Remembering 1 May 1997: Things can only get better

1997 was a vintage year. I met Eric Cantona. I saw Bowie at the Barrowlands. I got married. Oh, and on Thursday May 1st, Labour won a landslide victory, ushering in thirteen years of a Labour government, ten under Tony Blair. Twenty years after that sunny day, when things really did get better, it is […]

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Corbyn doesn’t work for Labour

My recent column in the The Scotsman where I argue Jeremy Corbyn is the wrong leader for the Labour Party.  Two political leaders gave big speeches earlier this week. One, at the end of his career as an elected politician, was graceful, thoughtful, optimistic for the future of his country. The other was Jeremy Corbyn. […]

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Better together: my dream for my grand-daughter

These are my remarks that I gave today at the Scottish Women’s Convention’s debate on the independence referendum. Thanks to the audience of great women, from across Scotland, who made it such a lively, passionate event.  In a few week’s time my grand-daughter will be born. I want her to grow up in a country […]

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That was the week that was

It has been a momentous week. Robbie Williams’ new LP became the 1,000th number one in the album charts Nigella Lawson’s life was ripped apart, again. And Scotland’s First Minister, and his faithful deputy, published their prospectus for breaking up the United Kingdom. Scotland’s Future is 670 pages long. And every one of those pages […]

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Two invitations in one day

I got not one, but two, invitations today. Most unusual. The first was to speak, with my new comrade Kate Higgins, at the Women in Parliament dinner next week. I immediately said yes, even though it meant rearranging a trip to Leeds to spend time with my husband. I may not be in frontline politics […]

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