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Sunday Post
7 days ago
- General
- Sunday Post
The Scottish monk who helped in the fight against Napoleon
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up He was described as a 'short, stout, merry little monk' who was always jesting and poking fun, but James Robertson was truly extraordinary. In 1808, as Napoleon neared the peak of his power, it was this middle-aged and overweight Scottish monk to whom the British government turned for a special mission. The unlikely secret agent's task? Travel to Germany to persuade a Spanish general and his troops to betray the French emperor and switch sides. It may sound like something straight out of a war novel, but this is a true story that author Roger Hunt stumbled on and has been enthralled by for nearly 30 years. Robertson was born in 1758 but spent much of his life at a monastery in Regensberg, Germany, at the time known as Ratisbon. © Supplied While reading a biography of the Duke of Wellington, Roger found references to a meeting between the monk and a pre-dukedom Arthur Wellesley in London in the spring of 1808. Robertson was, at that point, a tutor to an aristocratic family in England, and noted that he was willing to aid the British government's struggles against Napoleon. 'I was thinking, what on Earth is a Scottish Benedictine monk whose parents were almost certainly Jacobites doing going on a spying mission for the British Government?' Roger said. 'It was completely bizarre. 'I started digging and in the British Library is a copy of Robertson's memoir, written by his nephew, about his mission to extricate the Spanish Division, commanded by Pedro Caro, Marquis of La Romana. 'When I retired, I started really properly having a look and also made contact with the Robertson clan, who had some records as well. It was an extraordinary story that turned out to be true.' Roger's aim was to put together a history book but, realising that details were scant, he decided to write a work of fiction based on the monk's extraordinary life and sticking closely to actual reported events. He was so fascinated by the story that, as well as hours in libraries and archives, he and his wife travelled to Europe and retraced Robertson's steps through northern Germany into Denmark and visited some of the sites of the action. © Supplied The result is Vindicta, which introduces French spy-hunter Jacques Marquet as a nemesis to Robertson. A game of cat and mouse unfolds in the book as Robertson tries to find and persuade the Spanish general to defect, while all the time avoiding capture by Marquet, a real-life figure whose portrait hangs in the National Gallery in London. 'Robertson is described as very intelligent,' Roger said. 'He had a superb education at the Scottish Seminary, first in Douai in northern France and then in Dinant in Belgium, until that was closed down by the French. 'He was fluent in German, French, Latin, Greek. He took his religious vows, where he was called Gallus after a Scottish Irish saint, and used that as his religious name. 'Wellesley at that stage was secretary to the Viceroy of Ireland, the Duke of Richmond, who while touring round Europe had stayed in the Scottish monastery in Ratisbon. He probably introduced Robertson to Wellesley, and hence set up the meeting with George Canning, the foreign secretary, who then employed Robertson on the mission. It's amazing all the different connections.' While Robertson may have been a surprise choice for such a daring mission, he had previous. Indeed, he had already met Napoleon, having been sent on a visit to the then consul to try to save the monastery in Ratisbon. 'Napoleon had closed a whole load of others, but Robertson was successful in persuading him not to order the closure of this monastery,' Roger said. 'Obviously, as well as being a 'merry little monk', he was incredibly persuasive and brave. Maybe that's why Wellesley and then Canning accepted that this man was going to be able to persuade La Romana to change sides. And so he did. 'He was extraordinarily courageous. I think his motivation was that he wanted revenge on Napoleon for what he'd done to the Catholic Church in Europe, as well as to help the British who were on the back foot in the wars.' Just being able to meet the Spanish in the first place had involved a few Mission Impossible-style tricks. Robertson arrived in Germany only to discover that the troops had moved on to Denmark, where they were part of the forces set to take part in an invasion of Sweden. He needed a cover story to make it across the border and earn an audience with La Romana. 'He took the name Adam Rorauer, a Bavarian he knew in London and disguised himself as a chocolate and cigar salesman, which is absolutely brilliant,' Roger said. 'The Spaniards were running out of supplies. That was the way he wangled his way to see La Romana.' © Supplied The fact that Napoleon had overthrown King Charles IV and Prince Ferdinand and placed his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne helped convince La Romana's division to discard their loyalty to Imperial France. Robertson's work paved the way for a crucial military operation in which most of the troops were successfully evacuated from Denmark by the British navy and shipped to Spain to fight against France in the Peninsular War. Roger was assisted in piecing together the story by descendants in the clan Robertson, who provided him with some of their records. The monk's will is held in Downside Abbey in Somerset. 'I went there as well to have a look,' Roger said. 'It doesn't say a lot, but again it was helpful in proving that a) he existed and b) what I'd read was reasonably true, hence the determination that the novel would be based as close as I could on true events.' With so many extra pieces of information jumping out to Roger throughout his research, the job isn't yet complete and he hopes to write a prequel to Vindicta telling of Robertson's early life. 'I enjoyed the writing process,' he said. 'I discovered that Robertson actually taught German to Lord Palmerston, later the British Prime Minister. 'The research never finishes. You think you've learned all you can, and that's not the case at all. 'Before he was sent on this mission, Robertson was in Ireland teaching French at Maynooth University, so that will form some idea as to a prequel. 'He's an absolutely amazing character and the story is quite extraordinary. A very, very brave Scotsman.' Vindicta by Roger Hunt is available now from Troubador Publishing
