Press and Journal's Diarist Mitchell Not So Swell

Irrepressible would be one word to describe Aberdeen Press and Journal diarist Peter Mitchell. Newly semi-retired Peter received the most unwelcome present on Christmas Eve. His right arm blew up to double its normal size and having suffered the same symptoms a number of times over the last few years he recognised it was a bout of Cellulitis. He soldiered on over Christmas but eventually reported to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he was treated intravenously with antibiotics.
Medics wanted him to remain in hospital overnight but he was having none of it and when I walked in to The Albyn on Saturday there was Peter, holding court at the bar. The intravenous tubing and bandage was still attached to his left hand as he is to report each day for further treatment. And despite my initial suspicion that this was only to enable the direct application of his favoured gin and tonics I can assure ARI medical staff that Mr Mitchell was sticking to mineral water.

Press and Journal Subs Set High Standards

We journos tend to get carried away with our own input in to what ends up on the printed page and increasingly online. And we are guilty of failing to pay tribute to the subs who clean up our copy and dream up the wonderful headlines which elevate a story from a run of the mill page lead to something that will make you stop for a bit and actually read the damn words.
So I doff my cap to the Press and Journal sub and Amy Winehouse fan who came up with this beauty for a page 18 story in today's edition.
The story is about teenager Adam Nelson who escaped by rowing boat from a drug rehabilitation centre on the island of Papa Stour across the Sound of Papa to Shetland mainland.
The headline: "They tried to make me go to rehab but I said row, row row"
Brilliant.

No Axe To Grind With Big Crow

Do you ever wish you'd never started something? OK, I was winging it a bit when I had a lighthearted pop at my old Daily Record boss Alan Crow, now with the Scottish Daily Mail. I claimed big Crow was the undisputed champion when it came to nicking bylines, but hey, anything for a cheap laugh.
Well my blog entry got picked up by Press Gazette's Axegrinder blog (Goodwill To All Men - Or Maybe Not). It seems Axegrinder and me have something in common - we both sometimes over egg the pudding. The PG blog claims Mr Crow "attracted my ire" but as most people know this was all tongue-in-cheek, the big Fifer is a good pal and I regard him as one of Scotland's top media operators.
Anyway, on the plus side, I'm delighted Axegrinder reads this blog (honest Alan, I didn't punt it to them) and I'm grateful for all the extra hits on the site as a result which include visits from USA, Netherlands and Italy as well as lots from UK.
As they say in some quality publications "correspondence on this matter is now closed". I think.

Scotsman's New Website Anything But Top Drawers

Pants. And that's putting it kindly. I'm talking about the redesigned Scotsman website of course.
What an abomination. It was always one of the first news websites I looked at each day but no more. It's a horror show and a clone of all the Johnston Press weekly newspaper sites.
If that doesn't send out a message about how the Scotsman owners view "Scotland's national newspaper" then I don't know what does.
Heavy on advertising, short on clearly labelled stories, they might get away with it for the Auchenshoogle Advertiser but for The Scotsman - have a word.
I am no web expert but I know a man who is. And I have been surprised by Stewart Kirkpatrick's reluctance to criticise the new look Scotsman website, but maybe it's too easy. Stewart is the former online editor of The Scotsman and won a clutch of new media awards while some of us were still battering out copy on typewriters. Press Gazette described him as "one of the top 50 people shaping online journalism". Under his charge The Scotsman led the way in the UK in championing online content. He must be sitting back pissing himself laughing just now. For a taste of what Scotsman readers think of the new format visit Stewart's blog Sour Alba.
I never found The Herald website as user friendly as The Hootsman's but it would be interesting to see what their visitor figures are like now. I would imagine they have shot through the roof. We all know the Scotsman has a bizarre preference to splashing on treehugger/twitcher friendly stories about some endangered species of wildlife. I've identified a new endangered species - it's lair is at 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh.

