The World According to Michael
In the early morning mist I keep a lookout for cyclists. The light turns green, and to my right a mother on a bike transporter, with her child on board, accelerates. A younger sporty guy on a mountain bike is in a hurry, and a teenage pedestrian slowly crosses staring at her phone. Taking a…
Another Time, Another Place
The story goes, that my Auntie Rita broke down in tears during a visit to the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle. She had discovered the name of her uncle James among the dead of the Great War. He belonged to the unlucky one-in-five of enlisted Scots who never returned from the trenches. Seeing his name and…
Letter from Denmark: National Consciousness
There are two ways to see the Danish parliament. The first is a standard 45-minute guided walk about. The second is the longer ‘Kunstomvisning’, or art tour. I suggested to my wife that she give up her sacred Saturday morning downtime to join me. Unexpectedly, she agreed. There’s track work between the Eastbridge (Østerbro) Station and Copenhagen Central.…
The Distance of the Years
“You wouldn’t recognise Duke Street now,” my sister says, “it’s all bric-a-brac stores.” Lizzie is the only one of the litter who has remained close to our roots. Today, she lives just across from my primary school at the top of Armadale Street. Her daily shopping trips take her along the Parade, though she clearly…
Letter from Denmark: Libraries, Liars, and Lucia
I’m fumbling to find my yellow health insurance card. All Danish citizens and residents have one. It doubles as a kind of multi-purpose ID. You need it at the dentist or doctor, but this little credit-card sized bit of plastic also lets you into the library. As it happens, there’s no need for its magnetic…
Cafe Karisma: Through the Stones
The first snow of winter arrived in east Denmark the other day. There’s now a mad rush for winter tyres. Most Danes have these extra wheels stored somewhere. Mine are with Jonas, my local dealer, who took about 15 minutes to make the switch early this morning. So, I’m on an errand in Helsingør, on…
The Scottish National Congress
Discussion about Scotland’s territorial integrity and the plunder of the nation’s resources by the British state (London). The discussion is hosted by Iain Lawson, chair of the Scottish National Congress Steering Group – guests include Dr Alf Baird, Phil Boswell, and Sara Salyers.
Speech by Leah Gunn Barrett
Today’s UK Supreme Court decision preventing the Scottish Parliament from holding an advisory referendum is not only irrelevant but also illegal because Scotland’s constitution is still in force, in principle and under international law. There was never any need for the SNP leadership to ask another nation’s court for permission to do something we’ve always…
Meeting Mr R
Olof Palme was an unknown to my daughter’s boyfriend. So I tried to explain, in a few brief sentences, that he was the last great Nordic statesman, and that he had followed in the footsteps of Dag Hammarskjold. ‘How come I’ve never heard of him?’ he asked. ‘Well, you were born after his death and…
From Louisiana to Drumossie Moor
Enter the foyer of the local sports hall and you’re facing several posters from Louisiana. No, not the US state, but the museum of modern art on the coast not far from here. On another wall is an example of today’s ballot paper. This venue is the local polling centre. Today is being promoted as ‘demokratiets dag’ in…
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