education that informs them and allows them to think for themselves. Young people are more informed on current issues then many of our older generation. Twitter, Facebook and a 24 hour media culture that we live in makes accessing information very easy indeed. Our young generation many not use traditional methods of accessing information such as newspapers but they are through social media.

We should not simply cast aside the views held by these young people. They are playing an active role in our society and are yet being denied their democratic right to vote in elections. Our neighbours in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man have already lowered the voting age to 16 so is it not time we did too? By getting young people engaged and empowering them it will breathe a new lease of life into our democracy. The arguments surrounding maturity are the same arguments used to deny the under 30s the right to vote at the beginning of the 20th century.

A 16 year old in the UK can currently marry their MP, have a sexual relationship with their MP, own a house with their MP and even drive them to work and yet cannot vote for their MP? Something crucial is lacking in our outdated democratic structures. No taxation without representation!

The number of those out of employment across the UK has risen by 114,000 between June and August according to new official statistics. This takes the total number of people out of work to 2.57 million, of which 1 million are 16-25 years old. This now means that one in five young people across the country are now out of employment.

This rise in youth unemployment has been blamed on recent government policy to end EMA across England and to further increase tuition fees in universities. The Employment Minister Chris Grayling has blamed the rise in the figures on the financial climate that the current government faces. Labour leader Ed Miliband asked whether it was now time for coalition government to re-think their deficit reeducation strategy.

The current government plan is to cut the UK deficit by 10% over the next few years to tackle the national debt.

Many young graduates coming fresh out of university are now no longer immune from finding jobs. With recent figures suggesting that there are now 70 applicants for every graduate job advertised.

To tackle this issue government has stated that it plans to set up new sector based work academies. These academies will provide young people with a combination of training, work experience and interviews for young people over the next two years.

Tesco is one of the companies that has agreed to co-operate with the scheme and help provide training for young people who are out of employment.

Current figures from the Scottish Government have shown a fall in unemployment across Scotland. The rate of unemployment in Scotland now stands at 7.5%, which is below the UK average of 7.9%. However the number of those claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Scotland has risen slightly in the past few months.