Columnists

"The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry". A saying that is derived from "To a Mouse", one of the many splendid poems written by Scotland's legendary National Bard Robert Burns. Although he put it better: "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley."

It absolutely disgusts me that this great democracy of ours has not already offered asylum to Asia Bibi. What is wrong with the British Government and the Establishment?

The testy slap-down by US President Donald Trump to the idea of a European army was telling. Any notion of the Europeans stepping away from American "protection" would be anathema to Washington.

As any footballer knows you should never celebrate a victory until the final whistle has blown. The big mistake leading Brexit campaigners made was to think that the referendum of 23rd June 2016 was the 'end of the match'- when in fact it was really only half-time.

My task on Saturday was to address my political party’s annual conference and try to inspire the gathering with some socialist vision and ideas. The name of the party is Solidarity and it was formed in late 2006 out of a messy battle within a bigger party that I used to lead and represent in Parliament.

This is the weekend we remember, or at least are meant to remember, the millions of war dead. Never again? Not if the war hawks get their way. It’s always good to remind ourselves at this time of year what armed conflict entails.

It seems bitterly ironic that as world leaders gather in Paris this weekend to commemorate the centennial end of World War One, international tensions and the threat of war are once again haunting humanity.

As a type 2 diabetic in remission I have been saying for at least a year that Type 2 Diabetes and obesity will bankrupt the NHS unless dietary advice is changed immediately and it now looks like I am bang on the money.

Red Star Belgrade's 2-0 Champions League victory over Liverpool last week was a shock result but it wouldn't have been in the 1960s or 70s when football's prizes- just like everything else in life- were shared out more equally. Back then, one was used to teams from the eastern half of Europe doing well in major football tournaments.

Within hours of that vile video of the Grenfell Tower effigy being burnt she was on the front foot condemning it, calling it “despicable and utterly unacceptable” on Twitter. Which for the record, I agree with.

Donald Trump believes that the Federal Reserve is the greatest threat to the US economy. That's true, but that's only a small part of a bigger puzzle.

“Thank you for giving my mum food so we can eat”. Those were the words written by an eight-year-old boy who had been caught stealing tomato sauce sachets from his school as he thought he could make soup with them. A heart-breaking and scandalous glimpse of the reality of poverty in the 21st century.

The Premiership gets the hype, but once again this season, it's the Championship, the second tier of English football, which is proving to be the more exciting division. Just look at the league tables.

The headline, “Police must concentrate on burglaries and violence say Police Chief” ranks up there with the mythical, “Man bites dog line.”

“Politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves, instead of organizing nothing better than legalized mass murder.”

Elite interests want us to focus not on ‘bread and butter’ economic issues, but on fighting vituperative culture wars, which create much social division, but maintain the neo-liberal status quo.

Do Politicians think we are stupid? Don’t answer that question because we all know that these self-servers not only think we are thick but treat us with utter contempt.

A multi-millionaire property tycoon charges the taxpayer for “superior” teaspoons despite being paid a salary of £141,505 a year from the public purse and receiving outrageous expenses, a huge pension, a free London flat and a grace-and-favour country mansion in Buckinghamshire announces austerity is over but continued discipline is required.

History was made in Glasgow over the last two days. In years to come, it will be a date and event taught in schools and universities to students anxious to learn how women eventually won the right to equal pay with their male counterparts for doing jobs of equal value.

All eyes in motor sport this weekend will be on Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix, where Britain's Lewis Hamilton only needs to finish seventh to clinch his fifth Formula 1 world championship. That would put him level with 'El Maestro' Juan Manuel Fangio and just two behind the legend that is Michael Schumacher.