Category Archives: People

I remember my first NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting. It was a dreich night around 2007 situated in the shadows of Alexander Street’s prominent ‘multis’ in the now-demolished Mark Henderson Centre on Ann Street. I was invited “Big Mike” Carson, a friend who overcame two decades of class A drug addiction. Although then unmarried and childless,Continue reading “1,330 New Reasons for Reflection”

It was a bitter Friday night in January 2018 situated in a dingy basement at the cultural epicentre of Dundee where I first encountered Darren McGarvey. That night, I picked up a signed copy of his debut effort – Poverty Safari. His honest and nuanced analysis of the poverty industry (the voluntary sector) was jarring.Continue reading “Darren McGarvey: The Social Distance Between Us”

As we pull away from a cold and dark winter, the embrace of spring offers brighter mornings, warmer days and lighter nights. It is the most hopeful season of nature’s calendar at the epicentre of which is April – a month traditionally associated with rebirth, renewal and resurrection. April includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday andContinue reading “Thank Christ for a Message of Resurrection”

“School is the best days o’ yer life” was a phrase that rankled with me as a young man. For those of an academic or attentive disposition this may undoubtedly have been true. Sadly, my report cards conveyed a different story – one of a young man with a propensity for being “easily distracted”. HavingContinue reading “Education as the Best Days of Life?”

Are you as glad 2022 has arrived as I am? After the last two years, it feels as if the most appropriate individual, sadly no longer with us, to deliver an opening address for this new year would have been Rikki Fulton’s Rev IM Jolly with his iconic and withering “Hullo”. Rarely do I bidContinue reading “The Advance of Technology in 2022”

“At no point, have I ever regarded defining a woman as someone who has a vagina as a contentious idea.” This article appeared in the print edition of the Evening Telegraph on 21/06/2021 I would never have regarded defining a woman as someone who has a vagina and the capacity to reproduce nor stating men have a geneticContinue reading “Universities and the Stifling of Free Speech”

“Do you remember your curricular experience of sex education? I recall the day I was first confronted with explicit images.” This article appeared in the print edition of the Evening Telegraph on 31/05/2021 Do you remember your curricular experience of sex education? I recall vividly the day I and my primary school peers were offered a book andContinue reading “The Pornification of Scottish Education”

“International Women’s Day affords us all a vital annual reminder of the historical struggle women, and other groups, have faced.” Ewan Gurr: Remembering my gran on International Women’s Day 2021 (eveningtelegraph.co.uk) This article appeared in the print edition of the Evening Telegraph on 08/03/2021 Today is International Women’s Day and it is 110 years since the first oneContinue reading “The Radical Roots of International Women’s Day”

“Even during the Spanish flu epidemic, Christians did not socially-distance, self-isolate and shield themselves from the evident needs of society.” Ewan Gurr: ‘Thank God churches are finally waking up to crisis’ (eveningtelegraph.co.uk) This article appeared in the print edition of the Evening Telegraph on 08/02/2021 A group of Scottish church leaders from various denominations have submitted aContinue reading “Thank God Churches Are Finally Waking Up”

“It comes down to a simple question – who do I want to teach my kids as they grow up?” Ewan Gurr: ‘Home-school was already a success for some families’ (eveningtelegraph.co.uk) This article appeared in the print edition of the Evening Telegraph 25/01/2021 As many parents across Scotland expected, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon extended the period schoolsContinue reading “The Advance of Alternative Routes to Education”