Useful Scots word: happit
By Betty Kirkpatrick Much of November has been extraordinarily mild, but doubtless this will change and the real winter will be upon us before you can say Jack Frost. Then it will be time to make sure...
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Scottish unemployment at 8 per cent as ‘economic outlook worsens’
Unemployment in Scotland is up by 5,000, with some 215,000 recorded as out of work in the three months from July to September. It means that the unemployment rate north of the border stands at 8 per...
View ArticleImagine if Loch Lomond was Loch Loo-mond: World Toilet Day
A shocking new image reveals how one Scotland's most cherished bodies of water would look if we had to endure the same sanitary conditions as 2.6 billion people worldwide. Released by Domestos to mark...
View ArticleFriday song: Morning Star
The Sensational Alex Salmond Band have produced a video and download by way of accompaniment to their new EP, Hackgate. Written and performed by furious Fife funnyman Tommy Mackay, the new song is...
View ArticleWeir’s Week: Phase 40, a blind summit and gaffemeister Blatter
By Stewart Weir Saturday Whether it's because there wasn’t any meaningful football on (and I include England vs Spain in that category), but rugby union dominated many of the sporting headlines, both...
View ArticleWhy civil society is vital to finding the answers on press regulation
By Douglas White As the Leveson Inquiry embarks upon its first formal hearings this week, it is already clear that the debate about the future of press regulation – one of the key issues that the...
View ArticleBrilliant Edinburgh celebrate the most extraordinary of comebacks
“Quite simply, the best game I have ever been to,” said one. “How did they do it?” asked another. “Never, ever have I seen anything like that,” said a third as the fans stumbled dazed out of...
View ArticleVideo: Glasgow’s whisky festival
This weekend saw 900 people attend the Glasgow Whisky Festival. The Caledonian Mercury went along as well. Related posts:The Nose, Wham’s Dram and Whisky Live GlasgowBeer, glue and the Glasgow...
View ArticleSNP win the lottery as EuroMillionaires make massive donation
Britain’s most successful lottery winners, Colin and Chris Weir from Ayrshire, today donated £1 million to the SNP’s referendum campaign. The Weirs, who won £161 million on the EuroMillions draw in...
View ArticleOpinion: We should be favouring the young in the Age of Austerity
By John Knox With youth unemployment in the UK breaking through the one million mark, and 100,000 in Scotland, it is time to rebalance our national resources towards young people. In the panic of the...
View ArticleDiary: A strain, a stroll – and a tale of two car parks
It’s a limbo that comes along every now and then – not 100 per cent fit, but not crocked enough to stay indoors and fester – and so I found myself on the western side of the Ben Lawers range last...
View ArticleNever mind Christmas, there are still lessons to learn from Halloween
By Charlie Laidlaw It’s that time of year when our thoughts turn to Santa Claus, turkey and how to keep Aunt Mabel off the sherry. But we’ve also recently celebrated, if that’s the right word, another...
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Massive pay imbalances ‘corrosive’ to UK economy, commission finds
There is something wrong with our society when reports on two consecutive days highlight the enormous gap between the rich and poor. Today’s Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings shows just how many...
View ArticleOpinion: Safe or not safe? The doublespeak over depleted uranium
By Bill Wilson On 22 February 2011, I received a somewhat bizarre letter from Liam Fox, the then minister for defence, in response to a letter I had sent him regarding the use of depleted uranium (DU)...
View ArticleVideo: Muirhouse Christmas
Earlier this year, The Caledonian Mercury featured the work of Edinburgh-based film-maker Garry Fraser. Here is his latest video, Muirhouse Christmas. MUIRHOUSE CHRISTMAS- DIRECTORS CUT from Garry...
View ArticleUseful Scots word: besom
By Betty Kirkpatrick Scots is not lacking in ways of indicating our disapproval or contempt for others. Many of the nouns that fall into this category are either unisex or used mainly of men. However,...
View ArticleWeir’s Week: Goodbye from Gudgin and up all night with Sachin
By Stewart Weir Saturday The first day of the weekend, traditionally our biggest sporting day, often provides a bit of a mixed bag. South Africa these days is a unified nation, which on a sporting...
View ArticleFriday song: St Andrews
The Sensational Alex Salmond Band have produced a video by way of accompaniment to their new EP, Hackgate. Written and performed by the Scourge of Fife, Tommy Mackay, the new song is entitled St...
View ArticleGerald Laing, pioneer of Pop Art, 1936–2011
By Bill Heaney The artist Gerald Laing has died at his home, Kinkell Castle on the Black Isle, aged 75. Laing was best known for his iconic images, which included as the remarkable 1962 portrait of...
View ArticleOpinion: Inter-generational justice and the energy debate
By John Knox Perhaps it is because I have just become a grandfather, but I am increasingly worried about how my granddaughter will heat her home and power her life in 30 years’ time. We have great...
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