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The Herald Scotland
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Bob Vylan right to express rage against the IDF. Bob Dylan would agree
I'll follow your casket By the pale afternoon And I'll watch while you're lowered Down to your deathbed And I'll stand over your grave 'Til I'm sure that you're dead'. So stated the 2016 Nobel Laureate for Literature, Bob Dylan, over 50 years ago without any of the media frenzy and faux outrage being spouted by our political 'leaders' who should be more concerned about the little-reported slaughter of hundreds of innocent women and children by the IDF in the past week alone. The rage Bob Vylan expresses about our complicity in the continuing genocide in Palestine ("Anti-IDF chants by punk duo at Glastonbury 'crossed a line'", The Herald, June 30) is understandable and shared by many. It is reassuring that minstrelsy is still afforded a platform for the expression of such concerns. Charlie Shaw, Rutherglen. Read more letters Hypocrisy of the PM Much as I deplore the recent anti-IDF demonstration at Glastonbury, and indeed the reasons for it, I do think it ill-becomes a Prime Minister to accuse other person of "hate speech" ("Starmer says 'death to IDF' chants at Glastonbury were 'appalling hate speech'", heraldscotland, June 29) when he himself has appeared in the media (LBC interview, October 11, 2023) agreeing, when asked, that it was "a proportional response" to deny Palestinian mothers and children in besieged Gaza food, water and electricity, and stating that "Israel does have that right". I could hardly believe my eyes and ears. Such a response is beneath contempt and will never be forgotten. It made me ashamed to be a UK citizen, and very glad that I moved to Scotland. John Gosling, Oban. Support the IDF The real scandal at Glastonbury is not the behaviour of Bob Vylan but the complete lack of awareness and empathy of their well-off audience, which allowed them to join in the antisemitic chants of "Death to the IDF". Over 300 young people were murdered at the Super Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. Many were gang-raped and mutilated first. Then both the living and the dead were abducted to Gaza. Those atrocities and the many hundreds of civilians murdered in their own homes in the kibbutzim that day are why the Israeli Defence Force is having to fight this war. All decent people should wish them a speedy and thorough victory. Otto Inglis, Crossgates, Fife. Hitting the wrong note What could have been a very interesting column on the Glastonbury music festival by Brian Beacom, was unfortunately let down by his very lazy comparison of the venue to one of the horrendous First World War battlefields with its many fatalities ("Glastonbury festival is basically Passchendaele reimagined", Herald Magazine, June 28). This reference, both in the headline and in the penultimate paragraph, absolutely has no place in this article. Eileen Michael, Paisley. Stand firm against nuclear Last week, the notorious nuclear lobby seemed to monopolise your pages ("The Future of Torness", The Herald, June 27-29). Along with the current Labour administration in London, it has begun to sound truly hysterical as it continues to shriek that our Scottish Government must allow it to impose more nuclear reactors on Scotland. We need to ask why. At the same moment, EDF has just been given permission, by that same Labour administration, to continue operating its nuclear reactor at Torness for another five years, despite the fact that it now has the same number of cracks in its graphite core that finally forced the closure of the Hunterston AGR on safety grounds. The potential consequences and environmental and health risks to surrounding communities of cracks in any part of a nuclear reactor are obviously very serious. For this reason, this careless attitude of the Labour Party, which has governmental responsibility for safety, is very worrying. Again, we need to ask why. Meanwhile, in France, after two years of huge problems with corrosion and shutdowns in most of their nuclear reactors, the Civaux 2 reactor, recently "repaired", has just been shut down again, to "repair the repairs", while new corrosion is investigated. We should surely urgently ask why corrosion and cracks at Torness are ignored, while the French nuclear inspectorate demands action for safety. The answer to all these questions, in my opinion, is very simply that Westminster requires Scotland, which produces more sustainable, clean electricity than we can use, to remain, firstly, a producer of nuclear waste and secondly, to be implicated in the need to secure supplies of uranium for Westminster's very stupid backward lunge towards nuclear fission. I hope the Scottish Government stands firm: we are reliving a horrible history. I was 25 when a London Labour government nominated Galloway as the UK high-level nuclear waste dump and Orkney as the UK national uranium mine. Fifty years