Aug 22, 2019You don’t know JackIn a column in The Times today, the Scottish Secretary Alister Jack writes: “…Scottish nationalists like to claim that theirs is a different kind of nationalism, somehow uniquely benign. I’m sorry but I’m not sure I can spot the difference. …Politics2 min readPolitics2 min read
Aug 6, 2018Eight monthsSince finding I out that my wife and I are going to have a baby, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. A lot of reflection and preparation. Decorating and nesting. Changing and feeding. Personal freedom being trumped by responsibility. I knew the last eight months were going to involve…Brexit4 min readBrexit4 min read
Dec 1, 2017The Losers: Anger in Brexit BritainChris Deerin wrote an excellent column in The Herald this week. Shared widely, I think it encapsulated how a lot of people feel about the Brexit process at the moment. As can be observed in Deerin’s column, a feeling of anger is underpinned by a sense of loss. I am…Brexit3 min readBrexit3 min read
Nov 16, 2017Drink ProblemAlcoholics have a drink problem, but not everyone with a drink problem is an alcoholic. As a society, Scotland has a drink problem, but not everyone that contributes to that problem is an alcoholic. I have a drink problem, but I am not an alcoholic. Visualise Scotland’s alcohol problem and…Alcohol3 min readAlcohol3 min read
May 22, 2017Safety NetsWhen I lived in Edinburgh for a few years, I got in a bit of debt. By no means was I was poorly paid, but I was self-indulgent in an expensive city, living a Reiss lifestyle on an H&M salary. I was able to live out with my means because…Food3 min readFood3 min read
Oct 17, 2016The Red Tory Problem‘Red Tories Out.’ The Red Tories are out. Have these folk not been paying attention? What on earth were they protesting against? Scottish Labour have one MP sitting on the benches of the Commons. We are the third largest party in the Scottish Parliament. Outside of Local Government, Scottish Labour…Politics4 min readPolitics4 min read
Oct 9, 2016The N WordsThe N Words I didn’t like David Cameron or his politics, but I never felt a genuine sense of disdain for the man. I think he was a person with a moral core, and I felt I understood what he was trying to achieve and why, even if I disagreed…Politics6 min readPolitics6 min read
Jul 28, 2016On TiltI had no intention of becoming a ‘blogger’ when I opened this Medium account. I’ve been introduced once as that “that Scottish Labour blogger” and I winced with embarrassment. …Labour Party3 min readLabour Party3 min read
Jul 15, 2016Paul Mason is cleverOver the last few weeks, I like many others have been watching with increasing incredulity as Paul Mason has been describing events in the Labour Party as a ‘Blairite Coup.’ For a while, I thought a respected journalist was evolving into a pontificating polemicist, as a sort of intellectual midlife…Politics4 min readPolitics4 min read
Jul 7, 2016Anger, respect and democracyDaniel Hannan is undoubtedly a man of considerable intelligence and persuasive ability. The regrettable fact is that he utilises these skills to brutally eviscerate a conveyor belt of straw men, rather like Bruce Lee filming ‘Enter the Dragon’ with cardboard cuts outs. “On what basis do Remainers deny the legitimacy…Politics3 min readPolitics3 min read
