"Just bees, and things and flowers" Like a lot of formerly news-hungry journalists these days I can hardly bear to open the many journals I subscribe to. But today I read last week's FT Life of a Song. And Roy Ayers Sunshine blew Trump thunderstorms away. At the end of the piece, filled with enticing links and references, the author, Arwa Haider, invites readers to share … [Read more...] about Forget Trump: ‘Everybody loves the sunshine’
Health
Welfare reforms: the (unknown) Scottish dimension
Liz Kendall, work & pensions secretary, has won a lot of criticism but a few plaudits for the long-awaited “green paper” on welfare reform. Here is analysis of the main elements: PIP will not be frozen, but eligibility will be restricted The Secretary of State’s headline announcement was in line with news over the weekend, which suggested that rates will not be frozen. … [Read more...] about Welfare reforms: the (unknown) Scottish dimension
Budgets, ideas and lethargy in the Scottish Government
It has been a grim few days for the Scottish Government. First of all, the Finance Secretary, Shona Robison (pictured), outlined how an extra £1 billion of funds had to be used to fill a fiscal hole for this financial year. Leaving us wondering what on earth she was going to do for next year. Then, in the shadow of this dismal prognosis, the First Minister, John Swinney, … [Read more...] about Budgets, ideas and lethargy in the Scottish Government
Who owns Scotland’s sea lochs?
The biggest fish farming company in Scotland, MOWI, won a permanent interdict last week that says kayak-campaigner Don Staniford - or any of his associates - cannot go within 15 metres of its fish farms. In Scotland breaking an interdict carries the threat of jail. This ruling effectively means any of the environmental campaigners who work with Staniford are barred from this … [Read more...] about Who owns Scotland’s sea lochs?
Bracken: a Highland wedge issue
Picture me this weekend, trudging along a Highland road in persistent rain, my not-very-showerproof jacket clinging soggily to my shirt. As I pass through a village, the water stops suddenly as if a tap has been turned off. The sun doesn’t exactly come out, but the soft air brightens and the earth starts to smell the way it does after rain. Birds sing and I drink in the scent … [Read more...] about Bracken: a Highland wedge issue