Monthly Archives: January 2012

Wanted: Unionist Lincoln

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

These first weeks of the New Year have been dominated in Scotland by an escalation of the debate over the possibility of Scotland declaring its union with England at an end. In general, I welcome this new intensity because, not … Continue reading →

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You’re Gonna Lose That (G)oil

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

Despite being a fan since high school, I had never realised how prescient the Beatles were about things political, especially regarding Scottish Independence until I watched Jeremy Paxman slide into his sneering worst of Newsnight. A decade ago, I would … Continue reading →

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Best to Be Best Friends

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

A lot of partisan and, frankly, wildly unsubstantiated, words have spouted forth since the indy/union debate took off at the turn of the year. Neither side has entirely covered itself in glory. Though I openly belong in the indy camp, … Continue reading →

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You Can’t Get There from Here

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

Yesterday’s BBC Panorama programme, entitled Train Fares: Taken for a Ride, while not quite up to their usual incisive standard of surgical reporting, provided a wealth of information about commuter travails in England and the soaring costs to those captive … Continue reading →

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Dancing the Paisley Pattern

Posted on January 22, 2012 by

I should not have been surprised when Douglas Alexander tweeted to promote his Independent on Sunday column today: “As a Scot I don’t want to retreat from vision of a multiethnic, multicultural, multinational, state My IoS piece  http://bit.ly/yFSbLU . But … Continue reading →

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Far Cry to Port Ellen

Posted on January 21, 2012 by

Apologies right off that this is another blog about things military. But this week saw quite a burst of activity that centred around the SNP releasing some ideas for an independent Scottish Defence Force (SDF) that were somewhat churlishly abridged … Continue reading →

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For Whom Do They Speak?

Posted on January 19, 2012 by

Perishing though the weather has been of late, it has been dry and (largely) calm so we’ve been taking a break from the rarified world of the Twitterati and blogosphere where debate has been especially intense on Scotland’s future. Being … Continue reading →

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Ken Yaur Neukie

Posted on January 17, 2012 by

OK, I confess: the title was a blatant attempt to draw readership but this blog has nothing to do with the phrase’s racier overtones. Having been a longtime RNLI supporter, I have discovered that my local station has a twitter … Continue reading →

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Does Johann Understand Her Job?

Posted on January 15, 2012 by

Having had a fairly stiff diet of politics this week, I had hoped to give readers a break and inject something lighter by way of a blog. (For those in desperate need of that, may I recommend Tom Harris’ dicing … Continue reading →

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The Pound in Your Pocket

Posted on January 14, 2012 by

Because of its use by Harold Wilson to reassure Britons that, after the 1967 devaluation “the pound in your pocket” had not lost value may not be the happiest phrase to use. But, in the midst of highly politicised (and … Continue reading →

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