Latest news with #ScottBegbie
Press and Journal
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Scott Begbie: Let's channel Dons pride into Aberdeen as a whole after Scottish Cup euphoria
True confession time – I don't like football and I don't 'get' it. But what I do get is the sheer joy and euphoria unleashed across the Granite City when the Dons lifted the Scottish Cup on Saturday. Having up to 100,000 singing, dancing, cheering and chanting folk creating a sea – heck, an ocean – of red and white during Sunday's victory parade was quite the sight to behold. But one thing struck me about the carnival atmosphere on Broad Street and its surrounds as the Dons processed past in an open deck bus. Watching the hugs, the smiles, the energy, the passion, it felt like something had been unleashed in Aberdeen. That pride, that joy, that self-belief was tangible and wonderful. These days it is rare to see the people of Aberdeen so united in celebrating their city. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could harness the raw power of positive emotion and channel it into a renewed sense of belief and love of not just the Dons, but the city as a whole? We know Aberdeen doesn't have its troubles to seek. They are there right in front of us. But we also know – or should know – that Aberdeen has so much going for it. And when it gets it right, it gets it wonderfully right. Think of it like the season the Dons have just had, that roller-coaster ride from being at the top of their game to having the Red Army in despair. But they – and the fans – have come through that to bring the Scottish Cup home to Pittodrie. AFC was clearly a team in transition. They still are from what I gather during our lunchtime chats in the office, even though I tend to retreat into my rich interior life when the bant turns to football. Aberdeen is a city that is in transition, too. The cityscape is changing physically with the works on Union Street and the new market. Some look at it and see a mess. What we should all see is an investment. We are in uncharted waters with the future of oil and gas as murky as a beaker full of crude. But Aberdeen has been through tough times before and come out the other side. We will again But one thing doesn't change about Aberdeen and that is its people. They can be thrawn, dour and contrary, but deep down all of them – yes, the Abermoaners, too – care about the Granite City and want to see it be the best it can be. The sense of pride, hope and renewal that we saw courtesy of Aberdeen FC brought everyone together for one glorious weekend. Let's hold on to the belief that we are, can and will be champions – not just for the Dons but for all of the Granite City. It's time for everyone, from the movers and shakers to the ordinary folk, to be Team Aberdeen. Then we will all be winners. Scott Begbie is a journalist and editor, as well as PR and comms manager for Aberdeen Inspired.
Press and Journal
13-05-2025
- Press and Journal
Scott Begbie: Time to ditch phones and put teachers back in charge
Every so often someone rolls out a pilot project that has you thinking why have a test run, just get on and do it? The perfect case in point is the two high schools in Edinburgh that have banned pupils from using mobile phones during the school day. The schools don't confiscate phones – which would have the diddums spitting the dummy about their rights, of which some teenagers know so much while not bothering about the responsibility side of the justice coin. Instead, they put them in a special wallet with a magnetic seal that can only be opened when the go home bell has rung. Genius idea that lets youngsters keep their precious mobiles in their possession. They just can't spend the day on TikTok when they should be learning stuff, not checking out the latest trend to smear yourself in duck fat and snorkel in the bath. But there was one line from Edinburgh Council that had me shaking my head in disbelief. The move is apparently necessary to end 'competition' between phones and teachers for pupils' attention. Say what, now? Is that actually a thing? If so, school has obviously changed a fair whack since I was a grubby pupil at Boroughmuir in Edinburgh. And a whack was precisely what you got if the teacher thought for a nanosecond you were not giving your complete and undivided attention to the lesson being taught. Look out the window for a moment to muse 'that cloud looks like a Dalek' and a piece of chalk bounced off your bonce. Do it a second time and it was the blackboard duster. Not that I condone for a second the use of physical force against kids. The only thing that teaches them is that hitting folk is fine to get what you want. But how have we got to the stage where a youngster even contemplates looking at their phone in a classroom without consequence? More chillingly, have we as a society reached the point where all life, even school life, is only real when viewed through a screen? Seems so. I'm actually typing these words beside a pool in sunny Gran Canaria and everyone around me is glued to their phone, not savouring the blue skies and swaying palms. What a waste. Perma-doomscrolling is a learned habit and one that we need to unlearn before all we know of the world is fed to us by algorithms and pixels. And the place to break that habit, to show life is better seen through your own eyes and gloriously elevated by your own understanding, is in school. So, let's not be faffing around with projects in two high schools in Edinburgh. Let's ban mobiles for every school and every pupil in Scotland so they can grow up savouring the wonders around them and not seeing life in tunnel vision. Scott Begbie is a journalist and editor, as well as PR and comms manager for Aberdeen Inspired.