Dropping The Ball in Larkhall

So, while normal folk are out buying their Christmas tree, I'm standing in a public park in loyal Larkhall, doing my best to stand up to the testicley challenging cold weather.
For the benefit of those not acquainted with the quaint traditions of Larkhall, this blight on the landscape is often described as Scotland's most sectarian town.
As you drive in to the town there is a shop named, without irony apparently, "Fascinations of Larkhall".
There are no lack of fascinations. To give you an idea of how true blue this former mining town is, the railings of the Glenview Memorial Park are painted red, white and blue and if you want to get downright silly, the council have had to shell out £16,000 replacing more than 200 traffic lights after vandals targeted the green part of the structures. Oh, and Subway, you know, the national sandwich chain of bright green shops, have opted to paint their Larkhall branch black.
When I was a reporter for the Daily Record I somehow missed out on Larkhall, never being sent there to cover a story, but I had heard the folklore and reckoned it couldn't really be that bad.
It was my son's football team, Leith Athletic under 17s, which managed to lure me in to deepest Lanarkshire as they squared up to the local youth side in the Scottish Cup.
Well, the signs were ominous. The home team took to the field in bright orange strips and at a rough guess about 90 per cent of the home team's supporters/parents/friends were adorned in Rangers-blue outfits. For God's sake, don't let them find out my son and a fair few of the Leith players and coaches are Hibees, I thought.
But of course, I exaggerate. Like all stereotypes Larkhall didn't quite measure up to its grotesque image. Sure, it was a hard fought match with some tough tackling, but it was played fairly and there was none of the vitriol that might have been expected. When you venture in to these fiercely proud former mining towns you expect a bit of aggro but even the supporters were surprisingly quiet, well behaved and non confrontational.
I think part of it may have been that at heart they are football fans and they appreciated a visiting side who play attractive, fast flowing football. Leith ran out worthy 0-2 winners and the home team players and coaches warmly wished the Leithers further success in the quarter finals. It's some team that Leith have assembled this season and the fact they are unbeaten in all league and cup matches augurs well for Scottish Cup glory.
Unfortunately I can't make the same claim for my other team, the 'Pen Nibs'. I paid £21 for the "privilege" of watching another piss poor performance on Saturday against Falkirk and the evidence suggests I have more chance of seeing a Scottish Cup final win following the Leith Athletic under 17s that I do of witnessing Hibs break their 105 year hoodoo.

Fairburn Has Gala Day Out At MoS Bash

It was the perfect opportunity for Scotland's crime bosses, drug dealers and scumbags in general to ensure they had a quiet and untroubled 2008, free from media headlines which exposes their nefarious activities.
I'm talking about the annual Mail on Sunday Christmas bash held yesterday in Glasgow. It was a gathering of a fair sized chunk of the country's leading exponents of tabloid journalism and if a Mafia-style hit had been arranged at about 3pm in the Dragon-i in Hope Street, said criminals could have enjoyed their most peaceful 12 months on record. As it was, the only casualties were wine and beer induced and after a slightly hazy start to today the newshounds will be unleashed once again.
Mine host was MoS news editor Jamie Macaskill, backed up by the Daily Mail's Alan Crow and staff reporters Patricia Kane, Jane Simpson and newly appointed political reporter Michael Tait.
And the freelances on parade included Paul Drury, Peter Samson, Toby McDonald, Gordon Currie, Kurt Bayer, Stephen Houston, Meg Milne, Vic Rodrick, Nick Brownlee, Brian Lewis, Mark Howarth and who could forget Rob Fairburn. Evident that he doesn't get out of Gala much - Fairbo was the only reveller to don his Christmas cracker party hat and he wore it with a certain style which comes with spending too long in the Borders. Yes, Rob knows how to have a good time, and he was just warming up for the Daily Record's Edinburgh do on Friday.
I managed to guide Rob from the restaurant to the Bar Budda, despite his earnest attempts to get us both a pre-Christmas kicking by singing Hibs songs in Glasgow city centre.
A special mention to the charming Steve Gibson from the Daily Mail/MoS picture desk who told me: "Your blog is the biggest lot of shite I've ever read. But I still look at it."
In a moment of weakness I was press ganged in to making the vote-of-thanks speech on behalf of the journos for the MoS hospitality. A bit ironic given that I hardly supply the paper with any stories while the richest freelance in Scotland, Gordon Currie, was sat on his arse with a huge grin on his coupon. Unlike previous years the speech was short and sweet, non controversial and there were no un-PC slip ups.
There were a few faces missing this year as the Sunday Mirror had a rival bash going at the same time but a short stroll along the street to All Bar One found the paper's Scotland editor Steve Martin and Gill Smith holding court with Gordon Hay, Anna Smith, Ian McKerron, Frank Gilbride, Steve Smith, Shaun Milne, Simon Houston and former journo now lawyer-cum-Herald food critic, Ron MacKenna.
All in all, a great day out with like minded friends. Apologies if I missed anyone out - drink had been taken.

Crow In A Flap Over Byline Allegation

Jeez, I didn't have touch a raw nerve with Daily Mail supremo Alan Crow when I branded him "the Biggest Byline Thief in Scottish journalism". Oops, I've gone and done it again.
Crow was doing his nut, a-ranting and a-raving about how it was all soooo untrue and how could I do this to him? He insisted that I post a comment on the blog by way of reply and he then followed it up with another two rants which I didn't publish, hoping he would go away. One of his more complimentary ripostes was to call me a "Hibee twat" and he of course got in his favourite line that I was a "washed up journo" whom he had "plucked from the obscurity of the Evening News".
And then I got thinking, perhaps I've over-egged the pudding and I was being a tad unfair to the big man.
Until I got this email from a seasoned (is there any other kind?) ex Sunday Mail reporter who will remain nameless. Under the subject heading "Ha ha ha" he wrote: "Sorry to be playing catch up but that blog entry of Nov 30 on old Crowie had me in stitches. Between him and Samson we could never get a byline in the paper a few years ago. Funny as f***."
Samson is of course Crow's big mucker Peter, former Sunday Mail chief reporter and co-author of Dunblane: Our Year of Tears, if you are looking for some lighthearted Christmas stocking fillers.
When I plucked up the courage to speak to Crow the other day it was his blossoming, heavily pregnant wife, Lorna Hughes, who answered his mobile. Lorna, deputy news editor of the Sunday Mail, is due to deliver their first baby any week now. And I can visualise the maternity ward. While every other newborn will have a name card on their cot, announcing their arrival in this world, the newest edition to the Crow's nest will simply have a card reading: "Exclusive by Alan Crow".

