It was a dull, grey Thursday morning at around 9.00am. Gazing out the window, my husband suddenly beckoned me to join him. Outside was a police car with blue lights…
One of the upsides of visiting the graves of thinkers I admire (or grudgingly respect) is that you see towns and cities, or parts of towns and cities, that you…
At some point in the 80s, during my stint as an undergrad at Glasgow University, my philosophy tutor, the late, great Dudley Knowles, said that upon retirement he intended to…
A sclerotic, disgustingly privileged institution, the reigning House of Windsor needs dragged by the scruff of its neck into restructuring, or abolished altogether. Although no royalist, I’ve never been a…
On 15 June, Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building was finally completely destroyed by fire. I remember well my first day of work there in March 2000. I was awestruck…
Last week I saw the musical ‘The Last Ship’ in the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, now an even more beautiful venue following refurbishment. The music and lyrics are by Sting, and…
I was reminded last week of a gravestone inscription in Honley Churchyard somewhere in England by my close friend Jackie’s emergency surgery whilst on holiday in Palma, Majorca: ‘Where ere…
I was in Tuscany on holiday last week. Like many Glaswegians, I have a special bond with this beautiful region of Italy. Over the years I have found many unusual…
In my ongoing, often futile, attempt to avoid Trump and Brexit, I miss important news. Last week I discovered that I’d missed news that the Iraqi human rights activist, the…
My thoughts this week, like many others no doubt, have been dismal. A common thread running through events has been the importance of good governance and the potentially dreadful consequences…