later, having, apparently, despite Chernobyl and Fukushima, learned nothing about the pointlessness of distance from nuclear disasters and pollution, it is coming at poor old " remote and expendable" Scotland again. Frances McKie, Evanton. Torness is Scotland's sole operational nuclear power plant (Image: Getty) A hitch for Jeff Bezos Ian Smith (Letters, June 30) is right; Jeff Bezos's wedding was "obscenely lavish". But it could rebound on his fortune, with people opting to boycott Amazon and shop online elsewhere. George Morton, Rosyth. • The National Debt recently touched £2.9 trillion. In 2010 it was £1.17tr, and the UK Government is adding around £100 billion to it each and every year. So, every decade now adds £1tr. This debt is underwritten by cash-rich individuals and countries such as Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, China etc. The interest on the debt last year was £168bn. What moral right do we have for punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation? If anything merits a national referendum the national debt most surely does. Doug Clark, Currie. Problem with hedge funds I fear Mark Smith ('Don't believe the moaning about our private schools', The Herald, June 30) may have underestimated the effect of VAT on school fees. Driving on Calder Street just last week, I noticed that the boundary hedge of Hutcheson's Grammar annexe was extremely overgrown and in need of a good trimming. As fees rise, clearly some things are cut, whilst others are not. Stuart Brennan, Glasgow.
The Herald Scotland
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Alison Johnstone to stand down from Holyrood ahead of 2026
She told The Times: "I was elected in 2011 and it was always my intention that this would be my last term in Holyrood. 'I came from a wholly non-political background and got involved in a campaign to save a school playing field. Read More: 'I was not in a political party but campaigned for the creation of a Scottish parliament and I then worked as an assistant for Robin Harper, the first-ever Green parliamentarian in the UK elected to the first-ever Scottish parliament.' She was elected unopposed as presiding officer in May 2021, the second woman to hold the role and the first Scottish Green MSP. Ms Johnstone was recently involved in a row with Douglas Ross, the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, after she ejected him from the chamber during First Minister's Questions. Here is the moment Douglas Ross was kicked out of the Chamber today during FMQs @heraldscotland — Hannah Brown (@HannahMargBrown) May 29, 2025 The MSP was warned over heckling before being excluded by the presiding officer. The former Tory leader accused Ms Johnstone of constitutional bias, suggesting she treats pro-union parties more harshly than those who supported independence in the 2014 referendum.
The Herald Scotland
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Organist celebrates 56 years of music with recital for Glasgow's 850th
Fifty years ago, Mr Hutcheson performed as part of celebrations marking Glasgow's 800th anniversary and since the gallery reopened after a refurbishment in 2006 he has often played during daily recitals. On Wednesday, he played once more to mark the city's 850th anniversary before being presented with a commemorative plate in recognition of his service. Organist Bill Hutcheson performs 'A Glasgow Flourish' at @KelvingroveArt. He celebrated more than 56 years of performing in Glasgow at a special recital to honour his contribution to the city's cultural life. FULL STORY: 𝘝𝘐𝘋𝘌𝘖:… — The Herald (@heraldscotland) May 14, 2025 The recital featured A Glasgow Flourish, arranged by Mr Hutcheson and woven with familiar melodies linked to the city; Kelvingrove, a piece specially commissioned for Mr Hutcheson by his family and composed by John Barber; and the finale from Sonata No 4 by Alexandre Guilmant, among other pieces. He said: 'It's been a privilege to play this magnificent instrument for over five decades and to be part of Glasgow's 850 celebrations. 'The organ is like an old friend, capable of anything from a whisper to a roar. What makes these recitals so special is the audience. They're open to everything, from Bach to swing to the unexpected. 'In a city renowned for music, it's a pleasure to bring joy to so many people, in one of our finest museums.' READ MORE: Lord Provost of Glasgow Jacqueline McLaren said: 'Bill's dedication to the world-famous organ recitals in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has enriched our city's cultural heritage and brought joy to countless visitors. 'His performances have become a favourite tradition and, for some, a happy introduction to the world of organ music, usually more associated with places of worship. 'This milestone is even more momentous as Bill took part in the Glasgow 800 celebrations. 'Today, fifty years on, we honour his commitment, exceptional service and his place as an integral part of Glasgow's vibrant cultural life.'
