Monthly Archives: March 2012

You Choose—

Two very different quotes regarding Scottish independence from viewpoints furth of Scotland came to light this week. One, from a Tory grandee—whose party prides itself as emblematic of tea with crumpets, cricket on village greens and jolly good shows; that has … Continue reading

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You Can’t Get There from Here

A recent tweet complained that a passenger boarding a Lothian bus did not have his (valid) Ridacard accepted, was thrown off and had to taxi in to work. I’m sure this was a rare exception but it highlights a certain … Continue reading

Posted in Transport | 5 Comments

Not the Best of Health

Today’s Hootsmon prints an op ed piece by local MSP Iain Gray entitled “Smiling and Nodding Will not Create Change”. In it, Iain, a former  Minister for Social Justice, fulminates about the lack of progress in harmonising (if not actually … Continue reading

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Wish I’d Found This for IWD

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My Kind of Scotland

Now that we’re past the preliminaries in the independence debate and most parties have accepted that Scotland has both the right to call a referendum and to decide when it should take place, we move on to the more substantive … Continue reading

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Ma Faither’s Howff Has Many Mansions

This week part of my duties involved attending the CoSLA Resources & Capacity Executive which busies itself with such things as how councils make ends meet. Those there shared concerns how various developments, such as welfare reform and utility tariffs, … Continue reading

Posted in Commerce, Politics | 4 Comments

Rosco Used in Train Robbery

The future, we are told, must be green. To be green, the future must be sustainable and the only way civilisation can be sustainable is through public transport, the backbone of which is our railways. Are you with me so … Continue reading

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A Tale of Two Cities

It was a fluke that two party conferences took place this weekend. But it was also enlightening to compare and contrast what was being said in Dundee and Inverness. What was particularly amusing was the sheer interchangeability among the speeches. … Continue reading

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Hey, Jim! Eat My Shorts

Today (Friday 2nd March) The Grauniad printed an op ed piece from Jim Murphy MP entitled “Scotland Cannot Afford to Leave NATO” in which Jim, in his usual declarative style, seeks to disparage the SNP’s position, this time on defence … Continue reading

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Many A True Word…

  One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, “I can’t accept money from you; I’m doing community service this week.” The florist was pleased … Continue reading

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