2011: the year of pay restraint, people power and giant pandas
By John Knox We are always wiser at the end of a year, but his year has made us wiser than ever. It has been a time of rude awakening. We have finally woken up to the fact that the economic bubble has...
View ArticleWeir’s Week-and-a-half: SPotY thoughts and red card red mist
By Stewart Weir Saturday 17 December With holidays and the like, Weir’s Week is a week and a bit this time. So cast your mind back to Saturday week and I’m waiting, just waiting. Because it will only...
View ArticleThe bacon roll chronicles: Herbie, 7 William Street, Edinburgh
Every bacon roll has a story to tell. Where was it bought? Why was the purchaser there? Did it taste good, or could it have been better? What sort of premises produced it? What were the serving staff...
View ArticleThe Weir’s Week Annual Awards 2011 – The Weirdos
By Stewart Weir So 2011 is nearly over and 2012 is nearly upon us. A chance to reflect, look ahead, mourn and laugh at what has gone before. And, of course, the opportunity to hand out some of the...
View ArticleUseful Scots word: drouthy
By Betty Kirkpatrick Like Christmas, Hogmanay is associated with eating and drinking, although not usually now in that order of importance. Formerly, though, Hogmanay was more associated with eating,...
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Happy new year – and some ideas for 2012 – from The Caledonian Mercury
A very happy new year to you all. Everyone at The Caledonian Mercury wishes you a’ the best for 2012. This year is a crucial one for Scotland. And a crucial one for the Caley Merc. First we have to...
View ArticleA republican salute to the Diamond Jubilee
By John Knox The Queen’s diamond jubilee has set me thinking about monarchy. Of course I am against it. Every democrat must be. “All men are created equal” is a tenet of the modern world. And yet the...
View ArticleNine and half things to thank Americans for in 2012
By Stuart Crawford Bashing our transatlantic cousins has been a popular sport for as long as I can remember, whether it be for their extraordinary dress sense, extraordinary appetites, or...
View ArticleScottish spring will reveal political fortunes for 2012 and beyond
Just how far has the Labour Party fallen in Scotland? One recent poll put Labour on 26 per cent of the vote, a mighty 25 percentage points behind the SNP. Is this a true reflection of Labour’s...
View ArticleWeir’s Week: Media monkeys and unsynchronised ticketing
By Stewart Weir Saturday This last day of 2011 is particularly enjoyable given the success of my sporting awards, or the Weirdos, as they are famously known. Well received they were, with plans to have...
View ArticleFriday song: The Big Man (and the 2011 Best Of album)
The Sensational Alex Salmond Band's latest topical song is entitled The Big Man. Not only that, however, but the band's Best Of 2011 album is now available. For your new year pleasure and general...
View ArticlePowerless on Islay: the after-effects of Hurricane Bawbag, the sequel
No email, no texts, no mobile phone coverage, no heat, no electric light, no power – it was like being back in the 1970s during the three-day week. The storm tore into Islay at 5:20am on Tuesday. By...
View ArticleUseful Scots word: douce
By Betty Kirkpatrick Every now and then someone suggests a word to be dealt with in this series of articles and all suggestions are gratefully received. Recently someone suggested the word douce, but I...
View ArticleOpinion: Will the London Olympics be the regeneration games?
By Colin Borland Doctors warn that making new year’s resolutions can lead to depression. Especially if you’re a publican, bookmaker or tobacconist. For the rest of us, our habitual failure to stay...
View Article2012: from dragons to Dickens, it’s the year of nearly everything
By John Knox We are now entering the year of the dragon, the rainforest, the co-op, the Olympics, the Jubilee, the year of culture and what-the-Dickens-else – yes him, too. The Chinese New Year begins...
View ArticleCould Canada help Scotland on minimum pricing for alcohol?
Today the Scottish parliament’s health committee is due to start hearing evidence on the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill. We’ve been here before, of course, although the last time the health...
View ArticleSt Kildan ‘postcards from the edge of the world’ reach Norway
The contents of a mailboat launched from St Kilda on 29 July 2011 have finally washed up on Norway. Knut Wågø was walking his dogs along the beach on the island of Frøya when he discovered the...
View ArticleOpinion: Give everyone a say in Scotland’s future
Martin Sime is director of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, and writes a monthly column for The Caledonian Mercury. The latest furore about the independence referendum highlights a...
View ArticleThink Trotula, not TOWIE, when it comes to beauty products
By Elizabeth McQuillan Beauty editors disgorge cosmetic and grooming advice that pouts seductively at the companies buying their advertising space and sending them expensive samples. Hungry readers...
View ArticleI, for one, welcome the intervention of our Westminster overlords
Gaun yersel, David Cameron! I, for one, welcome the intervention of our Westminster overlords. The Prime Minister’s recent agitation about Scottish independence has provoked the following response from...
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