Yet another new blog

Let's re-write this the way it should be: * Who clad the building in dangerous flammable plastic because it was marginally cheaper than the fire proof stuff? Politicians . * Who decided to use "austerity" as an excuse to lay off 10,000+ firefighters and close dozens of fire stations? Politicians . * Who repeatedly ignored Grenfell residents' concerns that the building was a dangerous fire trap? Politicians . * Who turned up at the scene of the disaster and arrogantly refused to even talk to local people? Politicians . * Who callously failed to rehouse Grenfell survivors? Politicians . Put the blame where it belongs: on the people in charge. Not the poor bloody infantry.

Sorry, this is a long read... When I was 34, I was working full time in a promoted post in a Scottish school. As well as teaching full time, I was directing the school shows. Taking groups of kids to France every summer. Marking exam papers every year for the Scottish Exam Board. Running night classes in French for adults through the winter. Going to yoga class. Learning Gaelic. And suddenly, it all came to a halt: one day I lost the power of my right side. My right hand shook (still does, in fact). My right knee gave way a lot. My right eye began to droop and the eyeball disappeared down into my cheek. My speech was hesitant. (Bad news if you're a teacher). I was referred to a hospital in Glasgow. Within 5 minutes of my arrival, the registrar told me I was in the wrong place and would have to go to a different hospital, where they dealt with neurological problems. He phoned a pal. I got a taxi there and was admitted. The next few days are a blur - lots of tests, lumbar punct...

I don't normally take any interest in the royal family. In fact, I'm looking forward to the referendum after independence that will turn Scotland into a republic and see land taken into public ownership rather than hung on to by members of the royal family and their titled hangers-on. But yesterday I started reading an article in The National by Kevin McKenna about the royals that was so over-the-top it made me laugh in places. The article was about the poor relationship between Prince Harry and his wife and the London newspapers and I could feel the resentment of this journalist oozing off the page. McKenna thinks the royals are parasites. In a way, you can only laugh when you read stuff like this because it's one set of parasites having a go at another set of parasites. McKenna is a journalist and don't let us forget how he earns his wages. He may not be as well paid as another parasite called Boris Johnson who was paid a quarter of a million quid a year to lie ...

Despite 13 years of school education and 7 years of higher education, I now realise I have always been woefully ignorant about, not just Scottish history but the political history of, call it what you like: the UK, the British Isles, Great Britain, The Union. Now I've read enough, seen enough and heard enough to be able to ask: what is this thing called The Union? It's not an object. It has no physical presence in any parliament, except as a title. But it is very important to many people, both those who support it and those who want to get rid of it. What is The Union for? I can see why both England and Scotland wanted it back in 1707. England had fought many wars with Scotland and always had this potential enemy on its doorstep, a neighbour which had long allied itself with England's traditional enemies, such as France. The crowns of England and Scotland were already united. (I wonder if the Stewart dynasty saw this as being to the advantage of Scotland, rather tha...

Well, as of Monday night, it wasn't Syria. Nor Catalonia. Not even brexit. It was football. Specifically, it was English footballers being racially abused by a small group of Bulgarian supporters at an international match. I'm going to take a quick shot at English football here: for years and years the UK media taunted Scotland football fans over the bad behaviour of a small group at international matches. Even when it was clear that the Tartan Army had helped to clean up the fans' act, the taunts went on. It is one of life's ironies that the team now on the receiving end is the English team. The Bulgarian supporters crept away quietly at the end of the match, hiding behind masks and hoodies, having brought the game to a halt twice, caused the resignation of their own head of football and led English UEFA to be accused along with the Bulgarians. Of course they crept away. They're cowards. They like the anonymity of being able to show off to their mates in...

I do opinion polls. For money. I do about 4 on a regular basis. It doesn't take up much time and every so often a nice wee cheque drops through my letterbox. One organisation is based in Scotland and the others are UK-wide. The summer is pretty quiet poll-wise but now that brexit has hotted up again, the polls are everywhere. You'll find these polling companies advertising for members on Facebook, but there are things you have to know before you sign up: - Some polls, especially on consumer goods and services, exclude people over the age of 50. People that age don't spend as much on consumer goods as young people. You can find yourself getting bounced out as soon as they know your age so they can focus on young people. - Others, the political ones, are quite keen to question older people, but you should ask why: is it because they're looking for traditional right wing voters? And does that influence the way they phrase their questions? - Some polling companies a...

