No doubt tomorrow's Hootsman will have a David Maddox story telling us how FMQ's today, saw Alex Salmond cowed by Iain Gray's magnificent oratory, how John Swinney swooned under the intense intellectual pressure from Angry Kerr and how Jim Mather swallowed a little bit of sick when Jackie the Hutt glared at him.
Naturally, Maddog's interpretation will differ widely from those who were there, those who witnessed it on tv and those who participated. However, fear not David Maddox is on a one man mission to thwart those pesky Nats and preserve the Union for the glory of Gordon Brown and Donald Dewar. At what cost?
Yet with each day the Scottish press lose another reader, another subscriber, another income stream. Advertisers notice, columnists start looking elsewhere, jings we've even had the supposed big boys in Scottish journalism bending over backwards for PR/Marketing jobs with South Lanarkshire cooncil.
This year has truly been the anus gapingus for journos with an unprecedented number taking a sabbatical , redundancy, retirement, career break or heading out into the brave new world of the freelance.
And still their blatts continue to peddle the same old shite, albeit with worse spelling and terrible grammar. Hey that's what happens when you let the night shift managers African sunset haired step-son play at being a proof reader.
It gives me no pleasure to give you a roll call of some of the good and great of Scottish journalism who have fallen by the side this year. Amongst them are some pukka scriveners, people with the great ability to turn strokes on a page into a lifetime of memories. I salute them. If only their editors would grow some balls and report news as it is supposed to be....fair and impartial.
Now is Maddox really better than any of these people?
Thanks to AMS for the list.
Oh don't forget recently departed columnists Rab McNeill, Ewan Morrisson and Hardeep Singh Kohli.
Mike Aitken, former sportswriter, The Scotsman; now "taking a career break until I decide what to do next".
David Belcher, former TV critic, The Herald; now “attempting to write a radio sitcom set in the mythical Ayrshire village of Dumfoonert (it has a newspaper, oddly enough), while also assembling an internet radio soul show for Radio Six International”.
David Bennett, former sub-editor at The Herald; now running a website design and content management company, fuzzylime.co.uk - with former Herald assistant chief sub-editor, Jill Ledgerwood.
Ian Bruce, former defence correspondent, The Herald; now "enjoying an extended sabbatical".
Alison Chiesa, former news reporter, The Herald; now: “Blissfully living the simpler life. Home is now a converted horsebox on an organic farm commune in Norway. Amid spectacular scenery, days are filled driving a tractor, milking cows, keeping bees, resuscitating dying ducklings, etc, etc. Will soon move on to Sweden to help build an artists' retreat centre - and think of new ways to stretch the career break out as long as I can.”
Sandra Colamartino, former editor, Homes & Interiors Scotland; now producing chocolate bars in bespoke, book-like, high-quality wrapping: Chocolate Library.
Bob Dow, former Aberdeen bureau chief, Daily Record; now operating as Bob Dow Media, doing some writing, some media training/PR work and some emergency response work for oil companies in Aberdeen.
Sarah Ferguson, former sub-editor, The Herald; now page editor at The National, in Abu Dhabi.
Philip Gates, former assistant chief sub editor, The Herald; now a part-time freelance sub-editor, part-time house husband, and also retraining in web design and e-commerce.
Bill Henry, former senior photographer, Edinburgh Evening News; now retired, after 19 years with the paper. "Being lazy at the moment but am working on a few projects where I live, in Cumbernauld."
Julia Horton, former Edinburgh-based reporter, The Herald; now travelling, including New Zealand and South America (where she is currently, learning Spanish).
Michael Howie, former home affairs correspondent, The Scotsman; about to learn Spanish in Madrid, before heading to Central and South America to travel and freelance.
Allan Laing, former reporter/feature writer/columnist/travel editor/assistant news editor, The Herald; now running his own business, All In a Day's Work, specialising in journalism, TV research and investigation, media training and fast-response PR projects. Plus annual reports, company brochures and speeches. Visit www.allinaworkingday.co.uk
Jill Ledgerwood, former assistant chief sub-editor at The Herald; now running a website design and content management company, fuzzylime.co.uk - with former Herald sub-editor, David Bennett.
David Lee, former senior assistant editor, The Scotsman; now a freelance media consultant.
Ross Lydall, former political editor, The Scotsman; now freelancing, the Evening Standard.
Hamish Macdonell, former Scottish political editor, The Scotsman; now freelance political commentator.
Bill Mackintosh, former head of news, Sunday Herald; now freelancing, concentrating on writing about whisky for a number of magazines, and helping one whisky group with its internal communications.
Donald MacLeod, former chief photographer, The Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday; now a news and features freelancer.
Alistair McArthur, former deputy editor, Scottish Business Insider; now freelancing.
Peter John Meiklem, former media and business correspondent, the Sunday Herald; now "writing a whodunit set on the Moroccan tourist trail and getting ready for a year teaching English in Argentina".
Simon Murphy, former senior photographer, The Herald Magazine; now set up as a freelancer, www.simonmurphyphotographer.com, working as a commercial and editorial photographer,
signed with camerapress agency, and waiting on the imminent arrival of his first child.
Stephen Penman, former deputy editor, Sunday Herald; now head of corporate communications and marketing, North Lanarkshire Council.
Alan Rennie, former editor, Stirling Observer; now, after 26 years as editor and taking retirement, about to begin work, as 'project delivery officer', for the local, Going Carbon Neutral team.
Jonathan Rennie, former business editor, Evening Times, and senior writer across The Herald and Times Group; now senior account manager, Weber Shandwick.
Graeme Smith, former north-east reporter, The Herald; now operating as Graeme Smith Media, a freelance writer specialising in the energy industry but also involved in emergency response work, training and PR-related work.
Stuart Sommerville, former sub-editor, The Scotsman; now freelance editor and writer, and "taking orders from" baby Isabella.
Caroline Stewart, former sub editor and gardens writer, The Scotsman; now, thanks to a voluntary redundancy package and "after 12 years hogging the 5pm-1am shift, decided to give others a chance and am now enjoying a new shift starting at 7am looking after baby, Isabella".
Laura Sutherland, former showbiz reporter, Daily Record; now, account executive at Edinburgh PR agency, Holyrood Partnership.
Richard Wilson, former sports and Ecosse writer, Sunday Times Scotland; now writing a book, for Canongate, on the Old Firm, and working regularly, as a freelance sports writer, for the Independent on Sunday and the Sunday Herald.
John Young, former group multimedia editor, Herald & Times Group; now running YoungMedia.co.uk, specialising in corporate and PR photography and multimedia.
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