By Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland today: A newly-constructed Australian ferry will be moved from Edinburgh to the other side of the world after leasing negotiations broke down. Often described as a “fiasco”, the Spirit of Tasmania IV has been docked in Leith for three months due to issues with existing infrastructure in the Tasmanian city of Devonport. The ship was built at a yard in Finland, but had to be moved to Scotland before winter over concerns it could be damaged by pack ice. A new berth to accommodate the ship, and sister vessel Spirit of Tasmania … Continue reading Tasmania bedevilled by quadrupled new harbour costs six years late for new bigger ferries costing millions to berth in Leith, Scotland

By Professor John Robertson OBA I’m an SNP member and no one has consulted me on my views regarding the polices currently being developed on the hoof by First Minister John Swinney and Westminster Foreign Affairs spokesperson Stephen Gethins, apparently accepting the deployment of Scottish troops in the Ukraine and calling for a ban on a democratically elected US president visiting Scotland. Do I have to repeat how horrible I think Trump is before reminding people that he is the popular choice, whether we like it or not, of the American people. Further, if we’re into banning people, why is … Continue reading If Starmer says so, Scottish soldiers will be in Ukraine this year and a blood price will have to be paid

By Professor John Robertson OBA I’m well out of my comfort zone on this but in the Guardian today: ‘He contains the whole of literature’: is Dickens better than Shakespeare? After rereading the entire works of the great Victorian novelist during the pandemic, Peter Conrad became convinced – whisper it – that Dickens is an even greater writer than that other British literary giant, the Bard.1 Isn’t there another ‘British literary giant, called the Bard?‘ I think he lived down the road from me, you know – Robert Burns? The word ‘bard‘ is of Celtic origin too, not English, so … Continue reading The Guardian misses a bard, the Scottish one, though he has 6 times as many statues across the globe as Shakespeare does

By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland on 31 January 2025: ScotRail fares set to increase by nearly 4% – Rail fares across Scotland are set to increase by 3.8% in April. Scottish Labour‘s transport spokeswoman Claire Baker said the price increase would “hammer” rail passengers and “consign ScotRail to a spiral of decline”. She added: “The SNP should be making rail more affordable, but instead it has hit passengers with painful fare hikes time and time again. This increase is bad for Scotland’s rail passengers, bad for our economy and bad for the environment.” Sue Webber, transport spokeswoman for … Continue reading Rail fares in England and Wales to soar by 21% more than in Scotland but only Scottish opposition parties are platformed (!) to moan