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Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson

Herald Scotland

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Alan Simpson: CalMac is not perfect but privatisation won’t make service better ANYONE who has ever had the good fortune to consume a mac and cheese on a CalMac ferry can attest to how good they are, even in a Force 9 mid-Minch.

ANYONE who has ever had the good fortune to consume a mac and cheese on a CalMac ferry can attest to how good they are, even in a Force 9 mid-Minch. ...

yesterday 3

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Archaeological dig contract for A9 is another insult to Highlands £2m archaeological dig contract on A9 is another insult to Highlands

THE dualling of the A9 trunk road, or the lack of it, appears to have been a topic of some discussion since time began. Before even that some would...

15.12.2024 40

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Scotrail can show Starmer that nationalisation isn't always best I recently listened to an archive clip on the radio that consisted primarily of people whingeing about the railways.

I recently listened to an archive clip on the radio that consisted primarily of people whingeing about the railways. Amongst the biggest complaints...

08.12.2024 7

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Is the human cost of Net Zero drive really worth it? VAUXHALL motors was set up by Scots marine engineer Alexander Wilson in 1857 and went on to become one of the biggest car manufacturers in the UK.

VAUXHALL motors was set up by Scots marine engineer Alexander Wilson in 1857 and went on to become one of the biggest car manufacturers in the UK. ...

01.12.2024 8

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: One Day plaque row shows problem with conservation over evolution TO say that Edinburgh is a beautiful city would probably be viewed as an understatement.

TO say that Edinburgh is a beautiful city would probably be viewed as an understatement. With the elegant Georgian terraces along orderly streets in...

24.11.2024 5

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: How is CalMac supposed to run a ferry service without any ships THERE are estimated to be more than 790 islands in Scotland, with 93 of them inhabited.

THERE are estimated to be more than 790 islands in Scotland, with 93 of them inhabited. Why the number is estimated is anyone’s guess as it should...

16.11.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: The Sabbath isn't for everyone so Stornoway Tesco should open SEVERAL years ago, I had the good fortune to spend a Sabbath on the island of Harris during an extended trip to the Outer Hebrides.

SEVERAL years ago, I had the good fortune to spend a Sabbath on the island of Harris during an extended trip to the Outer Hebrides. Very pleasant it...

09.11.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: We're going to steal a bigger boat - a solution for ferry fiasco MUCH has been said about Scotland’s ongoing ferry fiasco which has left the network with a large number of passengers but hardly any ships.

MUCH has been said about Scotland’s ongoing ferry fiasco which has left the network with a large number of passengers but hardly any ships. It...

02.11.2024 5

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Ross Greer's mansion tax plan is the politics of envy WAY back in the day, in 1604 to be precise, judge Sir Edward Coke ruled that an Englishman’s castle is indeed his home.

WAY back in the day, in 1604 to be precise, judge Sir Edward Coke ruled that an Englishman’s castle is indeed his home. Coke’s full quote was...

26.10.2024 6

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Tourist tax should benefit visitors and not just plug budget gaps

GEORGE Harrison was universally known as the quiet Beatle, although he could throw a good strop with the best of them. His song-writing talents were...

12.10.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: ScotRail fares pilot scheme farce is peak incompetence

According to the acclaimed American writer Mark Twain, there are three types of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics. It is a phrase which...

05.10.2024 7

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: ​ Everybody loves going green - until it lands in their fridge DRIVING north up the A90 towards Aberdeen it is impossible to avoid the sight of posters urging against the building of large pylons across the area.

DRIVING north up the A90 towards Aberdeen it is impossible to avoid the sight of posters urging against the building of large pylons across the area. ...

28.09.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Tesco Clubcard scheme is like inviting Jason Leitch to do your shopping IMAGINE, if you will, being forced to do your weekly supermarket shop accompanied by Jason Leitch and other Scottish government health officials.

IMAGINE, if you will, being forced to do your weekly supermarket shop accompanied by Jason Leitch and other Scottish government health officials. It...

