What do we do about a problem we’ve bequeathed to future generations?
I want you to imagine that it’s the year 2028. I also want you to imagine that you have 10 grandchildren and, at the last count, 15 great-grandchildren. Maybe you have.
Opinion
Brexit likely to prove disaster for Scotland
European immigrants – resented or respected and necessary?
David Knight: I am appalled by social media lynchmob mentality which has crept into our lives
I am still haunted by a chilling encounter I had with a young woman who was being shockingly abused –half way through a phone call she told me she was trying to kill herself.
‘It’s been through a shredder, nailed to a wall and covered in jam – but is it art?’
View from the midden – rural affairs with MTV (Meikle Wartle Television) presenter Jock Alexander
Promoting health by making connections
Erica was on dessert duty at Lunch Club.
Huw Owen: Imagine if you awoke to the nightmare facing survivors of the Sulawesi tsunami
Autumn has well and truly arrived, winds and floods punctuate the daily routine as we get the children off to school or tackle our commute to and from work. We curse the elements and, keeping our heads down, casually wish our lives away, already hankering for those lengthening evenings in spring.
Disaster looming – but meanwhile, let’s return to cosy consensus of conference
There is something very wrong when a political party can get hours of TV coverage to say nothing, but scientists warning us of catastrophic climate change get a minute on the news bulletin.
Dancing sends us crazy – look at Strictly come prancing and Abba’s Brexit queen
Someone has sent me their phrase of the week. It is in Latin. Oh help. Something by that great Roman philosopher Cicero, apparently. “Nemo enim fere saltat sobrius, nisi forte insanit.”
Paying the environmental price of the internet
I was talking to one of my daughters and she used a phrase that to me was so profound: “environmentally respectful”. Flora followed that up with “‘environmentally-friendly’ is just an excuse to seem as though you are doing something to make a difference”.
Reconnecting in real world – face to face
Our daughter Hannah went to New Zealand on her own, booking a room in a hostel at random, from her flat in Edinburgh.
The sound of silence is music to my ears, but don’t make a song and dance about it
How is it possible to hear when so much noise is happening all around us? This is one of the biggest problems of our age.
‘Victims still get blamed for the discomfort they cause the rest of us’
The year is 2010. Donald Trump is whistling through Aberdeen like the north wind, blowing all and sundry to one side or another as he goes.
Dancing quine’s Close Encounter with Gremlin in a blender is a tour de force
J Fergus Lamont, arts correspondent and author of Highland Fling – My Lost Weekend with Molly Weir at Boat of Garten
Raw deal for women – in all walks of life
It’s not been a great few weeks for those of us with two X chromosomes.
‘The people equation’: Looming crisis of depopulation back at top of the agenda
A new phrase was coined by the head of Highlands and Islands Enterprise last week to describe the region’s most pressing problem.
Warm homes for all should be a priority
If you visit Orkney you can see the sites where ancient peoples built their homes. At the heart of these old buildings was the hearth, around which a family could gather. Here they could cook and warm themselves and the room in which they were sitting. In many places although the walls of these houses have been removed, the hearth still remains, a historic reminder that being warm is a basic need for everyone.
Scottish hands steeped in bloody crimes of history – to others and unto ourselves
I have relatives who toasted white supremacists of the US south. The moment occurred decades ago, according to a family tale, a story only recounted once, and in disgust. That it was all a long time ago is the point – we forget our sins.
Iain Maciver: A chill has run through my blood since it turned October – for a variety of reasons
It’s only the beginning of October but it is much colder already. Mind you the chilling wind of Brexit could be the cause. It makes my blood run cold.
The hills are alive with the sense of winter
I am going to say a word. A very naughty word. It has four letters, begins with an S and is likely to cause a large number of people some degree of distress... so be sure to cover your ears if you don’t want to hear it. Are you ready? Okay, here goes:
Campbell Gunn: Nose-to-tail or a Highland Clearances Trail?
Earlier this month, I was on the coast road in the north-west of Sutherland.
Bearers of bad news may be targeted by Establishment but human spirit prevails
I sit looking at the majestic hills of Hoy out of the window of our wooden Norwegian house. It is a wonderful view, and I am privileged to see it every day in life. I never tire of it.
Ramsay Jones: Two down and two to go as conference season swings into action
Two down. Two to go.
We can all sympathise with his lairdship being down to his last castle – can’t we?
Cosmo Ludovik Fawkes-Hunt, 13th Earl of Kinmuck
Time for hard questions to be asked over SPFL cup farce
I remember, when I used to live in the central belt, being cynical about what seemed like incessant moaning from the north of Scotland about sport, politics and everything else under the sun.
Today’s politicians could learn a lesson or two from the actions of hero Lord Nelson
Admiral Viscount Nelson was master of the art of savage, close-fought, naval combat which brought his crowning glory at Trafalgar – and death at 47 – but he was often all at sea with the daily trials and tribulations which are familiar to many in public life today.
Time to mail council keys back to Holyrood?
Who would be a councillor? Sure, the position’s often rumoured to come with lots of payments, perks and privileges. But even if these tales were true, and they aren’t, the job would be the worst in politics. Because it has been stripped of what gives point to being in politics at all.
As Labour prevaricates, Sturgeon has an opportunity to prove her mettle on Brexit
There are three people in this marriage” said the Lady Diana, showing an ability to gain headlines, tell the truth and count. For a long time the British electorate have yearned for the luxury of three options on Brexit - they’ve had to make do with one.
Modern manners and the selfish society
I enjoy a good political debate.
Why join the scrum at the bar when you can download an app to order your chips? and wine?
There was a day that you could go to the pub, drink your fill, talk utter nonsense about politics and politicians, pretend you were an expert about sport and motorcycle maintenance and burp loudly. That was it. A great night.
New accolade for an age-old institution
When I was attending King Street primary school - just half a mile from the University of Aberdeen’s King’s College - I could never have imagined that a time would come when I would take up the position I am so fortunate to hold today.
This inspirational young woman lived a life devoted to helping those around her
Today I sing the praises of an inspirational young woman. But first, I need to provide some context.
Debates too often heat rather than light, when we forget to ask the key questions
Wow. What a week that was.