Well, no, it's not. Not yet anyhow. We've still got 10 weeks to go. Last year, I gave up on Christmas cards and donated the money saved to Glasgow South-west Foodbank. I commend this action to the house and I will do it again this year. I can give you their bank details if you want them. Also this year, I think I will give up on wrapping paper and gift tags. The problem with that is it kinda looks mean - or even, since my sister and her man often share the cost of prezzies and thus wrapping paper - as if I'm dodging my Christmas duties. And then, I find myself wondering,why am I 'doing' Christmas at all? I'm an atheist. I gave up all interest in religion when I was about 13. I have had to fake it for weddings, christenings and funerals. But honestly, even if there was a prophet called Jesus Christ or Mohammad or...sorry, I've run out names...it doesn't matter to me. Not that I want to stop other people celebrating Christmas. If people are happy to ...

...You know, China is challenged by the USA as industrial king of the world, and trouble breaks out in Hong Kong - again. Stories are leaked reporting that Uighur people are being imprisoned in large numbers in the far west of China. The Uighurs are mostly Sunni Moslems. That should get Islamist extremists worked up. And China is fingered as the most polluting country in the world. Donald Trump, president of the genuinely most polluting country in the world, remains as keen as ever to make friends wherever he goes: he claims to be a defender of the Kurds but allows Turkey to bomb parts of Syria where the population is made up of large numbers of Kurds. NATO says that's okay as long as the bombing is 'in moderation.' Any Americans reading this ever come across a bomb? Let alone a 'moderate' bomb? The UK has already made it known the Tory government will support Trump in actions against Iran. That means American and British boots on the ground in yet another Middle ...

This is a meme published on twitter today by Leave.eu.  Is this really what Angela Merkel 'demanded' should happen? Did this experienced and respected European politician really want Britain to 'rot inside the Customs Union'? If so, why?  Leave.eu is an anti-EU Facebook page. It is headed up by Arron Banks. I refuse to pass on his link but you can google it. Arron Banks is a nasty bit of work but a rich bit of work. In the brexit campaign, he threw a lot of money at those who wanted to leave the EU. He has many offshore contacts and an obvious talent for making money. Sadly this talent isn't at the disposal of you and me. It's really for making Arron and his pals richer. There are so many things to say about this picture. First, it's quite true: we didn't 'win two world wars' - whoever 'we' are. If it hadn't been for the Russians, western Europe would be knee deep in Nazis right now. Yes, there were two world wars in the...

...and how to keep it away from the Scots. I just started a futurelearn course on Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites. This is part of my ongoing attempt to put together a proper history of Scotland, having been taught nothing in school bar Mary Queen of Scots got her head chopped off and Robert Bruce took refuge in a cave and met a spider. I'm about half way through the first week and so far I am - as Janey Godley would say - ragin . This week the course is fronted by a professor from Embra University who is talking a lot about 'material culture'. She means objects from the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie. If we ever get to see an object, rather than just listening to the professor, it'll be a miracle. Right now, we're ploughing through the professor's overEMphasised, overpreCISE, dogMAtic presentATion. If she was here, I'd be saying: 'Right, hen, we've got that! Now move on.' In fact, no, that's not true: if she was here, I 'd...

There are columns I try not to miss in The National but I'll admit Michael Fry's is not one of them. I find his views quite hard to take. He calls himself 'a classical liberal.' To be honest, I'm not too sure what that is. Well, I know what the individual words mean, just not what the phrase adds up t Today his column seemed to give him the right to slag off Greta Thunberg, take a few pot-shots at the alternative sources of power Scotland is pretty famous for (wind power especially) and conclude that capitalism as the way to save us all. His column is supposed to be about economist William Nordhaus, a Yale professor, but you can read the whole thing and learn next to nothing about Nordhaus - though you'll learn a few things about Michael Fry. He spends a lot of time attacking Greta Thunberg. I see few signs of his liberalism here, just the usual elderly white man's response to her: he says she 'bawled' at the UN, that she's a product of of ...