Government needs to call in this disastrous plan for O2 site
In contrast, Councillor Eva Bolander raised the point that 'dereliction of duty' led to the committee being "bounced" into approving the demolition of the ABC and they were now being "bounced" into approving the student accommodation. Accordingly, Cllr Bolander rightly voted against the plans.
It is clear that this approval has to be referred to the First Minister and that there should be a proper hearing to give Historic Environment Scotland, The Glasgow School of Art, and particularly the residents of Garnethill, among the many of the 130 who objected, an opportunity to respond to a development which in the short term will be damaging for them and in the long term a disaster for the School of Art and the city.
Professor Alan Dunlop FRIAS, Aberfoyle.
Read more letters
Scots are not so grumpy
We read that a report based on annual life satisfaction data found that 13 per cent of Scots live below a "Happiness Poverty Line" ("Scots 'happier than those in England and Wales but still dissatisfied with life'", The Herald, June 19).
We are also advised from that report that more than one in 10 Scots are dissatisfied with life in the UK, but people are happier there than those in England and Wales with regard to staying in the UK. I suspect that there will be many who find that comparison with England and Wales difficult to take on board, particularly those who are of the same mind once expressed by PG Wodehouse, writer and humorist : "It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine".
Ian W Thomson, Lenzie.
Why are folk so lazy?
Some years ago my mother's neighbour phoned me to say she was concerned for her safety as my mother, who was in her mid-nineties, was up on a pair of steps cutting her hedge. I was by that time helping her a bit and had obviously not got there quick enough.
Recently I passed her house and she would be turning in her grave to see the once-neat hedge sadly left to grow too high and too wide and overhanging and obstructing the pavement.
Around our city hedges and trees are often unkempt and a disgrace.
Surely some legislation should be passed to ensure owners, landlords and tenants are obliged to keep hedges next to pavements neat and tidy.
We need to care more for our dear green city. Where is our pride and respect?
Jim Barbour, Glasgow.
Literary prophets
Now in my ninth decade I decided to re-read the short stories written by Ray Bradbury.
When I was in my teens these were plausible fantasies about science fiction and other possibilities. What still gets to me is the way that Bradbury painted with words, making my mind see scenes that were amazing and distressing.
I am only a short way into a collection by Bantam Books named "Classic Stories Volume 1" and realise that this writer was a prophet in the truest sense of the word. These stories are from his original collection, The Golden Apples of the Sun, and while they were enjoyable to read as a teenager the two that so far stand out are "I See You Never" about a Mexican immigrant being deported from the USA back to Mexico. This was written in 1947. The other, from 1953, is "The Murderer" and concerns the imposition of mass and social media on society. We are there right now.
My other go-to author is Issac Asimov, who predicted hand-held computers, flat-screen televisions and AI among lots of other things that we now have and take for granted.
Anyone interested in considering what might happen next should read these authors if they haven't already done so and just enjoy great writing at the very least that stretches the imagination.
Ian Gray, Croftamie.
Keith Lasley, St Mirren's COO (Image: SNS)
A very Scottish coo
I can face the day with a smile, imagining St Mirren Football Club's Chief Operating Officer ("Scottish football clubs have to think smarter", Agenda, The Herald, June 20) being asked at party what he does for a living. " I'm a COO".
"Upon a hill I saw a coo, if it wis there, it's no there noo" (source uncertain).
David Miller, Milngavie.
