Yesterday, I had lunch in a little cafe in the Tollcross area of Edinburgh; it was clean, hospitable and offered an affordable menu. I had vegetable soup and bread with a coffee; it was delicious; without asking, I was brought a little jug of water, laced with a mint leaf by the waitress; I finished with a coffee and some excellent carrot cake. As I paid, the owners, a very pleasant couple, engaged in friendly conversation and I learned that they were from Turkey and enjoyed living in Edinburgh.
Read more →Archive for the politics Category
L.Alex Wilson (pictured) was a 6’3” newspaper reporter who covered the admission of nine black students into the segregated Little Rock Central High School ; attacked and beaten by a brutal, white mob he walked on, picking up his sombrero whenever he fell, intent on doing his job as a newsman; the following morning , his report of the ‘Little Rock Nine’ appeared in the Tri-State Defender ;
Read more →It was established Unionist policy to deprive Derry and the North West of economic development since it might possibly provide employment for people opposed to their rule and population growth would imperil the gerrymander operating with impunity in Derry. Unfortunately, and the denial of expansion of Magee University is a notable case, there are still clear signs that the old, Unionist protocols are intact and embedded in the thinking of those with power.
Read more →The intent of BBC Scotland’s programme to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the recent ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland was embedded in the title, ‘The War Next Door’. At a superficial level, there was an attempt to provide a semblance of balance with the early inclusion of an
Read more →Consistency, in some respects, is an admirable trait in a politician. Lord George Robertson, former Labour Secretary for Defence and Secretary General of NATO, has been consistent in his views of World Power – consistently wrong. Last night he spoke in Washington at the Brookings Institute and
Read more →I watched two TV programmes back-to-back last night, the first on RTE was ‘Thatcher – Ireland and the Iron Lady’, followed by a BBC documentary in the ‘Imagine’ series on photographer, Don McCullin. While the subjects were quite contrasting personalities, the programmes shared common themes – attitudes
Read more →The TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) has received high level coverage on BBC Scotland today for its ‘Town Hall Rich List’ . It contends that Scottish councils, and particularly Glasgow, are spending too much on wages. The Campaign Manager, Robert Oxley, was given a particularly easy time on
Read more →Watching Adrian Dunbar’s moving production of Brian Friel’s ‘Translations’ at the Kings in Edinburgh last week, it was difficult not to apply the message to 21st Century Scotland. Set in the early nineteenth century, the play explores the difficulties of dealing with a culture which is alien to
Read more →The death of Margaret Thatcher has brought predictable response from political and community groups. The Conservative Party, conscious that its chances of winning the next election are slim and that the late Baroness still commands ardent support among the dedicated faithful and in sections of a right
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