Writing

My philosophy on using local shops is quite straightforward – using local retailers means cash slooshes around in the Shetland economy a bit longer rather than instantly disappearing off island via a supermarket till. And using rural shops means they’re more likely to survive and continue to provide a valuable Continue Reading

When I was a grasscutter we noted a suite of social phenomena we termed the “Politics of Waving”. It manifests itself in several ways – when driving in the van ‘round Lerwick, we noted a tension as to whether to wave and/or return waves to other motorists and pedestrians. Surely Continue Reading

Since I can remember, I’ve always had a fascination for the science of very big things. However, I’ve got a terrible memory and my first childhood recollections are from when I was about 8 and being into cranes – an obsession I still harbour – which were the biggest things Continue Reading

Moan alert – I’ve just read back through the below article and it seems I’m a right cantankerous columnist this month! I’m in the process of trying to reclaim some of my life back from the constant onslaught of electronic communications that take up an incommensurate amount of my time. Continue Reading

One of the main things I miss since moving back to Shetland is the opportunity to go clubbing at the weekends. And by that, I don’t mean being jostled around a sticky floored late night drinking den full of drunken teenagers with blasting cheesy pop-dance music ringing in my lugs. Continue Reading

Tickets. It’s an ebullient word in Shetland at the moment. If you got yours for Mumford and Sons, Bill Bailey, The Levellers, Bjorn Again or Kevin Bridges, congratulations; if you didn’t, blaming the Shetland Box Office or the promoters seems to be a common default retort. Personally, I’m delighted when Continue Reading

It was with a wry smile that I read BT’s junk mail circular stuck through my letterbox last week, emblazoned with the question, “Does your broadband provider stand up to the test?” Well, no actually; I’m with BT broadband. According to pledges from our government, the UK will have the Continue Reading

Generally, the term decentralisation refers to dispersing political decision making away from centralised government and into the hands of local authorities and communities. The current UK government have embraced the concept – Greg Clark, the Minister of Decentralisation, is committed to devolving power from “Whitehall to town hall” and, thereafter, Continue Reading

The Internet is the ideal way for the moaners of the world to get together and have a good old girn about whatever takes their non-fancy, comfortable in the knowledge that they won’t have to justify their opinions or provide the evidence or context that they would in a ‘real Continue Reading

Twitter? Tweeting? Unless you’ve used Twitter, they’re probably a phrases you’re sick of hearing. The best description of Twitter I can think of is that sending a ‘tweet’, a short text message, via Twitter is like sending a text message via your mobile phone – the difference is that on Continue Reading