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SCOTLAND DIVIDED

SCOTLAND DIVIDED

‘I want Scotland to be at the heart of Europe’, the young Mary Queen of Scots tells her courtiers in David Greig’s fine production of Linda Mclean ‘s play, ‘Glory on Earth’,  at the Lyceum Theatre. Sharing the stage for most of the action is volatile preacher,

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ROOTS OF RADICALISATION

ROOTS OF RADICALISATION

    ‘Fxxx off back to your chapel’, Father, ‘where you belong’. Along with others, I was on the street in Derry in January 1969, trying to stop a group of youngsters from throwing stones at the RUC. A futile exercise but a social learning experience with the

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Is it a sin to vote Tory?

Is it a sin to vote Tory?

Those few remaining Church goers in Scotland may have find some additional challenges to face tomorrow morning.  As well as the polite smiles exchanged between worshippers, covert glances will seek to answer the question – did they vote Tory?  It was a secret ballot and only those

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Theresa May does an Arlene in Glasgow

Theresa May does an Arlene in Glasgow

Margaret Thatcher came to Edinburgh in 1988 and delivered,  what  the Scottish Press branded,  ‘The Sermon on the Mound’  to the General  Assembly of the Church of Scotland. It was largely a para-theological justification for her views on capitalism and the free market. ‘Christianity is about spiritual

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FAKE NEWS IS NOT NEWS

FAKE NEWS IS NOT NEWS

 Gerald Beadle, the first Station Director at the BBC in Belfast was appointed by Reith in 1926. Fake News must have been foremost in his mind when he wrote later that year to Reith saying,  “I am sure that our position here will be strengthened immensely if

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HOKEY-COKEY WITH CHURCHILL

HOKEY-COKEY WITH CHURCHILL

What does one war- monger give another when visiting?  Tony Blair found the ideal present in a bust of the notorious imperialist, Churchill. George W. was duly impressed and the gift was given pride of place in his Oval Office. As American and British forces bombed civilian

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