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.

False Economy

Posted on February 15, 2013 by davidsberry

This week, East Lothian Council passed a three-year budget that the Labour-led but Tory-chaired Administration said would “take the county out of fiscal chaos and on a journey towards a more stable financial future” as the new Leader Cllr. Willie … Continue reading →

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The Cost of Being British

Posted on February 8, 2013 by davidsberry

There are many stalwarts among the people working towards Scotland’s rightful future as a proper country. But, until this week, I never included The Economist among them. Don’t get me wrong—right-wing rag for blinkered fat cats though it is often … Continue reading →

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Don’t Knock It

Posted on February 6, 2013 by davidsberry

After a lively Twitter debate with an old buddy that stemmed from Scottish Government proposals that will effectively raise stamp duties by making them more proportionate to house prices, we got on to a discussion about which parts of Scotland … Continue reading →

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The Answer Is Blowing In the Wind

Posted on February 4, 2013 by davidsberry

Lively as the debate is becoming in rural communities about the evils of wind turbines near them, the ‘big picture’ actuality is that they are something of a sideshow, as compared to the great majority of wind turbine installations. This … Continue reading →

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Ah—That Explains It

Posted on February 2, 2013 by davidsberry

This week was a busy one. A few evenings back was the Gullane Community Council meeting in whose area the pretty little village of Dirleton falls, along with its 13th © castle. Bang next to the castle is the local … Continue reading →

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Buried but not Forgotten

Posted on February 1, 2013 by davidsberry

This evening for the third time in the last few years, I put my head in the lion’s mouth as I dared to venture up to the West end of the county and deliver a talk on Mining in East … Continue reading →

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The Auld Antagonist

Posted on January 28, 2013 by davidsberry

Scotland is a funny sort of place. As an independent state throughout the Middle Ages it might have been poor—but then so was most of the planet. And that relative poverty helped to shape the national character of pluck, doggedness, … Continue reading →

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Big Ben

Posted on January 27, 2013 by davidsberry

Having spent a third of my adult life in the States and travelled through most of them, it seems I have a higher opinion of Americans and their civic qualities than most Brits, Yet, while they do exhibit qualities that … Continue reading →

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Osbo’s Gilt Complex

Posted on January 26, 2013 by davidsberry

STATUTORY WARNING: This blog is calibrated for fiscal anoraks and may cause nausea and/or disorientation among those faint-hearted about figures. This year has not started well for George Osborne. While some might relish the evil schadenfreude in that, the problem … Continue reading →

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Straight from the Top

Posted on January 25, 2013 by davidsberry

Unionists may not agree but I’m not the only one who thinks that the Scottish media—including BBC Scotland, the Hootsmon and, on occasion, The Herald reflect the bias of their unionist ‘owners’. While I have no trouble with those who … Continue reading →

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