A decade in Scotland:Part One: a decision well made

I can not believe it has been ten years since I moved to Scotland – where the time has gone I just do not know. I remember the moment that led to that decision, almost, as clearly as if it were yesterday. I’d just got my A-Level results for the second time (having been forced to re-sit them owing to a year of getting drunk and messing about with my friends at School).

The night before getting those second set of results I had been up all night partying and drinking (yes, an all too common theme of my adult life!) It had been a wild night, in which we had ended up climbing on to the roof of my house (there was a nice flat spot), the police were called, my mother was forced to turn up at 3am following phone calls from an angry Grandfather (he lived 3 doors down) and we were dragged into order. However, once everything had calmed down we were still pulsing with the excitement of our pending results and the desire for more booze. We went to the farm fields at the back of my house to continue drinking and to contemplate our futures, oh and of course play truth or dare, which resulted in a rather bizarre naked star jumping incident!

So on the morning of getting my results I had had no sleep and was rather hungover, only a fried breakfast in a dodgy greasy spoon had kept me from passing out. This was the physical state that I was in when having to consider my academic future. It had also been a very hard year for me, in which I had been seriously ill in hospital with a bout of glandular fever, as well as at the same time bearing witness to the rather messy separation of my parents, so it was also with little emotional clarity or sense of control that I approached this all important decision of where I was going to spend the next period of my life. I was tired physically, emotionally exhausted but somewhat relieved to be in a position to be going to University and feeling all of this, I knew I wanted to go away.

Following the momentary euphoria of getting those results I found myself sat in the corner of the sixth form common room next to the bookcase, which kept all the University prospectuses. Starting to really feel the bite of my hangover, I picked up, at random, the nearest prospectus and started leafing through it. I remember the pages popping open at the centre where in the middle of a two page spread there was a picture of the most beautiful castle, bathed in the rays of a setting sun. I pondered on the image for a while and just thought how amazing it was and being something of a romantic idealist in those days I instantly fell in love. Feeling what alcoholics might describe as “a moment of clarity” I turned to the contact pages and called the applications number.

I had been forced to go through clearing, as every University that I had applied to rejected me on the basis that I was repeating my exams and that they did not believe me when I said I could achieve the results they were asking for (incidentally, I surpassed the required points score for all the courses I had been rejected for, so if Leicester and Hull Universities are reading this – Get it right up yer!). Clearing was the way and clutching the only prospectus I had looked at that morning it led me to Stirling University and to Scotland. Having lived here for ten years and with the benefit of hindsight I can honestly say that it was the best decision I have ever made. I am not sure I believe in fate, I certainly don’t believe in god (or any of his associates), but that is the only point in my life where I feel as though there may have been some kind of ‘divine’ intervention. That and the time when Stephen nearly killed me throwing rocks into an air conditioning system, but that is a whole other story!

Dog walking – a community!

I do not intend every entry on my blog to be about my dog, Jack, but when something becomes such a large and important part of your life it’s hard not to talk about them (a lot!).

Having had Jack for nearly 6 months now I have become a well established member of the Dog Walking Community. This is one of the strangest and most bizarre communities one could ever be apart of, it’s like a secret society, and the secret handshake is the dog by your side. No dog, no membership. This is a community that gives you an absolute right to stop and talk with any other person walking a dog, whether you know them or not, and if approached by a dog walker you are obliged to stop and chat. The length of the chat is often dictated by the length of time taken by the dogs to sniff each other’s bits and parts. Once one of the dog’s interests have waned, its time to move on.

It is also a community where you will rarely know the name of the owner of a dog, but only their dog’s name. When I go to Scotland Yard (the Park at the end of Scotland Street) there are loads of members of the dog walking community and I can name over half-a-dozen dogs, but not one owner, and I am convinced as many of them know Jack by name, but none would know my name. In fact, I am sure most people in the park know Jack’s name, as often I can be found tearing after him, calling out to him and waving a dog treat in his direction trying desperately to bring him to heal.