Salmond Leaps To Save Trump's Golf Plans

Well, I don't want to say I told you so, but . . . I posted on Dec 3 about the incredible decision by eco-maniac Aberdeenshire councillors to reject Donald Trump's golfing plans for Balmedie. And I suggested that First Minister Alex Salmond would pull a birdie out of the hat to rescue the £1 billion scheme and guarantee thousands of jobs and a world class tourism attraction for Scotland. It was more than a hunch because when I met the FM at Musselburgh Races last week his words were along the lines: "Things sometime have a funny way of working out".
Scotland on Sunday sports journalist and author Martin Hannan and me looked at each other and agreed afterward that the limp Lib Dems who voted against the New York billionaire were about to be trumped.
And so we have it. It was announced yesterday that the Scottish Government are "calling in" Trump's planning application and will take the decision out of the hands of the councillors who have so spectacularly failed their constituents. Forget the critics who say this undermines long established planning procedures. It's a brave decision which had to be taken because Aberdeenshire Council had demonstrated they are not fit for purpose and have unable to look outside their own kail yard to consider the wider benefits for the whole of Scotland.
The manoeuvre by Salmond's Cabinet is not surprising. He always has a trick up his sleeve and its indicative of the "can-do" attitude of this Scottish Government which will take swift action if it spots an opportunity to change attitudes, perceptions and bad old habits, to make Scotland a better place to work and live.
Now that the FM is on a roll, and we know he is a betting man, I wonder if he's putting a few quid on the 5/1 bet being offered by William Hill that Scottish Labour's wounded leader, Wendy Alexander, will be gone by New Year? I'm not to sure this will be a good thing - little Windy is one of the best weapons the Nationalists have at their disposal.

New HQ Central To Future Growth

Delighted to have started working with a new PR client and the first results are starting to show through. Central Insurance Services Ltd are Aberdeen's largest and one of Scotland's leading independent insurance brokers - and that came from the client without any spinning efforts on my part.
Central Insurance have just moved to a brand spanking new HQ at Westhill on the outskirts of the city and it heralds a bright future for the 70 strong company with ambitious growth plans.
I'm looking forward to raising Central's profile in the business and trade press in the north east and nationally, working alongside Ian Fraser and his fellow directors.
The very funky Westhill HQ must be a welcome change for the staff who had become used to working in a spread of adjoining buildings in Albert Street as Central evolved over a 30 year period at the city centre address.

Donald Will Dance Highland Jig Over Numptie Councillors

So, the tree huggers and twitchers have won the Battle of the Bunkers but have they won the war? I don't think so and I fully expect that the New Yorker with the Highland Jig will Trump these Aberdeenshire cooncillors who can't see the wood for the trees.
How would I know? Well, judging by the way First Minister Alex Salmond reacted when I spoke to him on Friday (he said in a shameless name dropping kinda way) I would put all the money and then some, that I lost at Musselburgh Racecourse's St Andrew's Day meeting, on The Donald's gowf troosers making an appearance at a new championship golf course at Balmedie.
Of course, our First Minister was circumspect as you would expect, as he can't be seen to take sides on planning issues of this nature. But his silence, when I posed the question as to what should happen, spoke volumes. In fact, Wee Eck was about an hour late arriving at the racecourse as his hectic St Andrew's Day schedule caught up with him, but I suspect he was on the ham and bone all that time telling his troops in Aberdeenshire to get this sorted and make sure Trump's £1 billion golf and leisure plans are taken out of the hands of numpties and put back firmly on the agenda.
The furore which erupted on the back of the Aberdeenshire Council decision to reject the plans gave the Press and Journal plenty to write about at the weekend and in a two page spread of reader's letters you were hard pushed to find one correspondent that didn't support the plans. Let's hope common sense prevails and the north east of Scotland wins a much needed addition to the tourism sector which will support local jobs long after the oil has dried up. And we can send the eco-maniac councillors back to the obscurity from whence they came.
Back to Friday's race meeting and I was pleased the First Minister's visit all went without a hitch. So much so that the FM's press officer, Murray Meikle, texted me later to say thanks and that it had all gone smoothly from their point of view.
Which must have been a relief for Murray because the last time he was at Musselburgh on official duty was five years ago with the then First Minister Jack McConnell who was unveiling a plaque on the refurbished Old Weighing Room. Only thing was, racecourse PA, the gentlemanly John Budden, twice referred to our esteemed First Minister as "Jock McDonald".