“That Bloody Woman”
February 28, 2009 by David Torrance · Leave a Comment
A lot of stuff around about Thatcher’s legacy as the 30th anniversary of her 1979 election win approaches. This week’s New Statesman is devoted to the subject and includes an error-ridden piece from Iain Macwhirter on her Scottish legacy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t provide any real insight and perpetrates lots of well-worn myths…
John Swinney
February 28, 2009 by David Torrance · Leave a Comment
The Finance Secretary John Swinney was the latest witness to face a special House of Lords committee investigating the Barnett Formula. Lord Forsyth, the former Scottish Secretary, who’s a member of the committee, grilled Swinney using arguments against a needs-based formula he remembered hearing from officials while he was at the Scottish Office. Today’s Scotsman covers the story.
Meanwhile the Treasury has released a 1986 review of Territorial Expenditure (in response to an FoI request from me) which you can read by clicking here. As a result Sir Brian Unwin, who wrote the report, has been invited to give evidence to the committee on 18 March.
James White
February 25, 2009 by David Torrance · Leave a Comment
Two interesting obituaries of the former Labour MP for Glasgow Pollok, James White, in the papers this week, Tam Dalyell’s in the Independent, and one by his family in the Herald.
Margaret Thatcher BBC Archive
February 24, 2009 by David Torrance · Leave a Comment
A superb new BBC website has just gone live, an online archive of internal documents, early radio interviews and television appearances relating to Margaret Thatcher’s pre-Prime Ministerial career. It certainly contradicts the right-wing suspicion that the BBC is inherantly anti-Thatcher, while its launch was also covered in the Daily Telegraph.
The Iron Lady’s back
February 24, 2009 by David Torrance · Leave a Comment
I’m quoted in a recent Wales on Sunday article about Margaret Thatcher’s legacy.
George Pottinger
February 24, 2009 by David Torrance · Leave a Comment
Interesting article in today’s Edinburgh Evening News about the former Scottish Office civil servant George Pottinger.