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Difficult to know where to start; the only topic in Edinburgh this week was the Trams. So, it came up in the podcast along with some thoughts about the 'On Thin Ice' Nordic Horizons meeting in the Festival of Politics. Could development happen in the Arctic? We got some answers and share them here.
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STOP PRESS -- we've just confirmed Mary Hilson, Senior Lecturer in Scandinavian History at University College London and author of "The Nordic Model" will be the main speaker at October's Nordic Horizons event in the Scottish Parliament - Thursday 27th October at 6pm. Get the date in your diaries.
In a recent book, Political Change and the Rise of Labour in Comparative Perspective: Britain and Sweden 1890-1920 (Lund: Nordic Academic Press, 2006), Mary examined popular politics and the "rise of labour" in the context of two naval dockyard towns: Plymouth in south west England, and Karlskrona in southern Sweden. Dockyard towns were often thought of as difficult territory for the socialist labour movement, especially in the period of naval agitation just before the First World War, but Mary's research suggests the support of the dockyard workers for 'big navy' politics could never be taken for granted. Other research interests include the Nordic model in twentieth century historiography and political discourse. Her highly readable textbook on modern Nordic history, The Nordic Model: Scandinavia since 1945 was published by Reaktion Books in June 2008.
Check back here or at www.nordichorizons.org in mid-September for details of how to register (we just need your names for security at the Parliament – tickets are free) – or check out our Facebook page.
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This week, Lesley waxes lyrically about the Sky News reporter Alex Crawford and then rounds on cyclists of a certain disposition.This week's podcast is a reflection of the Libyan endgame and the LSE report into cycling. It's a cracker.
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Lesley took off to the sun and spent a week in Malta and Gozo. The contrast at this time of year was striking.Topics include; re-recording George Galloway, caves dwelling, and Boy Scouts as neighbours.
There are also some holiday snaps for you to enjoy.
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The North Sea oil spill has made our High North debate at the Festival of Politics next week horribly topical all of a sudden. So has the news that Statoil's latest North Sea oil discovery (in Aldous Major South) is the biggest in 20 years. So is the Far North safe in Nordic hands? Do the Norwegians have systems ready to close down leaks more quickly than the British sector and less secretive oil companies – if not can they honestly say Arctic drilling is safe or ethical? Rune Rafaelsen of the Barents Secretariat says "All industrial activities have a risk for accidents. For the people in the North it is a challenge to minimize the risks. But the answer for the people of the High North must be economic development." Anna Kireeva of Bellona says "Such spills can happen anywhere, and Norway is not an exception -- no oil company in the world can guarantee 100% safety. If such accident occurs in the Arctic, it would be impossible to eliminate its consequences."
Hear more of the debate – and more about the high quality of life in the emerging Barents Region at the Nordic Horizons Festival of Politics event chaired by myself on August 26th at 13.30 in the Scottish Parliament. There were 31 free tickets remaining on 18.8.11 – bookable on http://www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk/FestivalofPolitics-2011Programme.pdf see more at www.nordichorizons.org
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Lesley spent a few days in Oslo and met a number of Norwegians coming to terms with the recent tragedy. It was a very moving experience which she shares here.
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Scotland's Missing Huts
By Lesley Riddoch
Norway has one of the highest rates of second home ownership in the world with a holiday home for every ten Norwegians. There were 429,093 holiday homes in 2010 (plus 55,000 owned by Norwegians abroad) amongst a population of just 4.9 million people. More than half the Norwegian population has access to a hytte for relaxation, connection with nature, exercise, escape from city pressures and strengthening family ties. Some are very fancy – many are very basic wooden huts. Grieg composed in a hytte. King Haakon rallied public spirits in the post-war rationing years by taking the public tram to the ski slopes above Oslo. Gerhardson Norway's first Prime Minister was regularly pictured in hiking gear. The father of the nation, explorer and humanitarian Fridhof Nansen articulated the national preoccupation with the great outdoors;
"The first great thing is to find yourself, and for that you need solitude and contemplation: at least sometimes. I tell you, deliverance will not come from the rushing, noisy centres of civilization. It will come from the lonely places."
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Lesley has met a lot of people over the years who start conversations; "Scottish Water, they ...." She wrote a Scotsman piece about Scottish Water and in this podcast, she gives some background and vents some spleen.
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