Sunday Post
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Sunday Post
Soaring cost of keeping hospital and council computers safe
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up The soaring cost of keeping council and health board computer systems safe can be revealed today in the wake of several major cyber attacks across Scotland. Public bodies are handing out millions of pounds to protect themselves from hackers tooled with increasingly sophisticated techniques – including an emerging wave of 'adversaries' using artificial intelligence (AI) software. Our investigation found some authorities are being forced to fork out more than six times as much for cyber security as they did just a few years ago. Meanwhile, health officials told us they are having to block up to 25,000 unauthorised attempts to access their computer networks 'on a daily basis'. Some authorities refused to provide information out of fear that even the smallest details could be seized on by criminal gangs looking to break into their systems. But those that did revealed a picture of spiralling costs against an increasing onslaught that has wreaked havoc on services in recent months. Shrinking budgets Cyber security expert Xavier Bellekens warned public bodies are struggling to keep their networks safe against shrinking budgets. Bellekens, who is CEO and co-founder of Lupovis – a cyber-deception spin-out of Strathclyde University, said: 'Cyber attacks come in waves and some adversaries will target a very specific sector. 'Whether its health boards or councils, the public sector in general is having to do what they can with the money they have. 'Sometimes they have a limited budget and the more cyber attacks and damage being done, the more the budget gets increased. 'But often the budget in the public sector is still a lot lower than you would see in industry. 'I think this is being recognised in the public sector and there are efforts being done to strengthen it to get the maximum impact for the budget they have.' Data reveals soaring bills Official figures released through Freedom of Information legislation show spending on cyber security by Perth and Kinross Council soared by more than six times, from just over £48,000 in 2021 to more than £303,000 last year. Spending in West Dunbartonshire almost tripled during the same period, from nearly £99,000 to around £294,000. Members of the public shouldn't have to worry whether someone is looking after their sensitive information. Scottish Conservative MSP Craig Hoy East Dunbartonshire saw costs for firewalls, locked down servers, intrusion prevention systems and end-point-security rise from £21,000 in 2021 to £115,000 this year. Meanwhile, the Highlands and East Renfrewshire saw the share of their budgets swallowed up by cyber security balloon to £3.2 million and £1.4 million respectively. Health chiefs in Dumfries and Galloway saw costs more than double from around £50,000 to £117,000 last year, while NHS Fife saw a rise from £567,000 to £649,000 during the same period. Local authorities told us their systems are coming under such a barrage of attacks that most are never officially recorded. NHS Tayside said its firewalls alone detect around 25,000 unauthorised access attempts to its network on a daily basis. However, the Scottish Borders Council had the highest number of recordable attacks – typically regarded as the most serious – over the past five years, at 568. A string of major attacks Glasgow City Council was forced to deal with disruption to digital and online services on Thursday after discovering malicious activity on its servers. Another major incident in Glasgow last month disrupted multiple online services and led to fears that personal data may have been stolen. In May, pupils in Edinburgh were cut off from revision resources during the annual exam period after an attempted cyber attack on the council's education department. It came on the same week that a suspected criminal ransomware attack in West Lothian forced officials to resort to contingency measures to keep schools open. And last year, hackers managed to access a huge amount of NHS Dumfries and Galloway information – including confidential details on patients and staff. Transparency needed Scottish Conservative local government spokesman Craig Hoy said the latest figures show the considerable lengths public bodies have gone to beat crooks and hackers. 'As attacks on Edinburgh and West Lothian showed us recently, there is a battle being fought over our personal data,' he said. © Duncan Bryceland/Shutterstock 'The amount of public money being spent on this is rocketing, despite year-on-year cuts to councils by the SNP government. 'Troublingly, some local authorities seem not to know how much effort is going into keeping their data safe. Others won't reveal whether there have been any breaches in security. 'But there should be a basic level of transparency. Members of the public shouldn't have to worry whether someone is looking after their sensitive information.'
