Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson I am somewhat embarrassed to admit it, but sometimes I think politicians are given a hard time. I suspect that if many of us were to be judged on the standards we expect of…
Continue ReadingLive music – the gift that keeps on giving
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra opened its new season in Glasgow last night. It was a blistering occasion – a heady mixture of Russian music, Mussorgsky’s Night on the Bare Mountain, Scriabin’s Piano Concerto and Shostakovich’s tenth symphony. The…
Continue ReadingSalmond: Scotland’s Independence martyr
Alex Salmond’s shock resignation in the aftermath of the independence referendum result brings an end to one of the most colourful political careers in Scottish politics. And Salmond’s influence stretched far beyond Scotland. The Westminster press corp regarded him…
Continue ReadingIan Paisley and the Zelig Complex
One of the downsides of the explosion in blogging, micro-blogging and online publishing is the emergence of the Zelig Complex. Those of a certain age will remember the Woody Allen film in which his character inserts himself into historic events. Zelig…
Continue ReadingUnionism’s Last Stand
They’ll be playing the Sash in Edinburgh on Saturday when the Orange Order takes to the Scottish capital’s streets to oppose independence. But it may be the last hurrah for unionism. There’s a bandwagon rolling, and it’s got the…
Continue Reading