Ajax and Cassandra by Solomon J. Solomon, 1886. There is no way I’m reading Robin McAlpine’s latest lofty (Alpine?) tirade in the National. I haven’t read anything by him for years and I’m not going to. The doctor says I’ve to stay calm. Cassandra? Pretentious or whit? How many National readers know who she was? In the Trojan war she was the daughter of King Priam who said: ‘Don’t open that effing horse that the Greeks have left behind! There’s something bad inside!’ In Greek mythology she was always warning folk not to do things because it would end badly. She was … Continue reading Scotland’s strangely self-portrayed Cassandra figure

What the Herald won’t tell you about the obscene pay of English water bosses for water that causes sepsis and kidney failure Today, in the Guardian: Wessex Water awarded its chief executive an above-inflation pay increase even as the company was banned from paying bonuses because of sewage spills, it has emerged. Ruth Jefferson received a 14% base salary increase in October, from £590,000 to £670,000, before other benefits, according to accounts published this month. It was far above the 3.5% given to workers, and put her pay at 18 times that of the company’s median employee. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/18/wessex-water-chief-pay-rise-bonus-ban On 1 … Continue reading What the media in Scotland won’t tell you about the obscene pay of English water bosses for water that causes sepsis and kidney failure

Another two million? I keep seeing headlines like that and have done for years now. With this added how many homes can Scotland’s windfarms now power? With this addition, Scotland’s total wind capacity can now support the equivalent of roughly between 10 and 15 or more million homes (annual average generation), depending on exact current totals, load factors, and calculation methods. https://www.sserenewables.com/offshore-wind/operational-wind-farms/seagreen/ How many homes are there currently in Scotland? As of the latest official statistics (31 March 2024), Scotland had an estimated 2.73 million dwellings (homes/housing units). https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-2025-key-trends-summary/ What should Scotland do with the power for the other, at … Continue reading Scotland soon to produce enough electricity from wind to power between 4 and 6 times as many homes as we actually have

From BBC Scotland yesterday: A wildfire which has been burning in the Cairngorms for four days remains “dangerous and unpredictable,” a senior firefighter has warned. Community leaders previously criticised the Scottish government for describing the blaze which started near Ryvoan Bothy, south of Nethy Bridge on Wednesday, as “contained”. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said hundreds of firefighters, two helicopters and specialist resources had tackled the flames. The most recent SFRS report does not feature the word ‘hundreds’ but does assert: More than 50 firefighters are continuing to tackle a wildfire in the Glenmore area of the Cairngorms … Continue reading Cairngorms wildfire needs less than 2% of Scotland’s more than 6 000 firefighters with their high-volume pump but retired newspaper photographer makes up a story for you