Darren McGarvey
Down to the river of death
‘This deep, dark watery grave is the only symbol of the city’s sharp industrial decline that we can’t privatise, close down or demolish. It’s the only thing we can’t wash our hands of or blame…
The moral certainty trap
There is every chance that the strident, morally certain progressives of the future will look at us in much the same way we look at the slave owners. And much the same way the slave…
A steep learning curve
“With so many reasons to avoid sex, whether it be long days working and longer nights with the baby, and so many alternatives at my finger-tips, it can be tempting to neglect this area of…
Fatherhood fears
In the second extract from his diary, Loki reflects on his fears of being a Dad but getting closer to his own parents. “Intimate relationships are very challenging and the feelings of vulnerability are overwhelming…
A dad’s first baby diary: the annunciation
“I grew up in an environment where parental figures were under a lot of pressure and stress. In fact, many difficulties of childhood came as a direct result of our collective inability to express and…
Digital driftwood in a sea of social media
“The only way to navigate the social media landscape is to make a personal commitment to always try and return to a place of acute awareness of its danger and absurdity.” Loki on the need…
Are you as smart as Alan Cumming?
The post-EUref blame game continues in a political world darkened by terror and hate. Here Loki pokes fun instead at some crass remarks on the ‘stupid English’ by pro-indy actor Alan Cumming (who now says…
Diary of a social media junky
Social media all too often create a “cacophonous crescendo of confusion” among writers and audience alike. Loki, who’s sometimes sworn to go off it, takes a wry look at himself (and others) as he reaches…
The Sun, the SNP and a new Scotland
Politicians are in the game of professional cynicism, argues Loki in his latest philippic. Posing with and for The Sun goes with the territory. Yet we were promised a new politics in Scotland, not the…
Holding our own feet to the fire
Loki stirred up a hornet’s nest among Yes supporters when he wrote on the STV website why he won’t vote SNP on May 5 but for RISE. Here he explains more about why he’s saying…
Consumers or citizens in fighting depression?
In the second part of his (self-) examination of mental health issues in Scotland Loki urges the citizen to take an existentialist approach: heal thyself by looking within. We are responsible; governments don’t or won’t…
Inequality and mental illness: boxed in
The Scottish Government has given a few extra millions to mental health services but ministers know rising mental health illness is linked to poverty and inequality and do nothing to tackle these. Time for civil…