No, we’re not quite there yet, but the imminent arrival of the year 2020 does remind us of the legendary song of the 60s by American pop rock duo Zager and Evans, the only hit they ever had. To see out the year and the decade here are just a few of our hopes and expectations for 2020, in a suitably seasonal tone.

Continue reading “In the year 2525…”

THE PAUL CHALK COLUMN

JUST a few days after writing last week’s column about Clach’s long-standing warm welcome for all, it was devastating to see the Highland League club’s Grant Street home suffer a damaging fire on Christmas Eve. Continue reading “Rely on Clach to bounce back after shock of Christmas blaze”

The BIG Inverness issue of 2019

by Colin Campbell

FOR most of the past year it’s been a truism to say you could stand during daylight hours on the site for the planned Ness riverside Gathering Place and within 10 minutes meet a passer-by who would – if approached – express incredulity or disbelief at what’s planned to be built there. I know. On a number of occasions I’ve tried it. During summer, it didn’t take 10 minutes, more like two. And even in deepest midwinter, visitors to the riverside location can barely believe what councillors and various “artists” have in store for it. Continue reading “Even in deep midwinter disbelief over plans for Gathering Place”

It beats hunting for a space in the council car park

THE COLIN CAMPBELL COLUMN

AFTER being re-elected as MP for the Inverness constituency Drew Hendry lost no time whatever in insisting on the need for another independence referendum to escape from being “imprisoned within this Union” as he hailed the fact that the SNP gained 13 extra seats. Continue reading “Westminster ‘prisoner’ Hendry would love a life sentence”

THE PAUL CHALK COLUMN

IN my role of sports show producer and presenter of Alive and Kicking each Friday night on community station North Highland Radio, it’s a pleasure to preview and showcase the Highland League. And on my latest show not only did I report on managerial stories at two HFL clubs, but I got the rare chance to do a swift book preview. Continue reading “Clach are winners in my book for Highland League hospitality”

by Colin Campbell

First of all, congratulations to Drew Hendry and Ian Blackford, re-elected to the Inverness and Ross constituencies. The first pat on the back is genuine. Hendry is a decent enough man and a hard-working MP. Genuine congratulations to Blackford? Not so much. If thousands of people in Ross, Skye and Lochaber want to vote for this character, that’s their decision. The rest of us, the vast majority, simply don’t get it. His was the last declaration I waited around for at six on Friday morning, to round off our special coverage on Inverness news and views. True to form, while every other winning candidate screened up and down the country had given a speech which was low-key, humble and modest, he started roaring into the microphone like a little bull who’s been trussed up for six weeks and has just been freed. “We will not be dictated to…” We will not be dragged out…” “We will get our referendum”, blah, blah, blah. He was back in maximum puce-faced blustering form moments after being re-elected. Continue reading “Boris the chancer comes up against Sturgeon the hypocrite”

THE PAUL CHALK COLUMN

WINS in Greenock and Arbroath over the past week have already put Dundee United on the almost certain path to Scottish Championship glory. Saturday’s 1-0 victory for the leaders at Arbroath – allied with Caley Thistle’s 3-1 defeat at Partick Thistle – means the Tangerines are a whopping 13 points clear of John Robertson’s Highlanders. Continue reading “Tangerines coast smoothly towards the Championship title”

‘Bittersweet’ night for SNP with prospect of no referendum re-run for at least five years Drew Hendry re-elected in Inverness ‘Pact’ plan against Ian Blackford is a failure Election night special report BORIS Johnston and the Conservative Party have confounded fears of a hung parliament by gaining a huge 70-plus seat majority in the General Election.  They swept to victory as the Labour vote fell … Continue reading Boris Johnson and Tories sweep to huge election victory ending fears of a Corbyn-Sturgeon Christmas nightmare

INVERNESS NEWS AND VIEWS COMMENT

WHEN Nicola Sturgeon speaks of “the Tories” she positively brims over with loathing, contempt and disgust. She spits out the words….the Tories. Neither have we ever heard her taking the time and trouble to point out that in her diatribes she’s referring to Boris Johnson and the Tory party elite, rather than ordinary Scots voters who have a different outlook to her, if that’s indeed the case. In other words, she’s viciously insulting a large chunk – around 30 per cent – of the electorate. Continue reading “Sturgeon’s blunders will come back to haunt her if Boris wins”

by Colin Campbell

ARE we just four days away from what’s being described by many as the “nightmare” of a Corbyn-Sturgeon alliance taking charge of the country? It could very definitely happen. But no amount of mental preparation for such an outcome can equip anyone for dealing with it if it does. Better keep a bottle of the hard stuff handy. There are extreme times when liquified oblivion followed by a murderous hangover is preferable to staying in the present. Continue reading “Keeping the hard stuff handy for a tense election night”