To the Highland Press Ball in Inverness this weekend – celebrating local journalism with people from as far afield as Lewrick, as the UK Government likes to call the Shetland…
- At the Highland Press Ball, Inverness, Feb 6
Spain’s Autonomous Communities Have More Powers than the Scottish Parliament – Letter from Scotland Jan 9, 2022
We are taking advantage of our status as digital nomads to base ourselves in Gran Canaria for most of January. I started off by correcting people who said ‘enjoy your…
100 years from the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the ghost of Irish hero Michael Collins haunts the Brexit negotiations, letter from Scotland Dec 21
On the first of January, 2021, the transition period ended and Britain effectively left the EU – closing a long period where the media was full of discussions about what…
Christmas shopping at the Barras in Glasgow. A letter from Scotland December 13
Glasgow’s Barras celebrated its centenary on Saturday. A combination of rain and Covid warnings meant the place was quiet despite the anniversary. Christmas lights were refracted in the puddles outside…
Will the Scottish Labour Party ever change its stance on Scottish independence? Letter from Scotland November 26
The Labour Party has become increasingly defined by opposition to a second referendum and to the SNP generally – but it doesn’t seem to be bearing fruit electorally. There was…
End of the Season in the North West Highlands – Brexit threatens the ecosystem. Letter from Scotland Nov 23
It is the end of the season in the north-west Highlands. Shops are on reduced hours, many restaurants, hotels and cafes are closing up. Journey times are shorter because the…
A Tanzanian Delegate’s Perspective on COP 26 in Glasgow – letter from Scotland Nov 26
We hosted Mathias Lyamunda, the chief executive of an NGO in Tanzania, as part of the HomeStay network for COP26. This gave us a glimpse of an African perspective on…
A regenerative farm in Fife may have answers for methane reduction – letter from Scotland, November 2
Food production will have to change to deliver the methane emissions reductions agreed at COP26. How will this work? Last week, I interviewed a “regenerative farmer” in Fife who may…
Anger as summit delegate unable to travel due to delay in receiving UK visa
First published in the Sunday National, November 7 – (update, Mathias receive his visa on Monday and arrives tomorrow Tuesday Nov 9 for the last days of COP26) A senior…
Is Glasgow Getting a Bad Rap in the Run-up to Cop 26? Letter from Scotland October 23
It was interesting to see on the front page of the FT last week visitors to COP26 complaining that the nearest accommodation to the conference was in Edinburgh, 45 miles…
The German elections provide a contrast to the US and UK First Past the Post System – letter from Scotland October 5
The political landscape of Germany and the UK and the US offers quite a contrast at the moment. The result of the German election means that there may be a…
Staff shortages in the health and care sector are pushing the NHS to breaking point – and they are in part the result of a “reckless” and “cynical” decision by the UK Government to push through a hard Brexit in the midst of a pandemic
First published in the Sunday National, September 26 Around one in five beds in Scotland’s major hospitals are occupied by elderly people who could be discharged – except there is…
Edinburgh’s Abbeyhill Colonies held its annual ‘Artists’Colony’ house exhibition and gala – letter from Scotland September 21
Artists in Edinburgh’s Abbeyhill Colonies opened their houses, studios or gardens to show their work in an annual garden party gala at the weekend. I know one of them, Fraser…
Does the Scottish Government face the most hostile domestic media in the world? – letter from Scotland September 15
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave her keynote speech to the Scottish National Party’s annual conference yesterday, saying there would be a referendum on Scottish independence by the end of 2023. “Trust…
In Berlin, an exhibition examines the post-war career of the Nazis’ favourite artists – letter from Scotland, September 11
IN BERLIN last week, I got an email from my uncle with a link to a Guardian article about an exhibition at the German History Museum on Nazi-era artists “Divinely Gifted: National…
The ‘modernised’ House of Lords is the PM’s toy – now as rotten as any 19th century rotten borough – letter from Scotland August 28
Since I wrote this, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ennobled another 54 of his choices, one third Tory party donors. One donor – Malcolm Offord – failed to…
Brexit damage to the economy may lend weight to the idea Scotland is too poor for independence- letter from Scotland August 23
The annual Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures on Scotland’s economy came out this week – and they were seized on as a political tool to defend the Unionist…
Adding another round to the Brexit “goat rodeo” “threatens UK supply chains” – letter from Scotland August 15
The Food and Drinks Federation CEO Ian Wright wrote to Brexit minister David Frost and environment minister George Eustice this week to warn that without more clarity over the next…
Scottish soft fruit left to rot on bushes amid Brexit cost crisis
First published in the Sunday National, August 8 Scottish soft fruit is being left to rot on bushes and growers are being forced by supermarkets to absorb Brexit-related costs –…
The long struggle against slavery; Scotland’s involvement in the US Civil War.
Edinburgh, August 8, Letter from Scotland number 9 – you can find links to sources and sign up here On an urban wander this week, I came across this statue…