Lesley Riddoch

Bert Mullen Lecture 2011

Lesley delivered the 2011 Bert Mullen lecture to the Scottish League of Credit Unions in Stirling on October 7th. It is a  You can download the presentation to the Scottish League of Credit Unions - Bert Mullen Lecture 2011 here.

"Is Scotland Nordic ?" I ask Mike Russell

The Nordic Model meeting at the Scottish Parliament next week (Mar 16^th) is absorbing all available energy at the moment. Since we got inundated with people (a good thing) we've had to switch committee rooms to get the biggest one (another good thing) but that means hiring AV equipment to let members of the audience be heard (an inexplicable thing given that Holyrood is meant to be such a groovy, interactive, digital parliament.)

And since we are now past 100 people registered for the event I don't think we can accommodate many more. We did invite Education Secretary Mike Russell -- he can't come because he'll be in Sweden and Finland next week looking at their education systems. So I popped in and recorded a Feisty videocast asking what Mike makes of the Nordic Educational experience, why he's going, whether there's any chance of Scotland copying the Nordic example of kids not starting school till they are 6 or 7, or kindergarten for all from the age of 1 etc etc – there are some answers and as you'll see he rashly committed himself to explaining what he found afterwards too! So here's a wee taster of the debate for those who will and won't get to the Northern Horizons event next Wednesday.

The Neil Gunn Trust Lecture

I will be delivering the Neil Gunn Trust Lecture at the Inverness Book Festival at 7pm on Friday October 3 at the Eden Court in Inverness.

The Prisons Commission Reports

The Prison Commission Reports

After six months work -- the Prisons Commission report was launched today at the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The speech given by Commission Chair Henry McLeish was a tour de force (but maybe I'm biased) listing the cocktail of problems that have given Scotland a prison population more like an emerging Soviet Republic than a modern Western nation.

There were 23 recommendations -- and I was glad I wasn't one of the hacks sight-reading the 82 page report and trying to figure out which one should make the headline. Will the tabloids describe us as deluded, do-gooding lefties (Sheriff Alistair Duff would never live that down!) or over-ambitious... or might Scottish institutions use this report to tackle troubled citizens instead of locking them up?

If you want to read the report email business.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or call Blackwell's Edinburgh bookshop on 0131 622 8283.

Writing Course - Westray - October

Along with Ron Ferguson, I will be part of the creative writing course in Westray from Friday 10  to Monday 13 October - click on the poster and it will enlarge to give you all the contact details you need to book a place ! Hurry the places are limited and filling fast.

Oh what a night !

Benbecula and the Islands Debate...phew what a night ! The debate was a corker and you will be able to hear the edited highlights on this week's Riddoch Questions.
This picture of the Lionacleit audience is courtesy of Eileen Bell at the Stornoway Gazette.

Scottish Prisons Commission

Prisons Commission Public Debate

The first in a series of public debates involving the Scottish Prisons Commission took place in Dundee last night. Prisons Commission Chair Henry McLeish and I were there. Along with a distinguished audience and a panel of

• Prison Governor Perth, Kate Donegan
• Criminal Justice Manager, Jane Martin    
• Detective Chief Superintendent Angela Wilson Tayside Police    
• Dundee Women’s Aid Manager Margaret Brown

The purpose of this series of meetings is to allow the public and interested parties to discuss and debate the issues which the Prisons Commission is addressing. It was a good meeting and there are several more to come. I will be chairing all of them. The public are welcome and a full list of dates and venues is available here.

Or you can download the schedule here.

Naomi Mitchison Memorial Lecture 2007

Journalist and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch will give a talk at the University of Glasgow on Women and Rural Society on 5 November.

Presenting the 2007 Naomi Mitchison Memorial Lecture, Lesley Riddoch, who hosts the BBC’s Riddoch’s Questions radio show, will discuss whether women are the backbone of rural society or a silenced majority.

The talk will take place at the Sir Charles Wilson Lecture Theatre, Gibson St, University of Glasgow on 5 November at 6pm. The event is free and open to the public.

For more details - click here.

The Faclan Festival and Lesley Riddoch and Stornoway

The Faclan Festival at an Lanntair Arts Centre in Stornoway is the venue for Lesley and the "Riddoch on the Outer Hebrides". Lesley will be speaking at 5pm on Saturday 1 September. Come and meet Lesley in person.

Here is the complete list of the "Riddoch on the Outer Hebrides" Book Tour

Edinburgh International Book Festival - Monday 27 August

Lesley will be appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival at 4:30pm on Monday 27 August. She will be talking about her new book; "Riddoch on the Outer Hebrides".

Stop by and meet Lesley in person.

Check out the details of the other Book Tour dates.