Well that was fun! Thank you ⁦Edinburgh International Book Festival⁩ for the invitation to hear and meet all these wonderful writers. And fantastic to realise that I’d actually TAUGHT ⁦⁦Hannah Lavery⁩ back in the Stone Age!😀 #WordsFromTheWards

Without in any way intending to diminish the tragedy here, it's interesting that these are "real people" with identities. The desperate hundreds that drown trying to cross the Channel are just 'numbers'. theguardian.com/world/article/…

Really enjoyed John Swinney & Mark Drakeford 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 at the Edinburgh International Book Festival tonight... apart from the woman at the end who spoiled the question session by shouting out about Gaza. The audience was REALLY annoyed with her, and everyone probably agrees about Gaza, too.

Under no circumstances can we recommend Laings Jewellers in Edinburgh. Watch handed in for a simple repair (re-adhering a baton) came back with the baton completely missing. "We didn't lose it/we never opened it" – despite also saying that there was damage BEHIND the face.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 For perspective: this is £2.00 per head of the Scottish population. Don't imagine many people would grudge the price of one Edinburgh bus fare. Shona Robison MSP Angus Robertson (my MSP btw) campaignforthearts.org/petitions/scot…

"Trump derangement syndrome" sounds quite bad. Imagine being that deranged.

ICYMI: Growing Older and Younger at the Same Time. gordonlawrieblog.wordpress.com/2024/08/24/let…

I've just read the quote of the day from Simon Price﮷ in the The Guardian: "When anyone uses the word 'woke' as an insult, they’re immediately emblazoning another word across their own forehead, which also begins with a 'w'." I'd take being called woke as a compliment, thanks.

This week's Letter from Edinburgh. gordonlawrieblog.wordpress.com/2024/08/31/let…

I'm sure there's a Lord Ticketmaster in the House of Lords now, elevated by Liz Truss.

I see that being diagnosed with Parkinson's and moving to Florida has not mellowed Billy Connolly. theguardian.com/culture/2023/s…

A new "Letter from Edinburgh." gordonlawrieblog.wordpress.com/2024/09/08/let…

Personally, I’d love to be paying lots of income tax.

My problem with this is that folk think £150K for our most important – and potentially most endangered – citizen is too much. This at a time when top sports stars, etc., get paid more in a day for sneezing. I'd have said that about Sunak, too, btw. theguardian.com/politics/2024/…

I'm not sure I'd ever vote Lib-Dem, but that doesn't prevent me from having a lot of time for Daisy Cooper MP 🔶. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Despite these awful allegations, I personally think this is a fantastic and liberating turning point. The more women who come out and say they were abused or raped, the easier it becomes for others. There's no shame in being raped. theguardian.com/world/2024/sep…

Letter from Edinburgh: The Literary Gender Gap gordonlawrieblog.wordpress.com/2024/09/21/let…

Oh dear.

In the interests of transparency I should declare that my glasses cost a ridiculous £650 because I've a very wide head. At 6'5" tall, my clothes cost more, as do extra legroom aircraft seats. It seems even my coffin will eventually cost more. theguardian.com/politics/2024/…

Quiz: Arrange the following in order of salary size. Currently in alphabetical order. Ros Atkins Fiona Bruce Reeta Chakrabarti Victoria Derbyshire Faisal Islam Simon Jack Chris Mason Laura Kuenssberg Naga Muchetty Clive Myrie Amos Rajan Sophie Raworth Angela Rayner Keir Starmer