Can I firstly welcome you to the chair, Mr Deputy Speaker? I’m sure you realised pretty quickly that you had picked the short straw when…
A University of the City of Perth
A few weeks ago I attended the graduation for Perth College UHI and as usual it was a fantastic event. It is always a delight…
Me and Lord Snooty
There are certain things you don’t do in this job and one of them is to swear at a policeman and call him a “pleb”.…
Winter Preparedness in Enchanted Perthshire
It was a great privilege for me to be asked to formally open the 10th Anniversary show of the Enchanted Forest, a Perthshire Big Tree…
Dualling the A9
One of the worst moments in this job is when you get that call from the police to say that there has been a road…
A Real Choice is Emerging
Something very important and significant is happening in the referendum debate. What we are beginning to see are two opposing and diverse propositions emerge that…
Reaching Out to That “Inner Nat” in our Fellow Scots
As we approach the two year countdown to the referendum It’s time to reach out to that patriotic inner Scottish nationalist that resides in practically…
Shuffle the Deck
You always know what’s going on when groups of MPs are huddled together in excited groups and the mobile phones are gripped even more intently…
Why Scotland Needs its own Immigration Policy
Perthshire is growing, and we are going to have to adjust to being one of the most dynamic parts of the country for inward migration.…
Being “Better Together” with the Conservatives
Something very significant happened last Saturday, and it happened in most cities and towns across Scotland. Though it probably passed by most of its intended…