My grandfather used to breathe through a narrow, puckered mouth when he was concentrating. When he was driving in town, or when he was peeling and slicing an apple for his dog, he made a soft, high-pitched sound that wasn’t quite a whistle. This was a throwback to his days …
To understand the man you have to know what was happening in the world when he was twenty. Napoleon I turned twenty on 17th March 1986. Two days later the Bank Of England dropped its base lending rate by one whole percentage point from 12.375% to 11.375%. From …
instead of giving me customer service you gave me a stern talking to and let me off with a caution Ever had that feeling when someone you’ve known and liked for years inadvertently gives you a glimpse of their hitherto well-hidden or well-suppressed nasty side, and it irrevocably changes …
The fence is not an option in the Scottish Independence Referendum. To exercise your democratic right to vote is to get off your bum and jump down on one side or the other. Yes or No, black or white, the stark choice of the ballot box makes no allowance for …
The worst that could happen if Scotland votes Yes in the Independence Referendum is far worse than the status quo, and that’s why I’ll be voting No. ********** It’s not about the trains. It’s about the track. Independence is a licence to rip the track up and …
I used the Authors’ Toilet at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Once upon a time this would have been an act of mischief, a low level dare. On this occasion I was not just allowed but encouraged to do so by a nice person with a walkie talkie. Nonetheless it …
A needle to the waist punctures the girl’s bravado. “Holy shit,” she gasps as the gun rattles to life, and I’m glad I opted for the upper arm rather than the lower abdomen. Trevor said it would be more comfortable for a first-timer like me and the look …
I published a post on Medium that I would normally have posted on this blog. In just 6 days that one post on Medium received nearly four times as many views as this entire blog receives in an average month. The post in question was my sixth on Medium since …
A friend of mine asked me to start an agency with him last week. Drink was involved. So it wasn’t a serious conversation in terms of real intent. But it did get quite serious in terms of terms. Under what terms would we seriously consider it? Here are mine. Not …
