Author Archives: davidsberry

About davidsberry

Local councillor, activist and database designer. Keen on wildlife, history, boats and music. Stood for the Scottish Parliament 2011; lost by 151 votes.

A Funny Thing Happened…

…on my way to the internet. Having an eclectic wander, as I often do, in a (frequently fruitless) search for new ideas—especially from the many sides of the independence debate, I came across the following (no, not the Zen article … Continue reading

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Best-Laid Plans O’ Mice & Mair Mice

In the magnificently ornate Surgeon’s Hall in Edinburgh, MacKay Hannah convened 50-odd professionals (oh, all right, anoraks) to discuss wur gubbermint’s out-for discussion National Planning Policy 3. The theme was the a drive towards achieving “economic growth and recovery in … Continue reading

Posted in Community, Environment | Tagged | 2 Comments

From Underground to On Top of the World

While East Lothian can make fair claim to the best place to live in Scotland, the ‘Hill Country’ of Gullane is the most desirable address in the county. And while there are some very fine houses on Hummel, Nisbet or … Continue reading

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Jock Tamson’s Kindergarten

I have a confession to make. Despite a lifetime of dedication to the cause of Scottish Independence, I like Douglas Alexander. Hell, I even like his sister and regret that she has gone from the mainstream of Scottish politics. Let … Continue reading

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Why Scots Should Be Fans of Farage

The results of this month’s English local elections were a shock to many and a surprise to even more. Normally barely registering on political seismographs, the discussion usually revolves around how many seats the party of UK government lost vs … Continue reading

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Tug for a Clapped-Out Gunboat

The ‘discussion’ on Scottish independence is theoretically well underway but the SNP’s Angus Robertson gets himself into hot water on Audioboo’s new Hear Hear and reported in today’s Hootsmon by asserting that all the Better Together campaign do is repeat … Continue reading

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The Groat in Yer Sporran

You know you’re getting old when you remember what happened half a century ago but can’t find your keys. OK, so it wasn’t quite half a century ago that Labour’s Harold Wilson, after weeks of increasingly feverish speculation and a day … Continue reading

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Brechin’s Revenge on Beeching

What was disappointing about the half-century anniversary of Dr Beeching’s evil œuvre “The Reshaping of British Railways” wasn’t that comment and opinion was as divided as on the death of Margaret Thatcher and pushed it off the page (political bedfellows … Continue reading

Posted in Transport | Tagged | 2 Comments

Gung-Ho Kim Jong

Despite all that the press do to stir up flagging sales, the world is a pretty peaceful place; those parts of it that are not tend to blight mostly themselves. Readers may dispute this, citing some conflagration or other that … Continue reading

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Face it: Thatcher Was Right

Opprobrium has been poured on Maggie Thatcher and all her works, especially in Scotland. This last part is understandable because, whatever her vision and commitment and however you view her legacy, she was neither subtle nor broad in her understanding: … Continue reading

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