Sunday Post
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday Post
My Scotland: Coll, cafes and the Cairngorms with singer Julie Fowlis
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up Hailing from the Outer Hebrides, Julie Fowlis is a multi-award winning singer whose music is deeply influenced by the Hebridean islands where she grew up and by the Highland landscapes where she now resides. With a career spanning several studio albums and numerous high profile collaborations, her 'crystalline' and 'intoxicating' vocals have enchanted audiences around the world. But if she could only choose three places to visit in Scotland, where would they be? Coll © Supplied by Julie Fowlis The Isle of Coll is a hidden gem in the Inner Hebrides. Although it's a small island, there are lots of beautiful spots to explore, including miles of stunning white-sand beaches with glorious turquoise seawater. Perfect for walks, sea-swimming and biking. I spent a week there on holiday camping with friends and family a few years back, and it was one of the best holidays I've ever had. Make sure and stop into the Coll Hotel for great food (local seafood and gluten free options are fab), interesting local history and a fantastic welcome. Sùgh Ùr © Supplied by Julie Fowlis Sùgh Ùr is a juice bar and café in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands. Situated in the Crown area of Inverness, it's just a short walk from the High Street and always has a great range of fresh juices, smoothies and lovely food options. It usually offers vegan and gluten-free options. It's just across the road from the Wasps Inverness Creative Academy – the Highlands' first major creative hub. It offers working accommodation for artists and makers, creative industries, social enterprises and charities and there will often be an exhibition or event going on. Remember if you are visiting the city to check out our new Gaelic centre too – Culturlann Inbhir Nis. There are regular events there including Gaelic conversation classes, music-fuelled community gatherings and sometimes pop markets where local creatives and artists can sell their crafts. The Cairngorms © Supplied by Julie Fowlis I spent much of my youth up the hills – especially, during winter, skiing. This range in Gaelic is known as Am Monadh Ruadh or the red/russet coloured mountain range, but they are known in English as the Cairngorms – so named after one of the most prominent hills 'An Càrn Gorm' or 'The Blue/Green Hill'. I spent a beautiful Monday in January this year cross-country skiing around the Glenmore loop, which is groomed and kept by the amazing volunteers at the Cairngorm Biathlon and Ski Club. There's nothing like a crisp, blue-sky winter day in Scotland with perfect snow! Julie Fowlis plays Tiree Music Festival, taking place from July 11-13. Find out more at
Sunday Post
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday Post
Carol Decker on the staying power that turned hit '80s anthem into a classic
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up Few frontwomen in the '80s burned as brightly as flame-haired pop star Carol Decker. As the voice of T'Pau, she gave us hits like China In Your Hand and Heart And Soul. Decades after her Top Of The Pops heyday, Carol is still belting out these classics, and will do so again at Party In The Palace in Linlithgow this summer. Carol, now 67, was always candid about both the highs and lows of her life. On the one hand there were private jets, opening the Brit Awards in front of Bono, and having thousands of fans belt her songs back at her night after night. On the other, though, was the darker side of fame. 'I wore short skirts in the '80s, I had great legs,' said Carol, on a Zoom call from her home in Henley. 'I still have great legs! 'I remember once as I went to get out of the car this photographer dropped to his knees to get an upskirt shot. 'A lot of paparazzi were parked outside my house in North London, hiding behind the cars, so that when I came out in my curlers with a fag in my mouth to get the milk off the steps, they could get that shot.' The crime of 'upskirting' is now illegal in Scotland, England and Wales. Carol also faced journalists in the '90s, an era when brash, rude interviews were in fashion. One in particular, on live television, sticks with her to this day. 'The first words out of his mouth were: 'Why do you wear your skirt so short? Is it to take everybody's minds off the fact that the music's crap?' 'I've never forgotten these things. And it hurt. These days, I'm not important enough any more for the big press to bother with me, so they leave me alone! And happily most of the people I speak to now are really nice!' Carol is the rare celebrity who recognises and appreciates her time at the top. Fans turn out in droves to see her and fellow pop legends play music for nostalgic purposes rather than break new barriers. She's not going to play avant-garde jazz and, coming from the '80s, an innovative decade in its own right, nor does she want to. Carol first joined a nostalgia tour alongside Paul Young, Kim Wilde, Go West and China Crisis in 2001 and 'hasn't stopped since'. The appetite for these tours has lasted longer than the '80s, she points out. 