This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday 1 January 2022 There is an observation, early in Joan Didion’s prescient essay about politics, Insider Baseball, which for me sums up the current state of Scottish public life. Didion, a renowned American writer who died aged 87
It is SO frustrating- and this analysis is right on the nose. This last five years, maybe ten, has been defined by a broadening gap between the actions of the elite and the beliefs of the everyday person. Brexit. The red wall. Gender Ideology. Each and every one of these things, and many more, is proof that the ruling classes have absolutely no clue what the mass of ordinary people think. And worse, they don't care.
Absolutely perfect Susan. I live in the Highlands and Edinburgh feels a long way away in all senses - despite my kids living there. Nobody seems interested in the truth any longer - my kids school circulated a notice where a crucial "not" had been accidentally missed out where they were quoting the law relating to fireworks. Rendering their advice 180 degrees from the actual position. Despite telling them, was there any interest in correcting their statement of the law?
Wonderful piece. Desperate situation in Scotland but the truth must win through.
It is SO frustrating- and this analysis is right on the nose. This last five years, maybe ten, has been defined by a broadening gap between the actions of the elite and the beliefs of the everyday person. Brexit. The red wall. Gender Ideology. Each and every one of these things, and many more, is proof that the ruling classes have absolutely no clue what the mass of ordinary people think. And worse, they don't care.
Absolutely perfect Susan. I live in the Highlands and Edinburgh feels a long way away in all senses - despite my kids living there. Nobody seems interested in the truth any longer - my kids school circulated a notice where a crucial "not" had been accidentally missed out where they were quoting the law relating to fireworks. Rendering their advice 180 degrees from the actual position. Despite telling them, was there any interest in correcting their statement of the law?