I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

Starmer’s honeymoon is over. I mean it was over a long time ago but now it’s over over. With some great stock phrases and familiar economics (George Osborne wants his policies back), Keir Starmer spoke of ‘tough times ahead’ and ‘No more sticking plaster politics.’ The slogan ‘Fixing the Foundations’ was rolled out, which sounds […] Source

A Highland Spaceport Fantasy

A HIGHLAND SPACEPORT FANTASY: From The Province Of The Cat by George Gunn It was often told to me as I grew up, by those who were my elders and betters and whom I supposed knew what they were on about, that I would amount to nothing. Now, after nine books of poetry, two novels […] Source

Living in the Ruins

Oasis may be re-forming but Britpop isn’t. D:ream’s ‘Things can only get better’ has turned into a nightmare. Labour’s new miserabilism – “things can only get worse” – is deeply ideological and is foreshadowing the government’s plans. In a speech today Starmer will say his government has inherited “not just an economic black hole but […] Source

BBC Scotland’s definition of propaganda

Words have a dictionary definition, they also have emotional colouring which can be either positive or negative, that emotional coloration is an essential part of the word’s meaning and it is disingenuous to use a word with a strongly negative emotional colouring and to pretend that your use of the word…