Monthly Archives: December 2011

We Don’t Need No Altercation

Posted on December 30, 2011 by davidsberry

Since 2007, the total proportion of 18- to 24-year-olds claiming jobseekers’ allowance has almost doubled in Scotland – from 4.3 per cent to 8.3 per cent. While everyone has felt the chill wind of the ongoing fiscal crisis, at the … Continue reading →

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Education is no Football

Posted on December 28, 2011 by davidsberry

Today’s Hootsmon features Alan Massie gaunin’ his dinger that the “SNP’s failure on schools is a dereliction of duty”. The seems a pretty ringing condemnation, yet reading the article, it is hedged around with caveats and conditions—“the SNP inherited Curriculum … Continue reading →

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Of Born-Again Countries & Unionist Bathwater

Posted on December 27, 2011 by davidsberry

On many occasions, I have found myself enlightened and stimulated by Burdzeyeview and would recommend the blog to all on both sides of the debate regarding where Scotland is going and why. I had intended giving the soapbox a rest … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 2 Comments

Jim Sillars: Little Scotlander

Posted on December 22, 2011 by davidsberry

In its time, Scotland has produced its share of groundbreaking politicians and, given the imprecision of and the human flaws intrinsic in politics (unlike with physicists or surgeons) there is less unanimity about who belongs at the top. Jim Sillars … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment

A Corner of a Foreign Country

Posted on December 21, 2011 by davidsberry

I am grateful to Alan Summerfield (see comment above) for correcting my erroneous understanding of the geography of local government along the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Passing from Lowestoft to Norwich along the A146 via Beccles had given me the impression that … Continue reading →

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My Favourite Foreign Country

Posted on December 20, 2011 by davidsberry

It would make for sensational reading should it occur anywhere in Scotland but the results of the Worlingham by-election merited just a corner of a page deep inside Norwich’s Eastern Daily Press: “NORMAN Brooks is the new ward councillor for Worlingham, … Continue reading →

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Fudge Over Troubled Waters?

Posted on December 18, 2011 by davidsberry

Had to laugh last night when unsuccessful Labour Leader candidate’s Twitter alter ego Tam Horris commented that he was off to drown his sorrows but wasn’t the demented engineering officer down in the bowels of Das Boot also called Johann? … Continue reading →

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Dreich is Good

Posted on December 17, 2011 by davidsberry

The redoubtable Margo MacDonald MSP this week called on the Scottish government to describe more closely how life would be for the Scots if they were independent. “It will take at least a year to embed any new concepts we … Continue reading →

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We’ve Got the Power to Win

Posted on December 16, 2011 by davidsberry

As regular readers should know, while this blog maintains a pro-community, pro-independence and internationalist outlook, we hold no monopoly on the truth and are happy to give credit elsewhere for ideas that would advance Scotland and its myriad of communities. … Continue reading →

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High Noon for High Streets

Posted on December 13, 2011 by davidsberry

Just got back in from a bout of Christmas shopping along North Berwick High Street where, despite a biting and doggedly cold West wind, the shops are ablaze, the Xmas lights colourful, with bobble hats and buggies jostling along the … Continue reading →

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