Author Archives: davidsberry

About davidsberry

Local ex-councillor, tour guide and database designer. Keen on wildlife, history, boats and music. Retired in 2017.

Letter to American Friends

Posted on January 6, 2021 by davidsberry

After more than a couple of decades of knowing each other, I hope you all appreciate the deep respect and affection I hold for your great country. As with any other country, there are times when it has not acted … Continue reading →

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Mephistopheles Amidst Minutiae

Posted on December 30, 2020 by davidsberry

Let’s gloss over it taking 99.7% of the 4 ½ years since the referendum to achieve what Liam Fox MP, International Trade Secretary called “The easiest deal in history”. Well, we all get over-enthusiastic sometimes. In the face of widespread … Continue reading →

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Euracy

Posted on December 22, 2020 by davidsberry

The present stushie with Europe over closed borders, banned travel and half of Kent covered with lories should not come as a surprise. Not only has the UK behaved brazenly against our neighbours’ interests in asserting “sovereignty” in the teeth … Continue reading →

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Deck the Malls

Posted on December 19, 2020 by davidsberry

(Published in East Lothian Courier, Dec. 17th 2020) For most of us, this year was pants. Few have escaped disruption to work, family and social life. National media loves reprting in simplified sound-bites, repeated ad nauseam. Such ‘big picture’ views … Continue reading →

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The Faslane Conundrum

Posted on December 6, 2020 by davidsberry

Guest column by Lt. Col. S. W. Crawford (retd.), late 4th Royal Tank Regiment With support for Scottish independence at a seemingly all time high and next year’s Holyrood elections – Covid 19 permitting – in the offing, it’s little … Continue reading →

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The Whopper That Got Away

Posted on November 30, 2020 by davidsberry

Fish in another man’s pond and you will catch crabs.” —Yiddish proverb St Andrew’s Day seems an appropriate time to consider the plight of thousands who once were the backbone of one of Scotland’s historic main industries—fishing. It is timely … Continue reading →

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East Fortune Need Not Cost One

Posted on November 28, 2020 by davidsberry

The announcement at this week’s Spending Review of £40 bn for infrastructure investment in England means a Barnet consequential amount of £2.8 bn coming to Scotland for the same purpose. This could be swallowed up by existing ambitious projects like … Continue reading →

Posted in Transport | Leave a comment

Political Pedagogy

Posted on November 24, 2020 by davidsberry

For good or ill, children’s education in Scotland is in the hands of 32 local authorities, who run nurseries, primary and secondary schools under guidance of the Scottish Government, who set out the vision and priorities though vehicles like the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 2 Comments

This Disenchanted Isle

Posted on November 10, 2020 by davidsberry

America has just completed its most contentious election by having a record number of citizens come out and vote, despite being in the throes of the Covid pandemic. Aside from Trump gracelessly mumping that he should have won and refusing … Continue reading →

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Biden-Harris or Hide Embarrassed?

Posted on November 7, 2020 by davidsberry

So, the media have called it for Joe. The US 2020 Election is all over, bar the shouting. Unfortunately, there may be considerable amounts of shouting. Although Trump is clearly trumped at the ballot box,  decades of being able to … Continue reading →

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