Each week in the podcast, we try to cover issues and veer away from personalities. We try to give the big picture, the slightly irreverent and passionate. It can sometimes sound like a rant. This week it's different.
We wanted to reflect, as people, on the passing of Michael Marra. There's some emotion and some real affection for a gentleman who made the world a better place.
Equally, our friend Jean Urquhart's resignation has touched many and gave pause for thought to others. Finally, in the midst of benefits reform and overhaul, Lesley wanted to tell Kathleen's story. One woman in a system that didn't work.
It's a serious, sombre podcast this week.
Some things come over much more positively when you hear them rather than read them. This is the heart-breaking story of Kathleen and the work of such people as Charlie. And I hear the heart breaking despairing sound in Lesley’s voice. Not saying that the column in the Scotsman didn’t affect me – it did – I sent off a small donation to one of my favourite charities – but the pod was so much more telling.
To Michael Marra – sorry I had not heard of him and I admit I don’t listen to much folk music largely because I don’t come across it much – one exception is Corran Raa and that’s only because I meet one of the players on a skiing holiday . But back to Michael whilst listening to the pod I looked up his name on the web and came across this nice obituary in the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/nov/01/michael-marra
Finally to Jean Urquhart, glad to hear she is remaining at Holyrood. It’s not the SNP that will run Scotland should Independence happen – its people like Jean Urquhart. The SNP being a single issue party will just evaporate and hopefully there will be a social democratic group coalescing from all of the existing parties in Holyrood to take Scotland forward.
Posted by: Mike Vickers | November 03, 2012 at 08:56 PM