Articles

3rd August 2020

Opinion – The Lairds

  Former Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson is lined up for a peerage and the reactions are as predictable as dropping a fist-sized chunk of magnesium in a sink of water (©my high school Chemistry supply teacher). “Reward for what?” is the standard printable response and one that underlines one of the two fundamental problems people have with the House […]
10th June 2020

‘Leslie Wilson, the man no prison camp could hold!’

He never spoke about it… There’s usually a trigger for iScot stories, though it’s not always obvious at the time. Back in November last year, I read something that made me search online for a Channel 4 documentary, Dunkirk: The Forgotten Heroes, that tells the story of the 51st (Highland) Division who were left behind in France after the Dunkirk […]
15th March 2020

Some Suggestions for Community Self-Help in the Virus Crisis

These suggestions have been prepared for general use and especially for the vulnerable in society such as those with heart/lung disorders, the elderly (over 60s) and immune-suppressed, for example, those on chemotherapy. Check your neighbours, particularly the elderly and/or vulnerable. Minimise exposure by avoiding public transport, public gatherings and groups of people (e.g. in pubs, restaurants and places of worship). […]
2nd February 2020

The Big Light

Candles mean different things to different folk; women like smelly ones, or those in fancy colours with sparkles, glitter and wee mysterious speckles on the surface. Some of us light candles in churches, perhaps particularly abroad on holidays or pilgrimage, in special or hallowed places when we take time to remember those who have gone before us. And though candles […]
10th September 2019

Section 30 Is Not Scotland’s Salvation

I wonder if those who say things like “we are not at the end of the Section 30 order road” have ever stopped to think about what a Section 30 order actually is. When I hear people insisting that a Section 30 order is absolutely required for a referendum on restoring Scotland’s independence to be ‘legal and ‘binding’, I tend […]
5th June 2019

“Have you seen any penises yet?”

“Have you seen any penises yet?” “No, but looks like a couple of folk wrote an essay on Brexit.” “Is that our pile?” “No, that’s the Lib Dems.” “Cor.”  When you’re doing the observations in a counting hall, you have to make your own (doodle-free) entertainment. As the night wore on and the stacks piled up in the Edinburgh hall, […]
18th April 2019

Letters : Itchy Feet

Dear Editor, As ever I’m enjoying the latest iScot magazine, and there seemed to be a bit of a theme going on about IndyRef2, ‘caw canny’ – ‘bide y’r time’. I was reminded the other day of this saying by John Lennon. “Life happens when you are planning other things” Last Friday, I went to the bank and cancelled all […]
5th April 2019

Reframing # 2

Thanks to the many people who contacted me about the article on reframing. I have had many very interesting questions regarding how to apply reframing in the current political climate. Perhaps it is worth restating some of the fundamental principles of framing and reframing, then we will look at how to apply them and answer some of the most common questions. One of the […]
3rd April 2019

Reframing # 1

Framing and Reframing have been receiving lots of publicity recently. Indeed it has been said that this is perhaps the most significant topic in our drive to restore Scotland to its natural state as a sovereign nation, playing its full part on the world stage. Framing in one form or another has been extensively studied, researched and indeed applied for […]