THE past few months have been bad ones for Scottish politics, Scottish political debate and the country s institutions. Many people, especially those who support independence or just greater devolution, will have been dismayed and felt let down by the conduct of their elected representatives and the functioning of key institutions. Perhaps the greatest cause for dismay was the report of the parliamentary committee on whether the First Minister misled parliament on matters relating to issues arising from the alleged conduct of Alex Salmond. The leaked report, and the committee which produced it, by dividing on predictable party political lines failed a central test of effective parliamentary democracy: the objective investigation and scrutiny of government action. An effective and objective committee system is an important part of the operations of any democratic parliament.
Pardon me, but do you speak American? NOT for the first time, a headline in our Voices section caused some controversy this week. It appeared above Andrew McKie’s column on Tuesday: “The budgets are still big. it’s Hollywood’s imagination and verve that have gotten small.” There was some spluttering of tea over toast on breakfast tables. Why were we following the American usage of the past participle of the verb “to get”? The explanation was that it fitted the theme of the piece, which was about Hollywood’s shrinking ambitions, and alluded to a famous line in the 1950 Billy Wilder movie, Sunset Boulevard, uttered by Gloria Swanson’s Norma Desmond. (But it was a misquote. The dialogue actually goes: Joe Gillis – You’re Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big. Norma Desmond – I
IS this a whole new can of worms? Maybe more accurately a can of genetically modified worms? I understand that the UK Department for Food and Rural Affairs, Defra, started a consultation immediately after we left the EU in early January about the possible introduction of genetically modified (GM) food into the UK. My understanding is that GM food is specifically banned in Scotland, as it is throughout the EU, but widely used in the United States. The Prime Minister is on record as saying he wants to liberate the UK bioscience sector from anti-genetic-modified rules and we know that a trade deal with the US, including agricultural products, is being negotiated, so we can see where his priorities lie.
AS expected, Harry and Meghan have opted to continue enjoying their current luxurious celebrity lifestyle in California, funded by cashing in on the novelty interest there in them and their royal status, rather than carrying out the irksome duties of senior royals here ( Harry and Meghan stripped of patronages after finalising split , The Herald February 20). Who can blame them? That is their choice and good luck to them, but of course their decision will have consequences, such as the fact that they can’t have their cake and eat it as they expected they could. Time will tell how well they, and Harry in particular, will cope as with familiarity the interest from the media in them and their celebrity status wanes.
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