21.09.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Will Kate Forbes sort out the blight on the Highlands of A82? FORT William is a place with a setting that is almost unparalleled anywhere on the planet.

FORT William is a place with a setting that is almost unparalleled anywhere on the planet. Dominated by Ben Nevis, and sitting on the banks of Loch...

14.09.2024 9

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Ignore the haters - travelling the NC500 is simply glorious I RECENTLY had the good fortune to partake in a Highland road trip that took in part of the NC500.

I RECENTLY had the good fortune to partake in a Highland road trip that took in part of the NC500. We didn’t do it all and it was more like the...

07.09.2024 5

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Andy Murray deserves a fitting legacy - just not one with luxury houses IT is fair to say that Andy Murray had millions of people off their seats over the past two decades or so as we all suffered along with him during his rise to the peak of the tennis world.

IT is fair to say that Andy Murray had millions of people off their seats over the past two decades or so as we all suffered along with him during his...

31.08.2024 9

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Raw-dogging social media craze is just plane stupid Anyone who has ever travelled on a long-haul flight know they are probably the most boring things ever invented even with the myriad of in-flight entertainment packages on offer

ANYONE who has ever travelled on a long-haul flight know they are probably the most boring things ever invented even with the myriad of in-flight...

17.08.2024 20

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Extra cash is always found when the FM's bin needs emptied IT’s that time of year when clowns, jugglers, comedians, stiltwalkers and an assortment of all sorts of halfwits take to the streets for a bit of harmless fun.

IT’s that time of year when clowns, jugglers, comedians, stilt walkers and an assortment of all sorts of halfwits take to the streets for a bit of...

10.08.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Greens four day week is a great idea - if your job is pointless IMAGINE a scenario in the future where everyone gets paid a full-time wage to do absolutely no work at all.

IMAGINE a scenario in the future where everyone gets paid a full-time wage to do absolutely no work at all. It sounds great, but would probably get...

03.08.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Kate Forbes has hit the ground running on CalMac and A9 IT is fair to say that Scotland’s ferry network has been a bit of a mixed bag in recent years, with the service as reliable as a calm day on the Minch.

IT is fair to say that Scotland’s ferry network has been a bit of a mixed bag in recent years, with the service as reliable as a calm day on the...

27.07.2024 7

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: It's time for the Fat Controller to take over shambolic Scotrail THERE’’S an advert doing the rounds at the moment for ScotRail which claims that your ticket goes much further than you think.

THERE’’S an advert doing the rounds at the moment for ScotRail which claims that your ticket goes much further than you think. How much further...

20.07.2024 2

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Let's all hail Paisley, Scotland's unheralded cultural hero

It is probably fair to say that Paisley has been down on its luck in recent times. Once one of the most important textile towns in the world, and...

06.07.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Eden Project shows nobody should be laughing at Dundee any more There is an old joke that does the rounds in the north-east and that is what is the only good thing that ever came out of Dundee?

There is an old joke that does the rounds in the north-east and that is what is the only good thing that ever came out of Dundee? The answer, as...

29.06.2024 3

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: It could worse - Scotland could be facing the old Greater Hungary

WAY back in the day, I had a cat called Ferenc, named after the legendary Hungarian footballer Ferenc Puskas. His full name was Ferenc pusscat,...

22.06.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: The unedifying spectacle of politicians pleading poverty

IT’s that time during a General Election campaign when politicians, for some reason, try to portray themselves as just like ordinary people. Back...

15.06.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: It's time to match jobs with Salmond's bluster over wind power IT was a mere 13 years ago that the then First Minister Alex Salmond declared that Scotland had the potential to become the “Saudi Arabia” of renewable energy.

IT was a mere 13 years ago that the then First Minister Alex Salmond declared that Scotland had the potential to become the “Saudi Arabia” of...

08.06.2024 8

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Fancy a trip to the sun? Not if you live in Edinburgh you can't

IT is that time of year when most of us are thinking longingly about a fortnight in the sun, on account of Scots not having seen it for months, unless...

