Bothering the Fourth Estate, again...

You all heard that Gordon Brown is apparently considering reinstating the post of Secretary of State for Scotland to full-time status right? Oh you didn't? Well, luckily for you I wrote a letter to The Herald talking about it. Just so you know...


Not since the times of Willie Ross and Jack MacLay has the Secretary of State for Scotland had arguably any real relevance to the political climate. Andrew Marr described Willie Ross as viewing Scotland as "his own fiefdom". Douglas Alexander, on the other hand, has managed to make the position more of an irrelevance than it was even under Margaret Thatcher.

Gordon Brown's consideration of the reintroduction of the position to full-time status is nothing more than a tokenistic gesture designed to pay lip-service to his numerous critics in the country of his birth, now that he's got the big job down south and is making a show of his "Britishness". Far better than restoring the Secretary of State to full-time status would be to recognise the politics of not just Scotland but the UK itself has changed. More co-operation between Whitehall and Holyrood would be a start.

And of course, the all important link for posterity: http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/letters/display.var.1470046.0.0.php

And before anyone starts moaning about my thesis and me not having time to write letters, the letter is of direct relevance to what I am writing! And funnily enough I just co-wrote a joint paper last week that discusses the role of the Secretary of State for Scotland in the post-war period at great length. It is apparently finding its way into a book about economic leadership in small countries in the twentieth century. Don't worry about finding it, I'll let you know ALL about it when given half the chance.

Bothering The Fourth Estate.

The Herald decided to print my latest offering of one of my many potshots at the Union, details below:

Word power

Speaking of long words, I too await a day. The day when the antidisestablishmentarians of the Unionist parties in Scotland get their comeuppance. Not long now, I suppose.


I'm not in the habit of using ridiculous verbosity normally (honest), but it was a response to the following letter:


Count on it

Your previous correspondents (Letters, April 6 and 8) have come up with the usual suggestions for the longest word in English.

But anyone with a Chambers dictionary and too much time on their hands can find a word 16 letters longer, as I am afraid I did a long time ago.

Though I have never been able to slip it into conversation, I await the day with relish when I meet a person with a lung disease caused by inhaling fine silicate or quartz dust so that I can say: "Ah, you must have pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis."


And you thought my letter was tenous...

And for posterity, the link to the paper, http://www.theherald.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1329112.mostviewed.points_of_view.php