It is with a modicum of melancholy that I bring you this week’s column, for it will be my last.
It’s all happened rather suddenly but, for a variety of reasons, my time at the Daily Record draws amicably to a close today.
Having started out at STV online in 2015, looking and feeling a lot younger than I do now, before moving onto the Scotsman, a weekly rant in the paper once seemed like a doddle.
The Record was a great fit for me because it gave me a direct line to working class people. Since my teens, I’ve been campaigning about issues such as child poverty, inequality and mental health.
Being given a platform as widely read as this paper to express my views has been a real honour.
But while it’s not exactly hard labour, you’d be surprised how much space 600 words takes up in your head over the course of seven days.
Throw in a couple of kids, a house to run, and various other professional and personal commitments amid the low-level chaos of daily life, and suddenly what once appeared a walk-in-the-park becomes a surprisingly difficult task to sit down to.
When time was not such a limited resource, I cherished following the rhythms of the news, taking notes, making observations, and letting them cook for a few days before laying my thoughts out on these pages.
I took pride in how long I was willing to consider an issue from different sides, even if it meant inviting criticism.
Now I find the time escaping me a little more often than I am comfortable with.
The country is a bin fire. The issues of the day must be thought through and debated with an appropriate consideration.
In all honesty, the demands on me presently are such that I cannot always give the issues the proper reflection they deserve.
The last few years have been very humbling. Where I may once have given my opinion freely on a variety of subjects, believing myself terribly informed, I have come to realise that I am good at writing about a handful of things, if that.
Class is my turf. That’s my specialism. Yet, we as commentators often come to regard ourselves as generalists, capable of wrapping our minds around complex issues and debate before filing to a deadline, even when the issues sit well outwith our expertise or experience.
I’ve seen the damage that can be done when people like me, who don’t know as much as we like to think, feel compelled to speak on subjects because they are “trending”, despite possessing no real depth of understanding.
The truth is, I am not an expert in much at all. In an age of fake news, where our information ecosystem is clogged-up with half-truths, lies and partisan hot-takes, I often wonder what good my opinion can really do.
Not least, in my case, where too often I only have a few hours to construct it.
And so, it is in that spirit of humility – with a desire to leave a little more oxygen in the room for others – that I shall endeavour in this next chapter of my life to keep some of my opinions to myself.
Thank you all for reading and have a great day.
Credit card vultures don’t have best interest of vulnerable folk at heart
Millions are braced this week for a massive hike in energy prices that’s on top of rising food and travel costs and an imminent national insurance increase.
As household incomes are squeezed, more of us will rely on credit cards to keep things ticking over.
But that’s where the cost of living crisis really gets messy.
As you hammer credit cards, and your monthly payments increase, so too does the likelihood your rate will go up.
You see, the helpful credit card companies regard your increased spending and rising credit balance as a justification for hitting you with even higher rates of interest, meaning just when you are beginning to feel the pinch, they swoop in and add to your troubles.
How very thoughtful of them.
With friends like that, who needs enemies.
Rovers scored an OG
Raith Rovers scored a pretty fatal own goal this week by signing rapist David Goodwillie – regardless of their U-turn yesterday.
i think what made the whole thing worse is that the club made no effort whatsoever to acknowledge the deeply troubling nature of their initial decision.
How did they think people were going to react?
After a day of justified public backlash, they had released a tone-deaf statement emphasising what a proven goalscorer Goodwillie is, and that this was the main factor in their decision.
Rather than providing clarity, the press release acted as a further provocation.
Lifelong fan and author Val McDermid rightly cut ties with the club and many others followed.
The man in question has so far expressed no remorse nor sought to make amends for his actions. Surely his goalscoring ability was always irrelevant here? Truly shocking stuff.
Making 'ethical' do a lot of work
Music legends Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulled their music from Spotify in protest at Joe Rogan’s podcast.
A principled stance one might say.
Of course, given how many artists have been shafted by the streaming platform over the years, the ethical time to quit it was the day it was created.