01.06.2024 20

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Stop the class war - we want to get off. Highlands need short-term lets ANYONE who has recently tried to book accommodation in the Highlands this summer is probably aware that many are already booked up.

ANYONE who has recently tried to book accommodation in the Highlands this summer is probably aware that many are already booked up. They have also...

11.05.2024 30

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Dualling the A96 is a road safety issue - not a climate one

ACCORDING to a wise old sage, a week is long time in politics and for Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie this is certainly the case. This time last...

04.05.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Handing CalMac a permanent ferry contract is clearly the best option

THERE is much to admire about a CalMac ferry, not least the onboard full Scottish breakfast which must rank amongst the best in the country. The mac...

20.04.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Let's party like its 1984 before even it gets banned too

ACCORDING to the sartorially challenged but slick Yorkshire crooner Robert Palmer in 1985, we all had to face being addicted to love. The hit song...

13.04.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Another glib soundbite from Yousaf that won't help the Highlands

You can feel there’s an election on as politicians seem to be popping up in the most unlikeliest places which can only mean they are looking for...

06.04.2024 40

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Lorna Slater should go back to the future over bins

ONE of the bizarre unintended consequences of moving towards a greener way of living is that the weather seems to have been replaced as the main topic...

23.03.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Hate crime bill will just waste police time and real victims will lose

WHEN you are a young child and you really want to emphasise displeasure with something, your parents or green vegetables, then the word most commonly...

16.03.2024 20

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: CalMac ferries board actually deserve praise and not the sack

IT is fair to assume that it must be a frustrating time living on Scotland’s islands at the moment. The well-documented ferry problems have ruined...

09.03.2024 3

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Banning porridge and meal deals is not the healthy option

PORRIDGE has sustained generations of Scots for several millennia, but the way to eat it has caused arguments for almost as long. To some, it should...

02.03.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Turning a blind eye to anti-semitism has frightening parallels

THERE are some occupations that are so self explanatory there doesn’t need to be any supplementary questions. Pilots, for example, fly planes,...

24.02.2024 6

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: You're going to need a bigger port: Calmac ferry farce is complete

After what seems to have been several millennia and at a cost of the entire GDP if the US, a momentous thing happened this week when the MV Glen...

16.02.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Now the dogs fall victim to a Holyrood obsession with bans

IF you were to ask the average Scot what has no place in a modern Scotland, then the answers would probably vary wildly. For patients, waiting...

10.02.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Welcome to Tyninghame, the village that likes to keep you in the dark

TYNINGHAME is a picture postcard conservation village in East Lothian situated just west of Dunbar and a decent commute into Edinburgh. With its...

03.02.2024 3

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: To be, or not to be an able-bodied actor - that is quite the question

IT is fair to say that William Shakespeare is not to everyone’s taste, probably as a result of having to study his plays for far too long while at...

26.01.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Protect the NHS and walk like a penguin on the ice - no really

MORE than 50 years ago, John Cleese brought the now-famed Ministry of Silly Walks to TV screens for the first time in Monty Python’s Flying Circus. ...

19.01.2024 2

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: National Park plan leaves islanders in a quandary

MUCH of Scotland could easily be designated as a national park given it’s stunning beauty and worldwide popularity. But of course there are only...

13.01.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: It's time our politicians stopped treating islanders with contempt

SCOTLAND has nearly 900 islands although just 94 are inhabited, with 89 of those offshore. Over the centuries, some have been depopulated out of...

29.12.2023 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Even Forrest Gump would know the A9 needs dualled - and all of it too

ACCORDING to that well-known sage Forrest Gump, life is like a box of chocolates, as you never know what you’re going to get. For many businesses...

22.12.2023 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson: Freedom of speech law for universities is long overdue

STROLLING around the tree-lined courtyards of Harvard university with my chum was an inspiring experience. So much so, in fact, that we decided to...

15.12.2023 10

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

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