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.

Whae’s Like Us (An’ They’re A’ Deid)?

Posted on August 19, 2013 by davidsberry

Lesley Riddoch—never one to mince words—has a powerful piece in today’s Hootsmon in which she pithily observes ‘Public money is trapped in professional silos‘ and that ‘Good public health is a product of good social and democratic health‘. All very … Continue reading →

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First is Anything But

Posted on August 14, 2013 by davidsberry

For the avoidance of doubt—and to avoid them too much cost in their libel lawyers as they scratch around for actionable evidence, First is a crap company. It doesn’t matter which fragment of the empire you’re talking about—from FirstBus Edinburgh, … Continue reading →

Posted in Transport | Tagged | 1 Comment

Welcome to Britain: Now Go Home

Posted on August 12, 2013 by davidsberry

It is perhaps to be expected that such social Luddites as join UKIP exhibit a knee-jerk to the ‘furriners’ who reputedly begin at Calais and the backwoodsman phalanx that dominates the Tory party regularly paint themselves into xenophobic corners over … Continue reading →

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Replanting the Floo’ers

Posted on August 10, 2013 by davidsberry

This week, on the 500th anniversary of Flodden—perhaps the most decisive and certainly the bloodiest defeat inflicted on us Scots by our southern cousins—the Coldstream Common Riding took a crowd of people and horses to the very field just over … Continue reading →

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Fog in Education; Continent Cut Off

Posted on August 7, 2013 by davidsberry

Tuesday was a big day for 151,000 expectant Scottish pupils who received their exam results—and very well they did too. Praise is due to their efforts, plus those of their teachers (and hopefully, most of their parents) to bring in … Continue reading →

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Let Me Tell You How It Will Be

Posted on August 5, 2013 by davidsberry

Those who’ve been around long enough might recognise the title as the first line of “Taxman” in which Lennon/McCartney dipped their pens in vitriol and had a right go at HM Revenue & Customs the thick end of fifty years … Continue reading →

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Why I Live Where I Do

Posted on August 4, 2013 by davidsberry

Such a question would need little explaining, had you shared with me the trips we made out to the islands on Friday. I have been doing guiding on various boats for a number of summers now, this season for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Unsinkable Alison Hunter

Posted on August 2, 2013 by davidsberry

While politics may be all about people, to the ordinary mortal just trying to get on with life, politics’ more rarified reaches can seem an evil concoction of rampant ego, unjustified ambition and the morals of snake oil salesmen. Many … Continue reading →

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Jebel al Toliano

Posted on July 30, 2013 by davidsberry

(in a parallel universe not far away…) Bzzz…zzzt…Ssshwweek…service of the BBC; here is the news. The confrontation on the Goodwin Sands over Sandwich Cricket Club’s insistence on playing its traditional ‘Low-Tide Annual’ cricket match there has caused another incident with … Continue reading →

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Chancellor or Chancer?

Posted on July 29, 2013 by davidsberry

Those looking for vilification of Osbo  can stop reading now. Though the poor schmuck has so far made a pigs ear of the best job he’ll ever have, it is a former holder of the post that is the subject. … Continue reading →

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