Published on: Nov 6, 2014 POPPYCOCK? I have never been one for symbols or logos of any sort. However in my younger days I have bought and worn the remembrance poppy without giving it much thought, but recently that has changed and I now am acutely aware of the remembrance poppy and the way it…
Referendum reflections Independence was something I was always going to vote for, but I wasn’t fired up by the prospect ; realising that I would probably be backing a loser and the people of Scotland would act out their “canny” stereotype and bottle it. But with 9 days to go the Yes camp took a…
The beginning of the end of life as an employee The beginning of the end of my life as an employee. My days of working ‘on the tools’, mainly on trade union, National Agreement sites, were brought to an end following a strike I took part in. The strike was unofficial and we were dismissed…
Things weren’t quite like the papers said. From an interest in Andrew Carnegie I knew of the Meal Riots of the late 18th century. Knew a little of the aims of the Chartists, which Carnegie’s father and other radical relatives, uncles, Tom Morrison and George Lauder supported. But I knew little about the Dunfermline riots…
The Charges, Prisons, Petitions & Clemency THE CHARGES Even a quick scan of the Indictments exposes the myth perpetuated in some press reports of the trial that this was an Irish Navvy riot. It wasn’t. No Irishmen were charged with Mobbing and Rioting. The definition of such a charge is that a group combines…
Verdict on the Mob and the Magistrates RACE & RELIGION? In looking for reasons why so many leaders of the Dunfermline community had sympathy with the prisoner Alexander Black it is worth noting something the Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Hope, identified. He stated: “That the Magistrates & others may have a strong feeling agt…
1850 Riot Reflections based on my experiences. This post looks at the common perception of Dunfermline and also my view of it based on my life experiences, as enlightened by my research into the 1850 riot, and seeking to draw lessons from both. ANDREW CARNEGIE’S DUNFERMLINE 1835-1848 The general perception of Dunfermline as a town…
INDEPENDENCE: STICK OR TWIST? By instinct I am a nationalist and believe an independent Scotland would prosper. My conviction is borne out of my own experience of succeeding in business. I left school at 15 (with no qualifications) and worked for others in various capacities as a steelworker, but it was not until I was…
The recent upsurge in interest in sexual abuse of children caused me to reflect on an old friend, Krystyna Ost, who died a few years ago and would have been a vociferous contributor to the current debate. I say an old friend and that is, and isn’t true, as I only met Krystyna once, the…
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