Born in Glasgow in 1965 and brought up in Clydebank, in the shadow of the John Brown cranes, Derek Stewart Macpherson’s earliest memory is attending the launch of the QE2 at the age of two. Since then he has been a student activist, traveller, father of two, public servant, negotiator, political strategist, campaign manager and trade union official, having brought together a broad left faction within the CPSU (Australian public sector union).
He is a Scottish-Australian dual national, having taken out Australian citizenship in 1985, and insists on his right to comment and participate fully in the politics of both countries. Returning to Scotland in 2014 for the indyref, he joined the grassroots campaigners of Yes Clydebank, while completing his acclaimed five-part series of articles, ‘The Hitchhikers’ Guide To Scottish Independence.’
These days he is a musician, writer, pro-indy blogger and economic and political commentator. He is also the founder of The Babel Fish Project, which was conceived in May, 2000, as a way of drawing together the many artists from disparate backgrounds and disciplines he had met in three decades of playing music.
Derek plays guitar and other instruments, sings, arranges and produces the music of The Babel Fish Project but would also like to extend heartfelt gratitude to the many musicians and others who have contributed musically, technically and administratively to the project.
Brian Pollitt worked in Cuba from 1963-68 as Technical Director of the Commission of Social Studies, carrying out rural surveys and appraising the socio-economic conditions of the Cuban peasantry. Subsequently, he carried out frequent periods of fieldwork, focussing on the economic and social history of modern Cuba with special reference to the sugar economy. From […]
Scottish Labour MSP James Kelly launched a bizarre attack on the Scottish Green Party in an open letter following the launch of the Green campaign for the upcoming Scottish Parliamentary Elections. Mr Kelly claimed to be “puzzled” that the Greens are concentrating on the regional list and fielding only a few candidates in constituencies. As […]
It’s not easy to keep your head above water in these politically turbulent times, but do we have a choice? I’d say that we don’t. The future is not ours to give up on. We all have our low points though and for me the world really shifted on its axis on 7th November 2016, […]