'To me it's fantastic because, if you're not Bob Dylan, this is a short life and a merry one. You have to come to terms with the fact your glory days are probably over,' she ponders. 'But then also give yourself credit for the fact that, in a very tough business, you have had a handful of hits. Some people still like to see me, and hear me sing, and that's nothing to be embarrassed about. I've come to terms with it, and become proud of myself.' © Ian Dickson/Shutterstock The '80s, she believes, were a time when pop music was still raw, but was without the slick and carefully managed marketing so common in the 2020s. New Order, Heaven 17, Boy George, Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince,' she says, rhyming off names of her contemporaries. 'All with different styles and personalities. And the pop songs stand the test of time, the production has stood up. We had the first computer, first mobile phone, movies like Wall Street, Top Gun and Back To The Future. Every step back then felt monumental whereas now it perhaps feels a bit incremental. 'These days somebody tells you there's a new app on your phone where you can see the surface of Mars. You look at it for two seconds then forget about it…' China In Your Hand topped the UK singles charts in 1987 and Carol was no pop starlet at the time, having just turned 30. 'It was a long time coming for me, maybe it was different. I lived in Shropshire, you know?' she laughs. 'There were just cows, hay bales. There was no music scene. It wasn't Manchester!' Some celebrities react poorly to the attention, and Carol, with sniffy interviewers and creepy photographers, would be forgiven for being one of them. Yet perhaps being 30 when she made it to the top gave her a broader perspective. 'I absolutely loved it. You got upgraded on flights all the time. You got the best tables, people came up to you in the street to tell you that you were great. What's not to like? 'We opened the Brits at the Albert Hall. I remember Bono and The Edge looking down from the balcony, leaning down to watch us. And I'm thinking: 'I'm in. I've made it.'' Carol and her bandmates even had occasional use of a private jet. Not that, she says, they're all they're cracked up to be. 'We were doing the equivalent of the German Top Of The Pops,' she recalls with a cackle. 'I have to say we only took private jets because of scheduling reasons, we weren't like Meghan Markle or anything! We jumped on this plane and there was loads of champagne, so we were chucking it down our necks. And then I needed the toilet but there wasn't one. All the boys were peeing in bottles, but I couldn't because my aim isn't that good. Private jets aren't as nice as you think. I nearly exploded…' © Supplied Carol lives with husband Richard, and has two adult children, Scarlett and Dylan. At home she has a gym where she works off her excess tension. 'It's really good for you as a woman post-menopause,' she says. 'This is not sexy, but it's good for your bone density to lift weights. 'It also sorts my head out. When we had lockdown, I could have won an Olympic medal. I was in the gym every morning, making sure I didn't kill my family.' Like many these days, Carol is open about cosmetic procedures and is booked in to see a surgeon the day after our interview. 'I'm having it done at 10.30 tomorrow morning!' she adds. 'I don't do it massively, but I'm 68 in September, and I'm getting a little bit wrinkly. 'You can't fight age, some of it is just going to happen. I do baby botox and this wonderful surgeon knows exactly where all the muscles are, so I won't look like a frozen tambourine. 'I don't mind a little tweak, sometimes I look in the mirror and think I look knackered. But there are things you can do about it now. As long as you exercise discretion, and don't overdo it. I'm down with a little freshening up. Never go full tambourine…' Anthem is Robbie's cup of tea Carol was holding a tea cup belonging to then-partner and T'Pau bandmate Ronnie Rogers' mother while doing the washing up in the 1980s. She felt a lump at the bottom and held the china mug to the light to see an image of a young woman on the base. So was born one of the great '80s power ballads still beloved to this day. Carol has, she says, lost count of the number of times she's sung it. 'We did a show last night and it was so hot and I was singing China In Your Hand, and all I was thinking was: 'Oh, someone open a bloody window!' 'But I don't even have to sing it, the crowds sing it back with such enthusiasm. 'Robbie Williams was on the radio last week talking about China In Your Hands. He said it was an anthem for the '80s. He knows a thing or two, I was so flattered.' Despite having hits on both sides of the Atlantic, T'Pau eventually split in 1992. 'One American critic wrote, after the big impact of Heart and Soul, that T'Pau didn't amount to much because Carol Decker wasn't quite good looking enough. 'I shed a few tears about that sort of thing. There was some horrible stuff, but my abiding memory was just how lucky I was. 'It wasn't always pleasant, but I was lucky.' See Carol Decker at Party At The Place at Bonnytoun Farm, Linlithgow on August 2. For tickets visit
