topcat(The most tip top)

Although there certainly have been foreign born peers before and probably still are. We've currently got a prime minister who was born in New York so the foundation s for that nativism are shaky That said peerages are geographically tied so while Australians have sat in the lords its never been as Baron Bruce of Alice Springs. So excluding people with Scottish peerages as opposed to Scottish people might be more practical However there would probably be a few exceptions made just as happened when the hereditary peers got kicked out but some of them were elected back in Ruth may wish to become "Baroness Davidson of Berwick upon Tweed" just in case

People make Glasgow

Hearts forward Craig Wighton: How Arbroath and Robbie Neilson helped me fall back in love with football https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hearts/hearts-forward-craig-wighton-how-arbroath-and-robbie-neilson-helped-me-fall-back-love-football-3014149

Given the historical regularity of Glasgow teams winning trophies and the particular security considerations it’s entirely understandable that Glasgow council generally doesn’t make as much of a fuss about these things as Edinburgh, Dundee or any of Scotland’s one team towns but they probably should do something to mark the event. A flag on top of the town hall seems apposite That letter should instead of complaining about that flag be looking for an assurance that when new Rangers break their second innings duck or Thistle get promoted they’ll be honoured in similar style In more important news however ... Scotland and Ireland’s women’s teams will travel to Spain next month to play their first cricket since covid started

Speaking as an Edinburgh Central constituent: “Thank heavens for small mercies”

Tale of the Tub by Jonathan Swift. Supposedly a fable dealing with three brothers representing Catholicism, Anglicanism and Calvinism this book is mostly composed of digression, digressions from those digressions and digressions on the subject of digression. Being written 300 years before us and 100 years after Shakespeare the language is tough going but Swift’s wit shines through the centuries occasionally. To a contemporary reader who got all the references it would probably have been hilarious.

A common mistake

There’s a weird double standard when it comes to being Patronising in these situations before the game saying that “Arbroath will have done well if they keep the margin of defeat fairly narrow” would certainly be seen as patronising but after the game saying “Arbroath did well in keeping the margin of defeat fairly narrow” is perfectly reasonable. Some people don’t get that nuance

Club historians reckon that the 1876 Red White and blue hoops were probably surplus acquired from Edinburgh University. The Maroon appears to be the result of an early merger with another Edinburgh club called St Andrews. Hearts’ name and St Andrew’s colours were preserved So the answer to “who wore Maroon first?” is most probably “Saint Andrews” If it wasn’t for Rangers having spoiled the colour scheme and Celtic having spoiled the pattern I’d quite like red, white and blue hoops as an away kit. There’s a certain Gallic flair to it The relevant bit of “Story of the Hearts” is here https://londonhearts.com/images/mack02/pages/p026.htm

Nice try but I suspect Peter Lawell’s not going to allow that

Given that it was such a shit match it’s probably a blessing as opposed to a shame

Even if we assume, for the sake of argument, that McLaughlin was in the wrong and Rangers had a valid grievance the idea that maintaining the ban into a 6th year is merited seems a bit much. He’s now been banned for longer than you or I would be for singing sectarian songs

Comparing America’s Fox News with the UK’s Daily Express is ... whatever the opposite of cherry picking is

The immediate threat to this government is internal politics The government’s bare minimum is to be able to present this to the Conservative party at large (and it’s press) as a victory If everyone else sees this as a defeat, and chances are we will, that’s an issue for later.

On the other hand Back when I used to frequent Kickback there was a thread bemoaning the gentrification of Gorgie because the previous night there had been running battles outside the pub Westfield street and some local busybody had called the police rather than just assuming that loud scary street violence was part of the local culture. I reckon that kind of gentrification is probably okay