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.

The Price of Everything and The Value of Nothing

Posted on August 24, 2015 by davidsberry

“The follies of our youth are, in retrospect, glorious compared to the follies of our old age.” (G.K.Chesterton) The real question for the Scottish Labout party is: which of these follies is it presently engaged in? Forget the barking mad … Continue reading →

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Kan Kezia Kope?

Posted on August 19, 2015 by davidsberry

Despite party rules that forbid badmouthing other candidates, the UK Labour leadership contest is descending into mud wrestling. Although it’s hard for outsiders to distinguish many differences among these clone children of New Labour, they themselves insist that distinction exists, … Continue reading →

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Yes, We Must All Think for Ourselves

Posted on August 12, 2015 by davidsberry

Monty Python’s Life of Brian is over thirty years old now and therefore probably unknown to younger generations. Pilloried in its day as sacrilegious, its humour has aged far better than its Carry On… predecessors, especially its shrewd observations on … Continue reading →

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Who’s Kidding Whom?

Posted on August 10, 2015 by davidsberry

The fiscal train wreck that is Kids Company has been explained away in the English media as one of a kind, much as its founder and leading light—the larger-than-life Camila Batmanghelidgh—belies any standard concept of a CEO. When the Cabinet … Continue reading →

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Eastern Promise

Posted on August 6, 2015 by davidsberry

The character of many small fishing ports around the Forth is stopped from falling into the soporific boredom of marinas like Port Edgar by the remaining fishing boats that still ply their trade. Though oysters may be a thing of … Continue reading →

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Local Tax Overhaul Overdue

Posted on June 18, 2015 by davidsberry

After some serious consideration almost eight years ago, the Scottish Government has swept the whole concept of handing democratic control to localities through local taxation (as opposed to the regressive Council Tax) onto the back burner indefinitely. While a minority … Continue reading →

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Open Letter to Fergus Ewing

Posted on June 12, 2015 by davidsberry

Dear Fergus: my congratulations for having held the Tourism portfolio for the last four years. That is quite a record in terms of stability in the slippery world of politics. However, I have to ask what you believe you have … Continue reading →

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Dominorum

Posted on June 10, 2015 by davidsberry

Schools don’t teach much Latin these days. Despite The Iris Project – Literacy Through Latin, launched two years ago its teaching is pretty much confined to independent (i.e. private, or in England, public) schools. This makes them appear archaic. State … Continue reading →

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More Than a Dormitory

Posted on May 27, 2015 by davidsberry

Life is good in East Lothian. It rightly prides itself on its attractive towns, pristine countryside, glorious coast and golf galore, Together with good schools and easy access to Edinburgh, that makes it a magnet for commuters and retirees. Unfortunately, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commerce | Tagged | 5 Comments

Jockalypse Now

Posted on May 20, 2015 by davidsberry

Two weeks ago a tsunami of revolt against London unionist parties felled the two remaining in Scotland bringing them down to the same risible level of 1 solitary MP at which the Tories have been languishing since devolution was introduced … Continue reading →

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