Sunday Post
29-06-2025
- Health
- Sunday Post
Call for tighter controls on cut-price Botox and fillers after clients left scarred
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up Experts warn new government plans to stop Scotland's 'Botox bandits' cashing in on the £400 million unregulated beauty industry must go much further. Campaigners say while planned new restrictions are a good first step, much more needs to be done to protect the public from the increasing number of botched procedures caused by untrained practitioners. A hard-hitting Sunday Post campaign has repeatedly called for sweeping changes and tough regulation to prevent the sale and use of potentially fatal and dangerous treatments and procedures. Criminals cashing in on 'Botox' We revealed that hardened criminals and chancers are cashing in with huge profits being made despite the devastating harm caused by counterfeit treatments masquerading as Botox and dermal fillers. Competition is so fierce whistleblowers campaigning to regulate the business have been threatened with being fire-bombed. Last week, Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan welcomed government proposals to improve safety standards which will include local government licensing for practitioners and qualified healthcare professionals supervising injectables. He said: 'Although it's been a long time coming, it is welcome to see the Scottish Government acting upon concerns. 'It has been widely reported how dangerous it can be if procedures are botched – in some cases, it has sadly been fatal. Case studies show how invasive and technical some treatments are, and why ensuring practitioners are qualified and insured to administer them is vital.' But award-winning aesthetic medical doctor Ben Taylor-Davies from Edinburgh said: 'Whilst it's good to finally see the government taking the issue of regulation seriously, myself and colleagues had hoped this would go even further. 'Implementing requirements for clinical premises and medical oversights will go some way to protect the public from unnecessary harm. However in doing so the government is highlighting that it is aware these treatments should be seen as medical. This raises the question of whether non-medically trained individuals should be permitted to perform these treatments full stop. 'I, and many other colleagues, do not believe this should be the case. Those of us working within the industry hope these proposals will be put into law quickly and many of us are hopeful for even stricter regulation down the line.' Growing concerns Almost 3,000 people took part in a consultation process to lift the lid on the industry which has seen thousands of hairdressers and online sellers flogging 'skinny jabs' and injectable treatments to boost lips and plump up ageing skin. Hamish Dobbie, of the Scottish Medical Aesthetics Safety Group told The Sunday Post that unlicensed products streaming in from South Korea and China were attracting an 'unsavoury element' to cash in with little chance of jail time. He said: 'Because these products are unlicensed and counterfeit, who knows what is in them, whether they are made in a filthy backstreet warehouse, or whether they contain harmful ingredients that could cause serious health risks. 'These products are then marketed here through social media, nail bars, even in some hairdressers where customers in some of those places are asked if they want Botox, fillers or weight-loss jabs. 'Social media is full of posts encouraging people with offers so cheap they sound hard to resist, but there are many real dangers from untrained practitioners who can cause disfigurements using products making claims that cannot be verified. 'There can be a high risk of vascular occlusion, which can lead to necrosis, tissue death and disfigurement as well as a risk of blindness if an untrained person injects near the eyes.' Scotland has also seen cases of surgical procedures such as the controversial Brazilian butt lift and breast augmentation which carry increased risks of sepsis and other life-threatening side effects. The new Bill regulating procedures will be published by the end of the year. Botox and injectable fillers will then need to be supervised by qualified healthcare professionals in a setting regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) Breast and buttock augmentation will need to be performed by a qualified healthcare professional in an HIS-regulated setting. And secondary legislation under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 will bring in licensing for procedures such as micro-needling and non-ablative laser treatments which will require licences issued by the local authority. McMillan said: 'I fully expect the Scottish Government to continue engaging with stakeholders as they seek to draft the legislation, so the right balance is struck between protecting public safety whilst also ensuring regulation is proportionate.'
