Bookish Pursuits

Through to Glasgow to the Mitchell Library to see a cracking couple of events at Aye Write, the Glasgow Book Festival. First up James Robertson, a chap I knew years ago from the old Radical Scotland days, who is now a successful and prolific author. He always was a talented shitebag. His latest tome, 'And The Land Lay Still' is shamefully still unread amongst the pile of books in my front room. The backdrop is that trajectory that Scottish politics has taken over the past 50 years from being dominated by the politics of class to the politics of identity. His long monologue, or prose poem indeed, from the book on Scotland in 1950 was achingly beautiful.
Later there was a two hour tribute to Jimmy Reid with the great and good. Tom Devine was in his element. He may get up a lot of people's noses but he was great entertainment as were some of the audience who worked at UCS at the work in. And in between times, a couple of beers and macaroni cheese and chips - and Man U vs Arsenal.