Jack, as most of you who have met him will know, is a very social member of the dog walking community and there isn’t a dog in the park he hasn’t or doesn’t want to sniff. In fact many of them he sniffs on a daily basis, which leads me to assume that he must simply love the smell down there or that he has smell memory of a gold fish. Personally, I think it’s the former. All of this is allowed in the dog walking community and in fact it is encouraged, as everyday between 6pm and 6.30pm many members of the dog walking community gather together at the centre of the green in Scotland Yard to allow their dogs to participate in, what I have come to know as the “Great Sniff!”. The dogs, at least those that can be trusted, are let off their leads and frantically scamper from one to the other to sniff. The owners largely ignore their dogs, but stand in a collective to talk about, yes, you’ve guessed it, their dogs!

Dog gossip, by the way, can include anything from which dog’s in the community are badly behaved (I often wonder if Jack is mentioned while I am not around), what are the latest ailments each dog has and where they are getting treated, to new gadgets, toys and grooming implements that owners have purchased for their beloved dogs.

Anyway, I guess that’s enough dog gossip from me today. I’m sure I will write more and more about Jack and I dare say the dog walking community, as time goes by. After all, with Jack comes at least a ten year membership!

Food Glorious Food???

Since I became 'slightly' obsessed with running at the turn of the year and began running the copious amount of miles needed in order to complete marathons - the new found love of my life - the one thing that I have found most difficult is food. This is surprising considering most runners prefer to complain about muscle strains, tiredness and the actual training.

Running 60+ miles a week can make you very hungry. But it is not what I would describe as a normal hunger, but a strange lingering hunger that never seems to quite go away no matter how much you eat. I have a constant urge to eat. Today, for example, I ate a toasted bagel with peanut butter for breakfast, which should normally be enough, but even as I was finishing it I knew it simply wouldn't be, so I followed this with a quarter of a melon. Again, this was still not enough, so I had a bowl of bran flakes, which just about did the trick and I set off to work. Within 45mins of sitting down at my desk my mind was already drifting towards the notion of eating again! Thankfully, I managed to resist the urge until my allotted mid-morning snack time of 11.30am.

Unfortunately, despite burning in excess of 4,000 calories every day (including the given 2,500) through training I can not just eat what I want -now that would be nice! I have to be careful not to over indulge in sugars, salts, fats etc etc and I still must be careful of the quantity of food I eat otherwise the old belly will return and all that hard work and my running times would suffer.

The point of this little rant is this, despite the fact that I have just sat and had a very lovely and rather substantial bowl of pasta for my lunch, I would love nothing more right now than to dive into portion after portion of fried chips, a couple of cheese burgers and a big thick juicy pink steak!!! Followed by a double chocolate fudge cake with mint ice cream all washed down with several pints of Baltica! That would be amazing!

In fact come the early afternoon of Sunday October 21st when I have finished the Amsterdam marathon this is exactly what I intend to have! And if there is any room after that, which I am sure there might be I think I will have some pizza!

Dog Attack!

Last night some hound of satan attacked my lovely dog, Jack. I couldn't believe it. Poor Jack, who would never hurt a fly, was forced to snarl and bark back at the dog, which repeatedly snapped at his neck and face. When eventually the half-witted owner of the hell hound pulled his beast off my dog, it left poor Jack crying in despair. He followed this with a bark in the direction of his departing attacker. I can only guess the bark was doggy for "F*ck off!".

Thankfully the usual doggy community of the park at the end of Scotland Street, which the hell hound is not a part of, were all supportive and giving Jack lots of attention following the assault.

People with evil dogs should keep them on a lead, muzzled, locked away or all three where they can not attack innocent dogs.

I'm very annoyed.

The Relaunch - It's Time!!!

Following prompts from my family this weekend - I am going to try and keep this blog up-to-date! Also, having recently completed a time management course, I think filling in my blog at least once a week can't be too much to ask for!

It may well be hard, considering how fast time seems to disappear each day, but here goes!

Flagrant abuse of the electoral system!

The news that the BNP is to field candidates across Scotland for the first time in May is one that has angered me greatly. The party intends to put up 32 candidates, four on each of the eight regional lists in Scotland.

The rules state that any party which stands at least four candidates in every region is entitled to a party election broadcast.