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The Herald Scotland
10 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
I found Sarah Vine's book unexpectedly heart-wrenching
If you were an aspiring politician seeking to annexe a seat anywhere south of Liverpool (and you'd be amazed how many Scots have done so) then be conversant with this woman's weekly chronicles. When I met her to discuss her book amidst the streets that form her Kensington hunting grounds, she'd written that day about the kitchen psycho-drama of Prince Harry's fractured (and probably irredeemable) relationship with his father, King Charles. In Scotland, we who fancy ourselves to be above these royal tribulations, dismiss them and cite them as evidence in the case against the Union. In England though, and most especially in working-class neighbourhoods, the Windsors' bizarre rituals are Shakespearian. They take sides and cheer on their champions from this cursed House. Read more Kevin McKenna: It's not long though – just a few pages, really – until (horror of horrors) you find yourself emotionally captured by her story of being married to the former Tory cabinet minister, Michael Gove. And how a once happy union was chiselled out by Brexit and by the class structure that still exists at the top of the Tories on which they spend a lot of money and time to conceal from the rest of us. You begin investing in this story about how Westminster's political thresher (and maybe Holyrood's too) can steal your soul if you're foolish enough to believe you can surf it and remain upright. It's also about surviving as a woman amidst the casual sexism that still pervades my industry and the outright misogyny that runs through Big Politics. There are startling moments, not least an egregiously misogynistic insult aimed at her by the comedian, Stewart Lee, in his Observer column. 'As a student, David Cameron is rumoured to have put his penis into a dead pig. To outdo him, Michael Gove put his penis into a Daily Mail journalist.' On a family trip to New York, they're spotted by another British couple. Not even the presence of their two children – 10 and 12 – spares them. 'W****** like you shouldn't be allowed to have children,' shouted the woman. 'The point I was trying to make, is one about the one process of dehumanisation,' she tells me. 'They don't see you as a person. I write for the Daily Mail and I was married to a Tory. So the normal rules of decency are suspended.' Vine admires current Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch (Image: Stefan Rousseau) She admires the current Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch. 'She's got the balls to do it; she's got the appetite and is feisty and she has a vision and isn't afraid to ram it home. We're told that one dog year equals seven human years. It's the same with politicians.' She's right, of course. Politicians seem to age before our eyes in the term of a single parliament. Ms Vine's story – even without the politics and the tiaras – is a compelling one. Of a girl living in Italy where her affluent parents had moved to embrace la dolce vita amidst their extra-marital affairs and the tantrums that followed them and who felt like an ugly duckling in a school full of young Mediterranean beauties. Of being psychologically abused by her dad, who seemed embarrassed at his daughter's physical appearance (she still frets about her weight and discusses her alopecia and her anti-depressants). One entry leaves you shredded. It's when, as a teenager, she returns to Italy for the summer from boarding school in England where she'd starved herself into something approaching svelte. Her dad now felt she was fit enough for him to be seen in public with her in Italian café society, at one point instructing her 'to wiggle for a table'. I found this heart-wrenching to the extent that I immediately resolved to call my own two daughters and just, you know, be closer to them. What things were said and unsaid; how many were the hugs not given? She tells me that the stuff about her dad needed to be in there 'to explain who I am and what I am and why I'm so flawed'. She'd sent the book to her brother. 'Is this okay? You were there too; you remember all that stuff.' He'd called and said: 'Sarah, honestly, you've been far too nice.' She had called her dad to tell him there was material in the book he may find uncomfortable. 'He said 'Oh alright then, and went back to watching the telly'.' Back to England then and university (languages) and falling into journalism after a fateful encounter with some of Fleet Street's finest in one of their taverns. And then meeting Michael Gove on a skiing trip with the nucleus of what would later be called 'the Notting Hill Set': There's a perception among Scottish journalists that the old English newspaper titles are populated by the scions of old families who weren't considered smart enough for high political office and thus favours had to be called in. Ms Vine though, is a proper old-school journalist who has held down most jobs in the gnarly business of producing newsprint. There's no question of her not having earned her position. I was once asked what had made the Mail so popular across all classes in England. The best I could come up with was that they represented the Margo Leadbetter character in The Good Life. In one episode, she's in a long Post Office queue being truculently fobbed off at the counter. 'I am the voice of the Silent Majority,' she'd said. Margo seemed to embody those English stereotypes we both love and hate: of enduring challenges with stalwart resilience because, well … being English obliges you to care without showing it; to be silent in adversity, confident perhaps that you'll have your moment and that it will be a terrible one indeed. I love them for it and loathe them in equal measure. Perhaps though, it's that early Italian influence on Ms Vine that enkindled her desire in this book to settle a few scores; to chivvy those who were inconstant or who disappeared when she was deemed no longer to possess a social cachet. It's not revenge, as such, more an abjuration that they should perhaps have known that this day would come when the smart, sassy columnist – the Wednesday Witch in Daily Mail parlance – would strap on her stilettoes and have her day in long form with one of Britain's top publishers. The inside story of Brexit and how it laid waste to relationships and brought families to the brink of breaking up is a dominant theme. Did it wreck her own – happy – marriage to Michael Gove who is now out of politics entirely? Or, would they still have split? Would he always have been drawn like a moth to the flame of politics; while she with her daily, acerbic