On:
In: Maureen Forbes
With: 0 Comments

All day today (Tuesday 18 September) there have been postings on social media about it being the four year anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum. I heard no mention of it on the mainstream media. To be fair, I didn’t have the radio on as much as normal. I did catch most of the lunchtime and teatime TV news though. What were they hiding? Half the programme on Brexit. Nothing new, just spouting the same old scare stories. A comment from one of my facebook friends caught my attention this afternoon. After commenting that it was four years he went on to say ‘just thinkRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird
With: 1 Comment

As we hurtle towards the Brexit deadline of March 2019, albeit with the prospect of a transition period of at least 18 months, it’s worth pondering just where our movement stands and where do we go from here. We are rightly committed to the “Gold Standard” of referenda, which basically means we need to repeat the conditions which applied in 2014. This poses a major problem. The 2014 referendum was faced with the prospect of its legality being called into question and challenged in court. This was overcome by what was known as the Section 30 Agreement between the Scottish and London Governments. It meantRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

Apparently all last weekend the headlines in the main media were all about a civil war breaking out in the SNP. Personally I missed this. I was out in Aviemore promoting the Scots Independent newspaper at the SNP National Assembly. Once we had done so we then took time out to enjoy what that part of Scotland has to offer. We chilled in the campsite and spoke to many people about all sorts. Our SNP and Yes stickers were clear to be seen on the campervan. Did not seem to put people off speaking to us. Went shopping Monday morning and the headlines were eerilyRead More →

On:
In: Steven Marwick, Uncategorized

There is a lot of talk in Catalonia and Spain about efforts to exhume the body of fascist Dictator General Francisco Franco from the Valley of the Fallen. The site was built under Franco’s regime and underneath the valley’s floor lie the remains of 40,000 people who died during the Civil War. Franco, controversially, is the only person buried there who did not die in the civil war. The Basilica houses the remains of Franco and the founder of his Falange party and is the focus of Fascist commemorations every November 20th. Reflecting on the past and remembering the horrendous crimes of the Franco regimeRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

The end of an era has arrived. I have never been a slavish fan of anyone or anything. I mix things up depending on my mood. But even I have to acknowledge that the band Runrig were one of a kind. At the Last Dance the story of the band was told in song and film that played on the screens. The young Macdonald brothers started in music, like so many, doing traditional dance nights in local halls. I remember there was a cringe factor to this type of event. Wasn’t helped by the BBC’s presenting of shows like the yearly Hogmanay event. I rememberRead More →

On:
In: Grant Thoms

REVIEW: First Snow / Première neige It takes a little while to figure out why this drama is so titled. But then the main character, Isabelle, explains that the day after Quebec’s second referendum, which Federalists narrowly won, the ‘first snow’ of Winter landed on the deserted streets of Montreal. Fallout from the nuclear shock of a second defeat in fifteen years? Or a telling aide-memoire that you only get two chances in life. Make a mistake once but make it again and you’re a goner. So this is a dramatic piece co-written by Davey Anderson (yes, of City Limits fame), Phillippe Ducros and LindaRead More →

On:
In: Jim Lynch

  Timing – no matter how up to date you attempt to be, news these days moves so fast it is out of date before you finish writing.   Halleluia – or the Scottish equivalent? SNP Councillor Chris McEleny was one of the candidates for Deputy Leader, and worked as an electrician at MoD munitions site in Beith.  In the course of his campaign, the MoD took away his security pass and suspended him. National Security officials interviewed him at his home and queried him about a speech he had given to the SNP Conference.  Chris took his case to an industrial tribunal. The Judge,Read More →

On:
In: Maureen Forbes

The day had started dark and wet. Heavy rain was showing no sign of easing and, for a split second, the thought of not going crossed my mind. The girls were grumping and a social gathering the night before had been a bit too enjoyable meaning we were running behind schedule but I then thought of the buses that I knew were coming up the A9 and decided that they had no choice about attending in the rain so why should I have it any easier. Thankfully by mid morning it had eased and Inverness was reporting brilliant sunshine once again. The bus was surprisinglyRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird

That old Chinese curse of “may you live in interesting times” has rarely seemed so apt as it is today. With both the US and UK facing major government crisis and even “Mutti” Merkel looking less than secure the Western world has more than enough going on to make things interesting. I was struck recently by just how much these crises have in common. The root cause seems to be the alienation being felt by huge sections of the population as Governments struggle to develop any kind of coherent response to the impacts of industrial change and what they mean for our social, economic andRead More →