Author Archives: davidsberry

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About davidsberry

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

36: Alex for President

Posted on March 30, 2011 by davidsberry

Last night, the first of the ‘Presidential’ leaders’ debates on STV was neither decisive nor the kind of riveting television that will spark political interest among the wider public. But press consensus (and not just my opinion) is that Mr … Continue reading →

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37: Vocal for Vocational

Posted on March 28, 2011 by davidsberry

Having served twelve years on an Education Committee and been at more parent councils/boards than I’ve had hot school dinners I know how parents value excellent schools and opportunities they give their children. Laudable stuff, especially when they are themselves … Continue reading →

Posted in Commerce, Education | Tagged | 1 Comment

38: New Home; New Hope

Posted on March 28, 2011 by davidsberry

Having been on a number of doorsteps, the ones that I find most discouraging are not the solid Labour or Tory supporters—firstly they are generally polite, secondly they now have a haunted look in their eye and thirdly there aren’t … Continue reading →

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39: Solo Gig

Posted on March 27, 2011 by davidsberry

One of the blessings of social networking on the internet is the mix of people thrown into contact in a way daily face-to-face life would never do. If you are mostly interested in talking to voters in East Lothian, as … Continue reading →

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40 Days to Decide

Posted on March 26, 2011 by davidsberry

Now that we’re officially into the campaign, I’m not sure whether I’m more impressed by the rather prickly response of many people if you try to shift into talking politics or by the wide open attitude they have, should you … Continue reading →

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41: Alea Jacta Est

Posted on March 25, 2011 by davidsberry

Having baled out of its stilted irrelevance at age 14—my earliest chance—my Latin is pretty ropey but I like the ambiguity of this phrase; normally translated as “the die is cast”—with its overtones of hot metal poured into solid moulds—than … Continue reading →

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42: Long Haul

Posted on March 24, 2011 by davidsberry

East Lothian prides itself on its rolling, rural countryside, dotted with farms and villages. But, hidden away there are also some sizable businesses, like Andrew Black, the hauliers based at the old Drem airfield. This is a family business, based … Continue reading →

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An unexpected discovery amidst last Sunday’s blizzard of inserts in the papers was riches indeed: a reprint of Stanley Baxter’s classic Parliamo Glasgow with such essential phrases as ‘zarra‘ as in ‘zarra besyekindae?‘ or ‘goannae’ as in ‘goannaenodaethat?’. Which made … Continue reading →

Posted on March 24, 2011 by davidsberry | Leave a comment

43: Purdah, She Wrote

Posted on March 23, 2011 by davidsberry

Well that’s the official start gun for the so-called ‘short’ campaign, launched with the dissolution of wur Pairlimunt when our MSPs clean out their think pods and Eck desists from virtuoso demos on how FMQs should be done. He even managed … Continue reading →

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44: This Is Leadership?

Posted on March 22, 2011 by davidsberry

In the course of their one-day conference, my opponent (who happens to be Labour’s Leader) stood up before those assembled. As his boss Ed Milliband had rather ignored Scotland in his own speech, someone needed to bring the focus back … Continue reading →

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