Author Archives: davidsberry

Unknown's avatar

About davidsberry

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

67: Playing Hand Grenades

Posted on February 26, 2011 by davidsberry

This week saw a UK effort to rescue its citizens from a rapidly disintegrating Libya that more resembled a Keystone Cops action. No reflection on the crews of HMS Cumberland who dared lift 200 from Benghazi or C-130s flying deep … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

68: Harmonising with Joni

Posted on February 25, 2011 by davidsberry

Growing up in the fifties and sixties, like most kids of my era, I was swept up into playing rock ‘n’ roll as protest and exploration of life’s possibilities. While many followed the Beatles, Stones and others that pushed the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment

69: Centenary School

Posted on February 25, 2011 by davidsberry

Off to Dirleton School last night to meet with two dozen parents, teachers and locals. This was not the normal enthusiastically attended School Parent Council (I attended one where two in three pupils had parents there) but a gathering called … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Education | Leave a comment

70 Days to Decide

Posted on February 24, 2011 by davidsberry

Much has happened in the last ten days, not least the poll putting Labour and the SNP neck-and-neck to control Scotland’s Parliament after May 5th. But, for me, it’s the more mundane things that can slip by almost unnoticed that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

71: Parliamo Politico III

Posted on February 23, 2011 by davidsberry

Let’s Talk Pencil-Pusher: Lesson III—Disabling Envelopment (Third of a series, translating bureaucrat-speak into what it means for folk in East Lothian) “Enabling Development” is a phrase used by planners in councils to allow things to be built they would not … Continue reading →

Posted in Commerce, Community, Politics | Tagged | 4 Comments

72: Round in Circles

Posted on February 22, 2011 by davidsberry

Starting in 2007, Haddington had a one-way system imposed on the town centre for months while the jewellers was reconstructed. That was barely done last year when the huge John Gray Centre conversion of the historic Sinclair-McGill building and Procurator … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Transport | Tagged | 1 Comment

73: Archaeology of the Mouth

Posted on February 21, 2011 by davidsberry

I was flattered to be asked by Paul, a budding local director, to do a brief Q&A on the whale’s jawbone atop our Law. He had decided that his assignment from Telford’s Digital Media course to document a statue lacked passion and … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Education, Environment | Tagged | Leave a comment

74: Gender Agenda

Posted on February 19, 2011 by davidsberry

One of the strengths of the Scottish Parliament from the outset has always been that it displayed something like gender balance—from matronly competence in Annabel Goldie to ‘lips-made-to-kiss-megaphones’ stridency in Carolyn Leckie. That was already under some threat with five of … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Leave a comment

75: Feel the Beat

Posted on February 19, 2011 by davidsberry

I regard it as a great privilege to chair East Lothian’s License Board, especially as the staff have now steered several hundred premises through the vagaries of implementing the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and its huge differences from the previous … Continue reading →

Posted in Community | Tagged | Leave a comment
Posted on February 19, 2011 by davidsberry | Leave a comment