Culture
Scottish TV channel could be non-starter
Nicola Sturgeon’s call for a dedicated Scottish TV channel is a good idea and has been widely welcomed but there are plenty of obstacles in its way – such as who runs it and who…
Poetically challenged: satirical lines on party leaders
Corbynmania has spawned a book of dedicated poems but what of other political figures? Fay Young casts an acerbic and affectionate eye over other political poems, including Ron Butlin’s ode to Tony Blair.
Modernity and Hogg’s Confessions of a justified sinner
One of the highlights of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival is undoubtedly a new production of Paul Bright’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner, which runs between August 19 and 22.
A Very British Coup, revisited
A Very British Coup, Chris Mullin’s 1982 thriller about a radical Labour leader brought down by a fearful establishment makes for fascinating re-reading in light of Jeremy Corbyn’s unexpected success in this year’s leadership campaign.
Scottish Government’s GM crop ban could damage public health
The GM crop ban deprives a nation with a high incidence of heart disease of a potentially ready supply of Omega-3, an essential ingredient for combatting cardiovascular weakness
Fringe no longer defies the norm but plays safe
This year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe slogan – “defying the norm since 1947” – might make for good marketing. But it hardly reflects the role of the world’s largest arts festival accurately. Far from supporting risk,…
Breaking dementia’s silence with poetry
On the day that the world is shown potential break-through drugs for treating Alzheimer’s, we show via Paula Jennings how poetry can break down the barriers with others experienced by dementia sufferers
Noches: nights for Neruda in Edinburgh
The great Chilean poet, diplomat and politician inspired and continues to inspire Scots, bringing together people of disparate yet similar minds in celebration of a great artist and man.
In my country: a poem for refugee week
This week sees World Refugee Day marking the huge rise in people seeking asylum, escape, sanctuary around the globe in the face of increasingly savage local/regional wars. Here we look at how Jackie Kay evokes…
Sex and sensuality
One hundred years after the Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock was published Fay Young reflects on how Eliot’s poem fits our “deranged and unbalanced” 21st century.
Politics and a vote for love
WB Yeats would no doubt be celebrating with Colm Tóibín the outcome of the referendum on gay marriage in Ireland. And, says Fay Young, his message on love still applies to the North.
