Who spoke for us?
Making policy that protects the most vulnerable without using a sledgehammer to crack a nut can be a challenging business. Combine that with a tenor of policy debate in Scotland which, because of the political landscape, can quickly become binary and you have something of a perfect storm.
On being my fathers’ son
‘You only get one dad.’ I don’t know Ricky Ross. But those were his words to me in a Twitter exchange the week after my adoptive dad died last year. The conversation arose because I had thanked Ricky for his solo concert at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall a few days earlier. In particular, I mentioned his […]
The road less traveled by
“I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” The final two lines of Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken, take me back to a turning point in my life that I had cause to reflect on at the recent Stonewall Scotland Equal at Work conference. I had been […]
A place called home
There’s a neon sign on the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art not far from where I stay. It’s an installation by the artist Martin Creed which reads ‘Everything is going to be alright’. I’m not normally a lover of installation art. But this piece just works. Its sublime message wraps me with reassurance. And over […]
What Ken should have said – and still could
Here’s a thing. I cut my political teeth just over the river from Ken Livingstone’s GLC, as secretary of NALGO at Westminster City Council. It was led at the time by one of his arch enemies, one Lady Shirley Porter. I only met Ken very briefly a couple of times. I didn’t especially warm to […]
An unlikely hero for athletics’ darkest hour
This is apparently athletics’ darkest hour. Lord Coe has responded by acknowledging that the sport faces a long road to redemption. If he’s looking for inspiration to tackle the crisis that has engulfed him within weeks of landing the sport’s top job, he could do worse than take some from Saturday’s Scottish Short Course Cross […]
On the death of a friend in shot gun alley
On Monday I lost a good friend in shot gun alley. I’m told that’s a term for our 50s. The idea is that if you make it through the random fire of premature death you’ll probably live to a ripe old age. I’ve no idea of the veracity of the claim. But on hearing of […]
Rainbow Laces comes to Scottish athletics
One of the big sports stories of the last week has been the decision of rugby league star Keegan Hirst to come out. People have rightly praised his bravery. But others will be probably be thinking surely it doesn’t matter, it’s nobody’s business but his own. However, the very fact that it’s such an uncommon […]
On being one of the 1 in 4 (and the road back)
In September I will take on the position of chair of the board of trustees at SAMH, Scotland’s leading mental health charity. This post explains why I got involved with SAMH and one of the things I hope to bring to the role. PART ONE It’s the summer of 2002. I’m 41 years old. I’m […]
Ten fault lines at the heart of the Farron affair
Much has been written and spoken about Tim Farron’s views on homosexuality. Initially, I hadn’t intended to add my voice to the mix. But the more I’ve explored the coverage, the more I’ve been struck by a series of tensions and contradictions in the commentary. This piece is in part about Farron but also about […]