A sketch of Edinburgh as the Queen lay in state, September 13
Edinburgh for the last couple of days has been at the epicentre of the royal passing – a carefully-planned and tactfully-arranged ceremony. I don’t think I have seen a single…
25 years on from the referendum of 1997
25 years ago, on September 11, 1997, Scotland voted overwhelmingly for a Scottish Parliament, in a referendum Less than a fortnight before the poll, Princess Diana died in a crash…
Tragedy on Skye, August 16
ON the western edge of the Sleat peninsula, sometimes called the Isle of Sleat, is Tarskavaig, a scattering of whitewashed cottages looking out across the open sea towards Rum and…
Obituary of family friend, Brian McCluskey
Director-general of the EU translation service. Born: June 11 1937 in Glasgow. Died: April 2 2022 in Bordeaux, aged 84 Brian McCluskey achieved the highest rank of any Scot ever…
Refugees and Berliners meet in the Hauptbahnhof, March 5
Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof is at the heart of Europe’s sleek 21st-century rail network. Trains slide through on several levels, connected by long elevators and glassy lifts. It is a monument to…
A demo in support of Ukraine, Berlin March 6
Thousands of refugees from Ukraine have been arriving in Berlin – 6,000 estimated today. At the city’s vast central station, the Hauptbahnhof, volunteers awaited the new arrivals, carrying cardboard signs…
Remembering a Herald editor embedded with Fascist troops in the Spanish Civil War
There was just one other couple in the cinema at Eden Court in Inverness on a wintry evening in to see Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers”. A spell-binding story, it touches…
To the Highland Press Ball in Inverness this weekend – celebrating local journalism with people from as far afield as Lewrick, as the UK Government likes to call the Shetland…
- At the Highland Press Ball, Inverness, Feb 6
Spain’s Autonomous Communities Have More Powers than the Scottish Parliament – Letter from Scotland Jan 9, 2022
We are taking advantage of our status as digital nomads to base ourselves in Gran Canaria for most of January. I started off by correcting people who said ‘enjoy your…
100 years from the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the ghost of Irish hero Michael Collins haunts the Brexit negotiations, letter from Scotland Dec 21
On the first of January, 2021, the transition period ended and Britain effectively left the EU – closing a long period where the media was full of discussions about what…
Christmas shopping at the Barras in Glasgow. A letter from Scotland December 13
Glasgow’s Barras celebrated its centenary on Saturday. A combination of rain and Covid warnings meant the place was quiet despite the anniversary. Christmas lights were refracted in the puddles outside…
Will the Scottish Labour Party ever change its stance on Scottish independence? Letter from Scotland November 26
The Labour Party has become increasingly defined by opposition to a second referendum and to the SNP generally – but it doesn’t seem to be bearing fruit electorally. There was…
End of the Season in the North West Highlands – Brexit threatens the ecosystem. Letter from Scotland Nov 23
It is the end of the season in the north-west Highlands. Shops are on reduced hours, many restaurants, hotels and cafes are closing up. Journey times are shorter because the…
A Tanzanian Delegate’s Perspective on COP 26 in Glasgow – letter from Scotland Nov 26
We hosted Mathias Lyamunda, the chief executive of an NGO in Tanzania, as part of the HomeStay network for COP26. This gave us a glimpse of an African perspective on…
A regenerative farm in Fife may have answers for methane reduction – letter from Scotland, November 2
Food production will have to change to deliver the methane emissions reductions agreed at COP26. How will this work? Last week, I interviewed a “regenerative farmer” in Fife who may…
Anger as summit delegate unable to travel due to delay in receiving UK visa
First published in the Sunday National, November 7 – (update, Mathias receive his visa on Monday and arrives tomorrow Tuesday Nov 9 for the last days of COP26) A senior…
Is Glasgow Getting a Bad Rap in the Run-up to Cop 26? Letter from Scotland October 23
It was interesting to see on the front page of the FT last week visitors to COP26 complaining that the nearest accommodation to the conference was in Edinburgh, 45 miles…
The German elections provide a contrast to the US and UK First Past the Post System – letter from Scotland October 5
The political landscape of Germany and the UK and the US offers quite a contrast at the moment. The result of the German election means that there may be a…
Staff shortages in the health and care sector are pushing the NHS to breaking point – and they are in part the result of a “reckless” and “cynical” decision by the UK Government to push through a hard Brexit in the midst of a pandemic
First published in the Sunday National, September 26 Around one in five beds in Scotland’s major hospitals are occupied by elderly people who could be discharged – except there is…
Edinburgh’s Abbeyhill Colonies held its annual ‘Artists’Colony’ house exhibition and gala – letter from Scotland September 21
Artists in Edinburgh’s Abbeyhill Colonies opened their houses, studios or gardens to show their work in an annual garden party gala at the weekend. I know one of them, Fraser…