Lack of Scottish talk radio - the REAL democratic deficit

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Let's increase the variety of voices heard on the radio and faces
seen on television. Excite the listener or viewer and don't
switch them off!

Talk radio is proving to be a popular phenomenon in many different geographical areas. In the Republic of Ireland, Newstalk is their most well known independent talk radio broadcaster. The BBC focuses on talk based programming through it's own output on stations such as Radio 4. And in London, who can forget the popular LBC?

Scotland is about to face the biggest decision in it's entire history in just under three weeks from now. Much debate has been had on television screens, in town halls and on the streets of every city and town across this country. Yet, despite all this, the country can sadly not boast that it has it's own independent national talk radio station. Frankly, this is a national obscenity as well as a tragedy.

A good friend of mine and I had a deep conversation about this whole issue on the phone last weekend. Like me, and I say this with modesty, he has a constructive and analytical outlook on the referendum. Personally, I'm getting more and more fed up of seeing the same faces and hearing the same voices on my television and radio every day, particularly with regard to coverage of the Scottish independence referendum. I'm getting fed up of listening to the same soundbites from politicians on both sides time after time. And I'm also getting fed up of the petty point scoring that overshadows many broadcasts on the issue of the referendum (and on other issues within politics in general). Why can't the broadcasters and other media outlets start looking further afield to other people and commentators to seek their constructive opinions? Are people like me just not interesting enough?

To be fair, I have to feel grateful to the BBC at Pacific Quay for allowing me on numerous occasions to come onto Morning Call on BBC Radio Scotland and speak about the issues featured on their show (of which not every issue that I've discussed on that show has been specifically related to the referendum on independence). But BBC Scotland can only do so much and has to cater for all of it's listeners as Radio Scotland is not specifically a talk radio station. The advantage with having an independent national talk radio station is that it'll enable a platform for a variety of different people to come on air and put their opinion in the public domain. It's wrong to suggest that people don't care about politics. They do - for goodness sake, look at the number of people who have registered to vote for this forthcoming referendum. I know some of you will point me to Talk 107, which was a talk radio station serving Edinburgh, Fife and the Lothians in the 2000's. Sadly it's no longer around, because, in my opinion, it did not reach out to the whole nation and only broadcast to a selected part of the country - that was a fundamental mistake from the start.

If I'm being really honest, the need for Scotland to catch up with the likes of London and the Republic of Ireland in having, exclusively, a talk radio station of it's own is overwhelming. We should be ashamed of ourselves as a country that such a service does not exist in it's own entity. I hope somebody with experience, expertise and passion for such an idea can bring about whatever is required for Scottish talk radio to thrive again and contribute a fundamentally important element to the nation's media.

Did Alex Salmond really tell David Cameron where to go yesterday?

Yesterday proved to be another interesting soap opera in the ever continuing debate on Scottish independence. Prime Minister David Cameron made a speech from Stratford in the east of London, pleading to Scotland not to walk out of the United Kingdom later this year. 

I initially thought yesterday that he was unwise to make such a speech when he was located approximately some 300 miles south of the Scottish border. Then again, to put things into context, it needs to be understood that this was more of a speech aimed at England, Wales and Northern Ireland - the importance of people in the rest of the UK's input (albeit by voice) could not have been more emphasised.

Around under half an hour after the speech, First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond gave quite probably one of his strongest performances in months as he condemned the Prime Minister live on the BBC News Channel for making the speech and at the same time criticised him for not being willing to come up to Scotland to debate him. But it was his disapproval of the fact that the Conservative Prime Minister wasn't in Somerset instead to deal with the ongoing problems with the flooding situation there.

I must admit that when it was announced later in the afternoon that he would be heading over there to see how the floods were affecting people there, I was thinking that this was a visit that wasn't initially planned by Downing Street. I might well be wrong, but let's put it this way. Wouldn't it have been public knowledge in advance if the Prime Minister was planning to go to the south west of England in the first place? I think many people would have seen the common sense in that.

Finally, the reaction on social media is always worth observing in the aftermath of major speeches or political events on the independence debate. Albeit many people will have already taken a stance in public and stated opinions to assert their political assessments, I would be very intrigued to see the upcoming opinion polls. Many people took to social media to dismiss the Prime Minister's speech and some may view the message coming out of the Olympic Velodrome yesterday as nothing more than a patronising lecture.

Nobody can doubt that independence is closing the gap on the union but could more speeches like yesterday's backfire and just be a fuel for more votes to the side who want to leave the UK?

In loving memory of Madiba

Glasgow was the first city in the world to honour
the former President of South Africa

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Around 24 hours ago, he left this world leaving an impact on it which, in future, will be impossible to match.

Many people from all walks of life have paid tribute to the former President of South Africa. Never again will we ever see a politician or a figure of public life ever make as significant a difference to the world than him. I could go on and lavish my cynical opinion about the state of politics today but, in my opinion, that would not be respectful towards a man who's life was all about dignity, humility and making a difference through constructive solutions.

As a Scotsman, I totally recognise the strong links and affection that my home country has towards Mr Mandela. Glasgow was the first city in the world to give him the freedom of their own city (St George's Place in 1986 was renamed to Nelson Mandela Place in Scotland's biggest city). Aberdeen followed with a similar honour and Dundee also granted the former South African President with a similar honour also. Edinburgh had a room named in his honour inside the City Chambers.

Nelson Mandela shares many of the qualities of us Scots. Compassion, kindness and a sense of tranquility. I was hardly five years old when Nelson came to Glasgow in 1993, but I can tell you that it felt like he was really one of our own. I would even go further and regard him as an honorary Scotsman.

The uncompromising love shown to Madiba tonight in Glasgow, London and Soweto (and no doubt in many other parts of the planet) was heart melting. It is really sad that he has left this world for good. But let's also be honest, he really did live his life.

His legacy should teach us all that there is no time in this life to procrastinate and play yourself down, regardless of what you do. Life is so short, so never underestimate yourself and always maintain a sense of humility. Yet at the same time, fulfil your potential and always achieve success.

Nelson Mandela, thank you for being such a heart warming influence on this world. May God bless you.