Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

Lots of really great songs don't tell a story, in the old-fashioned sense of having a beginning, a middle and an end. Yet they can still stir the emotions with powerful moods and memories, as is this case with my favourite song of 2020 - 'Lake Marie' by the late, great John Prine.         Lake Marie by   John Prine We were standing Standing by peaceful waters Standing by peaceful waters Whoa, wah, oh wha, oh Whoa, wah, oh wha, oh Many years ago along the Illinois-Wisconsin border There was this Indian tribe They found two babies in the woods White babies One of them was named Elizabeth She was the fairer of the two While the smaller and more fragile one was named Marie Having never seen white girls before And living on the two lakes known as the Twin Lakes They named the larger and more beautiful lake, Lake Elizabeth And thus the smaller lake that was hidden from the highway Became known forever as Lake Marie We were standing Standing by peaceful waters Standing...

Private Eye, the UK's best and only fortnightly satirical magazine, has some great topical jokes for the festive season.  

I trust the First Minister’s judgement. pic.twitter.com/8fdaQ93xYF — Briala Sparris (@BrianSpanner1) December 30, 2020 I enjoyed this Twitter joke which pokes well-deserved fun at Nicola Sturgeon who criticised a Labour MSP for being sexist having previously defended Alex Salmond as 'the least sexist man I know'. Neil Findlay's original tweet was certainly rude, but for the life of me I can't see how his comments can be fairly described as 'nasty sexism'.      

I cannot vote for this deal, which this Government will use to drive down rights and protections, and step up the sell-off of our vital public services. We need instead to break with failed race-to-the-bottom policies and build a Britain that puts people before private profit. — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) December 30, 2020 Jeremy Corbyn added to yesterday's Brexit pantomime by rebelling against the Labour leadership line that a poor deal is better than No Deal. Now Jeremy has been an opponent of the European Union ever since he entered the House of Commons way back in 1983 and, as Labour leader, Jezza infamously called for Article 50 to be triggered the day after the great EU referendum in 2016. So Jeremy's deathbed conversion to Brexit scepticism is laughable and cynical in equal measure. Likewise Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP who warned voters that a No Deal Brexit was the most calamitous outcome imaginable, yet at the last minute the SNP had no qualms about turning turt...

pic.twitter.com/ds6BVZo4f1 — Kev & Trev (@WipeHomophobia) December 27, 2020 As if the number of new Covid cases is not bad enough, the latest news bombshell is that Santa has tested positive as well.     

I don't understand how the SNP can vote for No Deal when they've spent four years calling for one. And making increasingly alarming forecasts of what would happen if Britain "crashed out" without a trade deal. They even went to the Supreme Court to prevent a No Deal Brexit. https://t.co/lJmhhqN7fq — Iain Macwhirter (@iainmacwhirter) December 29, 2020 Herald columnist Iain Macwhirter triggered a lot of angry responses after poking fun at the SNP's 'No Deal' stance on Twitter. The obvious solution was, of course, for the SNP to abstain in the vote, or not show up at Westminster at all.  But then again this is all about showboating and making a lot of noise  rather than serious politics.     A Deal, Any Deal vs No Deal (29/12/20) Politics can be a confusing business sometimes - only days ago Nicola Sturgeon was insisting that a deal, any deal was better than a 'No Deal' Brexit. Yet SNP MPs at Westminster will be voting against the trade deal agreed wi...

This p_unk called the man a N*gger and someone made the Twisted Tea can slap into a Dave Matthews Band song...lol🤣🤣🎶🎶 Use sound, and wait for it.😆🔊🔊 pic.twitter.com/h0JCbwHcQ4 — 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦, 𝐌𝐒𝐖☯️ (@Starscream35) December 29, 2020 Violence should aways be a last resort, but at the same time provocative, ignorant race-baiters should be careful what they wish for - particularly if they're not wearing a face mask.    

Tony Blair comment on the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine approval pic.twitter.com/pbmC2uWpbC — John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) December 30, 2020 Punch and Judy politics are back in vogue at the moment as Brexit takes centre stage yet again. But the biggest news of the day is the roll-out of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine which has the potential to be a game changer in the battle against Covid-19. The $64,000 dollar question is how to make the best use of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine which does not need to be stored at very low temperatures and can therefore be rolled-out more easily and effectively, unlike some of its rivals.   So how is this going to be done and when will politicians lay out their plans for getting the job done?  

'Tis a very cold, frosty but very sunny morning in Glasgow this morning.  

Researchers interviewed workers who said care home residents died “terrible deaths” in the first wave of the pandemic, when PPE was “non existent” and medical advice was “contradictory” or unavailable. https://t.co/AFwsL2Vjz0 pic.twitter.com/LnM0ABo9ar — The Sunday Post (@Sunday_Post) December 26, 2020 The Sunday Post has done more than most to expose the shabby treatment of Scotland's care homes during the Coronavirus epidemic. And here's another excellent article which highlights a number of important issues including the use of DNR notices without the knowledge and consent of care home residents or their families.         Do Not Resuscitate - Doctors Playing God? (06/06/20) A reader with personal experience of a DNR order being issued to a close family (without the patient or family's knowledge) has been in touch to say that she agrees the practice deserves to be thoroughly investigated. Hi Mark I just read your blog article and you are right DNR orders during CO...

I love songs featuring the piano and here's a great example - 'The Way It Is' from 1986 by Bruce Hornsby and the Range.    

Donald Trump continues to play golf and Tweet nonsense about the presidential election result while America's new Covid cases go through the roof - over 340,000 Americans are now dead.     

14 Dec - Nicola Sturgeon “A deal, any deal, is better than a No Deal” Were you lying then First Minister or are you lying now? #NoDealNicola pic.twitter.com/PgbefJ5qjK — Jackson Carlaw MSP (@Jackson_Carlaw) December 28, 2020 Politics can be a confusing business sometimes - only days ago Nicola Sturgeon was insisting that a deal, any deal was better than a 'No Deal' Brexit. Yet SNP MPs at Westminster will be voting against the trade deal agreed with the European Union even though this is the only deal that is now on the table. The only alternative at this late stage is No Deal which would be the worst possible outcome, as Nicola Sturgeon said herself recently.                

Battlefield Rest, pictured in 1971 by Mike Bennett. Despite being a one of a kind, it was threatened with demolition in 1990. A 1500 person petition saved it & it was purchased by Marco Giannasi( @BattlefieldRest ) who restored it and opened their amazing restaurant there in 1994. pic.twitter.com/6G1IjRbwBX — Past Glasgow (@PastGlasgow) December 27, 2020 Here's an interesting Twitter post on Glasgow's history and Battlefield Rest which is now a family-run Italian restaurant and a great place to eat on ghe south side of the city. http://battlefieldrest.co.uk/#welcometobattlefieldrest