South Wales Guardian
10-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Wetherspoon customers issued looming 20p pint price warning
According to the boss of the chain, breweries are already pushing through hikes on the back of cost pressures from the Budget. Martin said the government kept heaping pressure on pubs through higher taxes and costs. The pub industry had already faced demands for higher prices from breweries, which had increased their prices by around 7p per pint in the past week, he revealed. "It means pints in pubs are going to go up by on average 15p to 20p this month", he said. JD Wetherspoon has said that its pubs have capitalised on the spring sunshine while reiterating the impact of fresh hikes in labour costs on the bottom line. Business Insight 📈 ✍️ @ScottWWright @heraldscotland Article: The British Beer and Pub Association recently warned that the price of a pint is expected to exceed the £5 mark, up from the current average of £4.80. Breweries are reacting to increases in the National Living Wage and National Insurance contributions, which came into effect at the start of April. The National Living Wage rose by 77p an hour to £12.21, while the rate of employer National Insurance contributions increased from 13.8% to 15%. Plus, the threshold at which businesses begin paying this tax was reduced, dropping from £9,100 to £5,000 a year. Sir Tim warned: "The risk to the country is people either in the UK or coming from abroad will think that it's too expensive to set up a business in the UK." "Guinness is pretty expensive but we are selling plenty of the stuff. "We have also introduced Jaipur ale, which is more pricey but doing very well. "Our Stella also outsells Bud Light, which is cheaper." Recommended reading: The Wetherspoon boss confirmed he remains "very keen" on the idea of opening pubs overseas through the company's rapidly growing franchise business. The pub giant already operates a few franchised pubs on university campuses and seven pubs within Haven Holiday parks. He said: "It's a good sign the holiday parks are doing very well so we think it will do well with people overseas, especially where Brits holiday." Sir Tim added that he is "open to anything," including launching pubs in airports and campsites.
Western Telegraph
10-05-2025
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Wetherspoon customers issued looming 20p pint price warning
According to the boss of the chain, breweries are already pushing through hikes on the back of cost pressures from the Budget. Martin said the government kept heaping pressure on pubs through higher taxes and costs. The pub industry had already faced demands for higher prices from breweries, which had increased their prices by around 7p per pint in the past week, he revealed. "It means pints in pubs are going to go up by on average 15p to 20p this month", he said. JD Wetherspoon has said that its pubs have capitalised on the spring sunshine while reiterating the impact of fresh hikes in labour costs on the bottom line. Business Insight 📈 ✍️ @ScottWWright @heraldscotland Article: — Herald Business (@_HeraldBusiness) May 7, 2025 The British Beer and Pub Association recently warned that the price of a pint is expected to exceed the £5 mark, up from the current average of £4.80. Breweries are reacting to increases in the National Living Wage and National Insurance contributions, which came into effect at the start of April. The National Living Wage rose by 77p an hour to £12.21, while the rate of employer National Insurance contributions increased from 13.8% to 15%. Plus, the threshold at which businesses begin paying this tax was reduced, dropping from £9,100 to £5,000 a year. Sir Tim warned: "The risk to the country is people either in the UK or coming from abroad will think that it's too expensive to set up a business in the UK." "Guinness is pretty expensive but we are selling plenty of the stuff. "We have also introduced Jaipur ale, which is more pricey but doing very well. "Our Stella also outsells Bud Light, which is cheaper." Recommended reading: The Wetherspoon boss confirmed he remains "very keen" on the idea of opening pubs overseas through the company's rapidly growing franchise business. The pub giant already operates a few franchised pubs on university campuses and seven pubs within Haven Holiday parks. He said: "It's a good sign the holiday parks are doing very well so we think it will do well with people overseas, especially where Brits holiday." Sir Tim added that he is "open to anything," including launching pubs in airports and campsites.
