What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Dinner at the Trades House

    cufflinks

     

    Out last night to a lovely dinner with the Trades House of Glasgow.

    Glasgow is one of those cities where the Medieval Guilds of the city still exist. The various trades in the city formed themselves in to Incorportated Crafts which were ways of regulating (and monopolising) trade as the city grew.

    Nowadays they give away a lot of money (over £600 000 a year) and maintain various traditions centred around the Trades House in Glassford Street.

    Last night’s dinner was the choosing dinner for the Deacon Convener of the House. This is the highest honour for those involved and the person takes on a civic role in Glasgow for their year of office.

    This year’s Deacon Convener is the Rt Rev Idris Jones, formerly the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway and so it was good to be there to cheer him on as he took up his new role.

    It was a great night out and fascinating to see an institution which dates back to the middle ages still functioning and still doing its bit to offer relief to those in need and training to the young.

    The dress code was “Official, Evening (White Tie) or Highland Dress. Insignia and Decorations” so we were all very spruced up.

    The best I could manage for Insignia and Decorations was the cufflinks pictured above.

    I made them on Monday.

     

2 responses to “Election Thoughts”

  1. David | Dah•veed Avatar
    David | Dah•veed

    I can tell you from sad experience that our ten years of true multiparty democracy has mostly resulted in a federal legislature that has been paralyzed to accomplish anything for the nation. This sad state of affairs is seducing folks to return to the party of our former one party dictatorship of the previous 70 years.

    Reply
  2. Andrew Heatlie Avatar
    Andrew Heatlie

    Dah.veed, one of the current cynical jokes has to be David Cameron talking of ‘strong government’ when what he’s describing is right-wing insensitivity and selfishness; from this the need is daylight-clear for multiparty co-operation in the whole community’s interest. But it has to be that genuinely; in Scotland with the incompetent SNP in lead-role we see only too well how Government deception and chicanery have to be challenged at every turn. A good PR electoral system does not guarantee reputable good government, only public vigilance and Freedom of Information!

    Kelvin, it’s much easier to focus together behind a party political banner than in religious matters, because politics is a much more restricted dimension of life over which to establish provisional priorities, whereas religious perspectives encompass EVERYTHING, and no way can we expect to see more than a little partial bit of the picture this side of the grave, let alone agree on the specifics; so it’s more like working together on an open agenda than promoting a preset political campaign?

    Reply

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