On:
In: Maureen MacGregor
With: 1 Comment

On 30 October, the final post office in Wick closes after a 6 month extension to the previous closing date in the hope that a solution would be found.  Over the last couple of years there have been many changes with both dedicated town offices, one serving each side of the river, closing.  A local shopkeeper initially opened a counter in two of his shops and a community premises established a third in their premises but it did not take long before two shut their doors both citing the fact that it was costing them more in running costs than they were receiving recompense for. Read More →

On:
In: Grant Thoms, Uncategorized
With: 0 Comments

A new poll by Progress Scotland has created a stushie with a resounding message: the vast majority of Scots want decisions about Scotland to be made in Scotland. As SNP Depute Leader, Keith Brown says: “This poll confirms that we are winning the economic argument over Scotland’s future. More and more, people across Scotland believe that independence will not only give us a stronger voice in the world but will also benefit our economy. The threat to jobs and living standards posed by Brexit has eroded any remaining confidence voters had in Westminster having control over Scotland’s finances.” So with a stronger, more compelling caseRead More →

On:
In: Uncategorized
With: 0 Comments

Yvonne Augusta Murgatroyd, DA, WRSA, nee Drew and then MacKinnon Passed away 23rd July 2020 in Kelty, Fife Born 14th June 1920 in London to Augusta and Capt. Jack Drew, RAF. During the first Word War her mother, Augusta, worked as the Chief Female Forager in Norfolk. Her father, Capt. Jack Drew, originally came from Edinburgh, where his father owned a the Coach Building Company based in Gilmour Street, Edinburgh. Capt. Jack Drew’s Father, the coach builder, was married to Nell Stevenson the sister of David Watson Stevenson, RSA, the sculptor of the Wallace statue on the Wallace monument and many other famous statues andRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

Today (Tuesday) at the Scottish government briefing, the First Minister made another attempt to treat us as grownups. She carefully explained the rise in numbers of infection, hospital admissions and deaths. She explained that the science shows that the rise is primarily caused by the infection getting into households and spreading to those within the household. Last week there was an outcry, quite rightly, at Margaret Ferrier for knowingly travelling on public transport while having felt unwell and then testing positive. Let us examine then how the virus gets into your house. Someone, knowingly or unknowingly, carrying the virus may have visited you. A memberRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird

Just a few weeks ago Lord Foulkes was proclaiming how terrible it was that the nasty Scottish First Minister was holding daily press briefings to keep people up to date with the ever-changing situation and explain why decisions were being taken. Even worse not falling into any of the carefully (they thought) laid trap questions. Instead people were more and more impressed by her clarity, sincerity and shock horror even being able to admit to mistakes! This could not be allowed to continue, these briefings had to stop or at the very least be taken off the telly. And then we learned that His LordshipRead More →

On:
In: Jim Lynch, Uncategorized

Well, as the constitutional debate goes on, I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me. We know, or have continually been told , that “Jerusalem” has been England’s sporting anthem – this has always struck me as bizarre, as I could not imagine gangs of shaven headed tattooists warbling away about “And was the holy lamb of God in England’s pleasant pasture seen”, so I checked the web. According to reports it is only the anthem for rugby and cricket not for the football oafs. However surely this is a part of England’s place in the World, and a mythical visit by JesusRead More →

On:
In: Maureen MacGregor

BBC Parliament was interesting.  The debate on the amendement to the Bill flowed swiftly in a very socially distanced House with some contributions easier to listen to than others.  Very few mentioned the big issue with the UK Internal Market Bill – the fact that it was breaking the law.  In a place where you cannot call another member a lair, it should have been incomprehensible that the Bill had even reached the House; that a vote was being held on rejecting it was thankful yet still absurd.  The UK’s own agreement was now to be dismissed and that  the country was to enter intoRead More →

On:
In: Grant Thoms

Eight months to go until the Scottish electorate (all things being safe), give their verdict on the SNP in government and the desire for a second independence referendum. Thursday 6 May 2021 should be ringed on your calendar if it hasn’t been already. We know for certain that at least a fifth of the current MSPs are not standing again and they should be rightly praised for the hard work they have done for Scottish democracy over the Scottish Parliament’s current 21-year history. Without the sterling efforts of this band of veteran parliamentarians, the Scottish Parliament would not be the primary trusted legislative body thatRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

This week started with new Scottish Tory leader landing himself in it. In his ‘I am right’ manner he put the radio presenter in his place, he thought. Trouble is the person he quoted was listening to the programme and was very angry at being misquoted. You got to admit the Scottish Tory leaders have spectacular abilities to land themselves in the proverbial. Then Tuesday arrived. All the issues that have arisen during Covid 19 are to be looked at by the government in the last programme for government of this parliamentary term. Some snippets from her speech :-“The Economy Secretary will publish the implementationRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird, Uncategorized

This has been an incredible period for the Independence movement as we now have a succession of 6 opinion polls showing a lead for the Yes campaign.I was particularly struck by two factors in this trend.Stuart Cosgrove in his piece for the Sunday National on 16 August noted that only 68% of those who voted NO in 2014 would do so again and that only 17% of those aged 18 – 24 are opposed to Independence.These are figures which tell of a long-term direction of travel which can have only one possible destination. The figure of only 68% of NO voters staying with that particularRead More →