There is widespread coverage in the news media of the debate around statues and memorials to people associated with the slave trade, slavery and colonialism. It is a difficult one for Clydeside because its 19th Century prosperity was rooted in all three (tobacco, sugar, cotton, ship building, supplying goods for the Empire). At the same […]

9th June is traditionally marked as the Feast of St Columba. “Come, bless the Lord, all you his servants. Lift up your hands towards the sanctuary and bless the Lord.” Psalm 134: 1, 2

On a walk along the shore, up-river from the Castle, we came upon dozens of jellyfish washed up by the tide. There is an amazing variety of wildlife in Dumbarton, from ravens to wrens, bats to geese, deer to rabbits and foxes, some folk have spotted a seal and an osprey here. How much wildlife

“We’re all going on a Summer holiday!” No we’re not, at least not in the near future, and maybe not very far away if we do. Travel companies and those in the hospitality industry would love us to be going on holiday, as their livelihoods depend upon it, but lockdown travel restrictions, quarantine rules for

How many of us missed going out to ‘clap for carers’ last night – not just to express support for those people, but also to see, shout to, and wave to, neighbours up and down the street? Though it is probably better for the practice to make a definite stop rather than just drift into

A month or so ago hopes were widely expressed about the New World there would be after Covid-19: greater concern for neighbours; greater respect for health and social care workers, those who worked in transport or retail; more walking, cycling, less use of cars; home working; greater interest in gardening, growing your own food, knitting,

Much attention is given in the News at the moment to the unrest in the United States following the death of George Floyd. Deep-seated prejudice and pent-up anger in a country deeply divided over its core values and so much more, has led to widespread protest and violence. On this side of the Atlantic we

We hear politicians say, ‘We’re following the science’, but then hear other eminent scientists disagreeing with the approach government advisers have recommended. People then become confused, and some become sceptical about ‘scientific advice’. There is an old adage ‘What is a fact? Answer: a working hypothesis not yet capable of being disproved.’ That might be