Tag: Scotland

On a walk over the Eildon Hills in the Borders last week, I came across a smart modern memorial to a very old poet, Thomas the Rhymer (1220-1298). Tom was not just a poet,...

We have been given another reminder this week that our grand western civilisation is really quite precarious. And isn’t it ironic that all our woes are so intertwined?Gas and electricity prices rise, causing...

Young people aged 12 to 15 will be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine at drop-in clinics across Lothian from Monday.Mass clinics are set up in West Lothian, Midlothian and Edinburgh and will open...

You wouldn’t think a sensible remark like “Think twice before you call an ambulance” could cause a political row.  But the Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has found himself at the centre of a storm...

After a week of warm, sunny days and then rain and mist, climate change has been on my mind. Not just the UN conference in Glasgow next month but the immediate “Indian Summer”.  On Wednesday,...

The red berries on the rowan trees on my daily walk are, for me, the first sign of autumn. Soon the fieldfare and redwings will fly in from Scandinavia to feed on them. The...

The Scottish Government has announced a 3% uplift for some NHS medical and dental staff, which they say is in recognition of their efforts during the pandemic.This announcement covers three groups of staff who...

Professor Alison Strath has been appointed as Chief Pharmaceutical Officer and Professors Graham Ellis and Professor Nicola Steedman have been confirmed as Deputy Chief Medical Officers. These are all full-time appointments.Professor Strath has been...

Passengers arriving from France ino Scotland will no longer need to quarantine if they are fully vaccinated under the latest review of travel restrictions announced by The Scottish Government.The step to align France with...

Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance described the increase in drug-related deaths announced on Friday as “heart-breaking”, and repeated The Scottish Government’s determination to work to address the crisis.National Records of Scotland figures show that...

In this second Covid summer, Scots have been rediscovering their own country. Holidaying at home for just a few days at a time has become the normal thing to do, just as we all...

People from the EU and US who are fully vaccinated will be able to travel to Scotland without any requirement for quarantine from Monday 2 August 2021.The need for travellers to self-isolate for 10...

Monday is “Freedom Day”…though it depends what you mean by freedom and it depends on whether you live in Scotland or England.In England, Boris Johnson has declared an end to Government Covid rules...

“We’re at the sharp end of the Delta wave,” the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, told us. For a day or two, Scotland had the highest rate of Covid cases in Europe.  But like the...

Midsummer and the end of term, for schools, parliament and people.And we even have a glimpse of the end of Covid restrictions on 9 August.  I got away ahead of the holiday rush...

International students are to be included in the national Covid-19 vaccination programme.  Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf, has confirmed this will take place in line with guidelines from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation...

There’s a gentle air of midsummer rustling through the café awnings.  People sit discussing the warm weather or Scotland’s prospects in our first European football finals for 23 years or the rollout of the...

Is Scotland really going green?  It’s tempting to think so in a week which has seen the SNP and the Green Party talking about “a governing agreement".The Scottish Greens were the only party to make...

It’s cup final weekend. The Hibees and the Saints will battle it out at Hampden on Saturday afternoon for the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup. For Hibernian it could mean winning the cup for...

An NHS service allowing people travelling abroad to access their record of vaccination status themselves has been launched. The measure will provide confirmation of vaccination when required for foreign travel. A vaccination status letter can...

The new ‘Marketing on Tap’ campaign aimed at helping the Scottish hospitality industry has been set up by The Marketing Society Scotland (MSS) and its members.The society hopes to support pubs, bars and restaurants...

“We’re putting the recovery first,” was the election slogan all parties could agree on. And now the election is over and the new members of The Scottish Parliament have taken their oath of office,...

“Now is the month of Maying when merry lads (and lasses) are playing.” So Thomas Morley’s song welcomes in this happy month and so do we, with shops, cafes and visitor attractions now open...

We have been given back our “right to roam”.  The coronavirus figures are now good enough for Nicola Sturgeon to make the surprise announcement that she is lifting the “stay local” restriction and allowing...

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie used a visit to Edinburgh on Tuesday to unveil the party’s Commitment Card which states that every candidate elected will put the recovery from the pandemic first.  The Commitment...

Despite the pandemic and despite the collapse of the economy, Democracy goes marching on.  The election campaign for the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament is under way.  Voting takes place on 6 May...

INDUSTRY EXPERT LOOKS FORWARD TO A MORE RESILIENT HOSPITALITY SECTOR EMERGING FROM THE FIRES OF COVID-19Having recently launched his own restaurant consultancy, hospitality sector expert, Nikos Matsikas, has spoken of his hopes for...

Ministers have agreed, on the basis of advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre, to place additional restrictions on travellers arriving in Scotland from the Ethiopia, Oman, Qatar and Somalia.All passengers travelling to Scotland will...

This week there’s a feeling that “We’re almost there!”  Somewhere out on the horizon, the tide has turned. Governments, north and south of the border, have given us dates for the steps out of...

The National Records of Scotland has confirmed on Wednesday that Quarter 4 deaths were 12.5% above average.The number of deaths recorded from October to December 2020 is 16,626, which is 12.5% more than the...