registers refused to adopt the role of dutiful Tory wife bred to endure and to absorb and to be silent? In the end it wasn't a clash of personalities, or infidelity or excessive drinking; or abnormal behaviour which sealed the split, but the sight of her husband choosing to absent himself with a book in the upstairs bedroom of their new home while she and her elderly mum (who had flown from Italy to help with the flitting) did all the heavy lifting. Before then, a sense of isolation had begun to settle on them both. The gradual, wretched realisation that for all their brains and unprivileged endeavour; for their wit and charisma, they'd never quite been accepted within their set. And that, when the chips were down and the balloon was up and the lights had gone out, a process of social exclusion by stealth was well underway. They had committed the cardinal sin of failing to acknowledge their place in the grand scheme: deference to the upper classes of High Toryism. To the naked, unschooled eye, they were both at the very apex of England's social, political and cultural food chain. But when Michael Gove had defied his friend, David Cameron, by becoming a chief Brexiteer and Sarah Vine had backed him they were brutally disabused of any notions about parity of esteem. Read more Kevin McKenna: In these circles, your status is conferred for eternity by the title deeds of 13th century land-grabs. They were best of friends with David and Samantha Cameron and Ms Vine had been Godmother to their daughter. When you step outside the role laid down for you though – absolute obeisance – you get voided. The book though, also slakes your appetite for dinner party capers among the horsey set and names are dropped like confetti. It's all rather glorious and we're treated to occasional forays into the inter-marital houghmagandie of the upper crust, because, we all know that the High Tories are all fond of their shagging and probably still claim a bit of your 'droit de seigneur' This is most memorably narrated when a bright and loyal Tory adviser, is hinted to be conducting an affair with Samantha Cameron's stepfather, William Astor. This unravelled in what seemed a most cut-glass, English manner. There were no names and no big red-top screamer … just an unmarked entry by the Mail's kenspeckle diarist, Richard Kay hinting at a tryst. And lo, she was gone and never heard of again, while the old goat emerged relatively unscathed. It's here that I must offer some words of advice to Ms Vine. If her book makes it into paperback and thence into a Netflix adaptation (virtually guaranteed) please be rid of the cover on this hardback edition. It's dreadful and exceedingly low-calibre, showing a woman lying fully prone and face down. It channels an energy that's entirely at odds with the dynamics of Ms Vine's rise, fall and recovery. How Not to be a Political Wife: HarperCollins £20
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow Subway poke fun at Donald Trump in social media post
In a new podcast interview, Trump praised the Scots as "great fighters" before saying that there are no subways in Scotland. (Image: Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) While on Pod Force One Podcast, Trump said: "The Scottish people are really amazing and they're great fighters too, that's why England sort of never... Braveheart, one of the great movies of all time, England had a hard time with Scotland they just couldn't quite tame them. "They're great people, no crime, you don't have crime, you don't have muggings, you don't have people getting hit over the head when they're not looking with a baseball bat. They're not pushed into a subway if they had them, which they don't. You wouldn't have them pushed into a subway." However, Glasgow is the only city in Scotland which has a subway system. The comments follow Trump's visits to his golf courses in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire. He also had a meeting with the First Minister during his time in the country. (Image: Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) Glasgow Subway have since hit back at Trump for his false claims. Taking to Instagram, they wrote: "Sorry Mr President, we've been here since 1896. My Glasgow, My Subway." People have bee quick to applaud Glasgow Subway for the post. One person said: "I love you, Glasgow Subway page." Another said: "Fact checked by Glasgow Subway is wild."
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish Tories slam SNP over independence infighting
The faction, which is led by several longtime party apparatchiks, has set out a different independence plan to that of SNP leadership. They argue that a pro-independence majority on the regional list in 2026, rather than an [[SNP]] majority, as John Swinney has argued, should serve as a mandate for independence negotiations with the UK Government. Reacting to The Herald's report, Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: 'This spat just demonstrates how out of touch John Swinney and the SNP are with ordinary Scots. 'Under the nationalists, our public services are in meltdown and taxes are sky high. But instead of fixing the mess they've created, they're fighting about how best to push their independence obsession. 'John Swinney should stop fixating on tearing up the UK and focus on his day job.' Longtime party activist Graeme McCormick, who once described the party's independence strategy as 'flatulence in a trance,' told The Herald: 'As you can imagine in the SNP, there are lots of views on how to achieve independence. A few of us who have been involved in the movement for a long time came together to propose this plan. Read more: 'We will dissolve the union': SNP rebels unveil rival independence plan 'Awa wi ye': What I saw at Donald Trump's frosty welcome in Aberdeen Alexander Dennis to sell Falkirk factory as talks over bailout continue 'If we get a majority of pro-independence votes on the list, we'll open negotiations with the UK Government around independence. If the negotiations aren't successful, then we'll move to dissolve the union. It's perfectly legal to do so.' The plan, which will be discussed on August 9th in Perth, has been welcomed by the leaders of other pro-independence parties. Kenny MacAskill of Alba told [[The Herald]] that he welcomed the 'old radical fire' present in the [[SNP]] members who submitted the motion. These sentiments were echoed by Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater, who said 'we all want to build a fairer, greener Scotland.' A motion laying out the rival plan has been submitted to the SNP's conference committee, and a decision on the final agenda for the national gathering will be announced on August 8th.