This means that the BNP will get a three to four-minute party election broadcast, at prime time on BBC1 Scotland, BBC2 and the Scottish parts of the ITV network, which incidentally is the equivalent of about £75,000 of advertising time - giving the BNP almost £670,000 in free publicity. They’ll also be able to get a free, second class post delivery for an election leaflet to each household. All paid for by the tax payer.

Thankfully, their candidacy isn’t in response to a surge of far-right fascist support among the people of Scotland.

At the General Election in 2005 in the one area where they thought they could capitalise on the policies they preach, Glasgow, they managed to secure only 671 votes, less than 2.5% of the vote that was available. Nothing I have heard, read or seen has suggested that even in their Glasgow ‘heartlands’ would they enjoy any great increase in that support, never mind the rest of the country.

They may have changed from boots to suits over recent years in an attempt to look both credible and electable, but this hasn’t fooled people. Recent documentaries and a close examination of their literature still show them to be an obnoxious element of British politics – whose policies serve only to divide and disrupt our society. A party whose message Scotland could do without in May 2007.

What angers me most about this news is that this is a flagrant attempt to abuse our electoral system and to make use of our taxes to get a free primetime broadcast across our television network and a leaflet delivery to every house in Scotland. This will expose their beliefs to the whole population of which over 99% probably want nothing to do with. I certainly don’t.

But more worryingly, by giving them this national platform it sends out a potentially serious and dangerous message to the people of Scotland that the BNP is a credible, national choice- which they most certainly are not.

For once I totally and utterly agree with Tommy Sheridan, and his promise not to stand on a platform, debate with or attend a meeting where they are present and I hope every candidate from all of Scotland’s parties do the same. I also remember Mohammed Sarwar refusing to share the stage with the BNP at the declaration of his General Election result in 2005 (all the other candidates agreed to do the same). The returning officer had to announce the result from a platform with no candidates, and Sarwar later made a speech from the floor of the hall.

A ‘no platform’ policy is something I have believed in since my days in student politics and it is something that still holds true for me today. I hope all the candidates from respectable and decent political parties hold this value during the 2007 election if they have to deal with the BNP. If I was a candidate I would.

Maybe we need to consider changes to the rules of the electoral system so as to stop this abuse happening again. Perhaps, we should look to introduce a deposit system for those standing on the list (something they currently do not have to do). I am beginning to think that each party putting forward candidates should be required to put up a nominal sum either for each candidate on the list or one fee for the whole list. This sum could then be returned if the party successfully secures a percentage of the vote right across the region they are standing in - say 3%. This would, at the very least, make it extremely costly for the BNP or other extremist parties to take advantage of the system.

In the meantime I look forward to the Scottish people wholeheartedly and decisively rejecting the BNP in Scotland, as it has done at every election when they have dared to stand.

To what extent should one person’s faith be able to deny another person’s freedom?

The debate last week on whether or not to allow adoption agencies run by the Catholic Church the right to refuse to place their children with gay couples on the grounds of faith increasingly agitated me. Thankfully, Downing Street has made the right decision.

In our society I thought that we had accepted the principle of equality; however, now I am not so sure. We have certainly not yet seen it woven into the fabric of our lives where it belongs. It is still but a needle and thread waiting to be stitched.

It is all too common and far too easy for people and organisations to say that they believe in equality and human rights, but when it comes to acting on those words so many fall so short of their meaning.

That is why the decision made by Downing Street’s was the only correct one they could have made and one that I am proud they did.

Allowing the Catholic Church to deny gay couples the right to adopt children from their agencies would have been tantamount to state sponsored discrimination and a clear expression by our Government that the principal of equality is flexible to anyone powerful enough to push it.

If we truly believe that our society is one for all people - one based on equality and fairness - then we must do all that we can, when we can, to realise that and Governments have to take the lead. I hope our Government continues to hold the principal of equality firm and inflexible.

Although this time the right decision has been made, the very debate has further exposed the willingness of some in our society to discriminate on the grounds of difference. It should serve as a reminder to all of us who believe in true equality to keep standing up for what believe in and fighting the good fight until we realise that fair and equal society we dream of.