Monthly Archives: November 2017

Things We Should Not Talk Of

Posted on November 26, 2017 by Grouse Beater

The Great Debate on freedom of choice was a tremendously liberating experience. It was the first time in anybody’s memory we had open speech, not merely narrow ‘free’ speech. It must have come as a surprise to many Scots and English too … Continue reading →

Posted in Scottish Independence Referendum, Scottish Politics | 24 Comments

Car News: Predictions

Posted on November 25, 2017 by Grouse Beater

Your weekly guide to all that’s rotten about car ownership, plus some good bits An interesting prediction from the head of Toyota’s Research and Development, Seigo Kuzamaki: he thinks the internal combustion engine dead by 2050, and will power only about … Continue reading →

Posted in Transportation | 4 Comments

Paging BBC Scotland!

Posted on November 18, 2017 by Grouse Beater

An open letter to Donalda MacKinnon, Director of BBC Scotland on the first anniversary of her tenure Dear Donalda MacKinnon Leaving the BBC is like leaving the Communist Party, you’re never forgiven. In consequence it was not a surprise to hear … Continue reading →

Posted in Scottish Independence Referendum, Scottish Politics | 48 Comments

Car News: An Electric Truck

Posted on November 18, 2017 by Grouse Beater

A weekly guide to all that’s rotten about car ownership, plus some good bits Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla is at it again. He announced the production of a truck, two of them, one big and one small, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Transportation | 2 Comments

The Florida Project – a review

Posted on November 12, 2017 by Grouse Beater

This is a five star movie. No doubt about it. I should begin by stating that without hesitation. My criteria for awarding five stars appears to be of a higher standard than a lot of critics and reviewers who assume … Continue reading →

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The Crime of Voting

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Grouse Beater

Cries of shame on EU neutrality are unfounded While I was in Spain last week the Flemish nationalist politician and deputy prime minister of Belgium, Jan Jambon, along with the former Belgian prime minister, Elio Di Rupo, condemned Spain for … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Scottish Independence Referendum, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Murder on the Orient Express – a review

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Grouse Beater

I approached the new version of Agatha Christie’s most audacious murder story with trepidation. I’d seen the original film version directed by Sydney Lumet thirty years earlier and had the privilege of interviewing the film’s composer Richard Rodney Bennett on … Continue reading →

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