Press and Journal
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Press and Journal
Scott Begbie: Scottish Government is going down the wrong road with its war on cars
Could the high heid-yins at Holyrood please drop the dogma and rethink their war on cars before the north-east grinds to a halt? We've already had barmy suggestions such as cutting the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph on single carriages stretches of trunk roads like the A96, just to make it that bit more time-consuming to Inverness. And no need to rehearse the carnage bus gates have created in Aberdeen city centre – or the sheer illogical thinking of wrapping a Low Emission Zone round a train station and busy working harbour crammed with diesel trains and ships. Now we have the latest wheeze of suggesting roads in 'built-up' areas – including key transport routes by the way – be reduced to 20mph. Now, that's fine and dandy in places that are properly residential where ordinary folk – especially kids – should go about their business in quiet and safety without motors zooming past at speed. But to slow traffic down to a 20mph crawl on the likes of major routes like Holburn Street, Garthdee Road and North Deeside Road? Seriously? Sometimes I think there's a man behind a curtain in the bowels of the Scottish Parliament coming up with wizard wheezes designed purely to force drivers around the bend – providing they do it at 20mph or less. I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually get an announcement that we are going back to the future – cars can only drive on city roads if they have someone walking in front of them holding a red flag. There is, of course, a policy at play in these diktats from Holyrood. It's to 'encourage' people to give up the car and use public transport instead – or get on their bikes. The only problem is, here in the north-east the car is quite simply the cheapest, quickest and easiest way to get around, be it for work or play, given the disjointed public transport network that we have. For example, on days when I car share to the city office, I'm door to door in 25 minutes – including a walk from my drop off point. On days I take the train, I have to leave 20 minutes earlier than normal, walk to the station, hope the train turns up on time, or at all, and then walk to the office, all of which takes a good 40 minutes out of my day. Now which do you think I choose most often? Besides, the anti-car drive isn't working. The Scottish Government's target was to cut car use across the nation by 20% by the end of the decade. It's only come down by 3.6% since before the pandemic. Little wonder then, that Holyrood last month dropped that target as 'not realistic'. Well, we could have told you that. Same with so many of the other measures. So, can the powers-that-be now concede we all still need our cars, especially with the north-east's mix of rural and urban communities, and stop trying to make driving as difficult as humanely possible? You're on the wrong road, admit it and change direction for all our sakes. Scott Begbie is a journalist and editor, as well as PR and comms manager for Aberdeen Inspired.
Press and Journal
22-04-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Scott Begbie: We should be making MORE of empty city centre spaces to discourage Aberdeen street drinkers and troublemaking youths
With the Tall Ships hoving into view, it's great to see all sorts of plans and visions surfacing to make the most of this once-in-a-generation event dropping anchor in July. So good on the licensing board for giving a thumbs up to the Ibis Hotel on Shiprow who want to transform a rooftop space into an al fresco bar with a crow's nest view of the ships when they berth in the harbour. It was a close-run thing by the sounds of it, with concerns over safety and noise being aired – but one particular comment had me cocking my head to the side and saying: 'Sorry, what?' A licensing officer opined that issues would arise from the plan due to this being an area where 'we've had problems with street drinkers and problems with young kids congregating'. Oh, so because of ne'er-do-wells hanging about, we can't have nice things? Eh, how about flipping that one around and tackling head-on the now-admitted problems, especially street drinkers? We all know it's happening and where. Just stroll past the soon to be defunct Markies at St Nicholas Square and you will be treated to a bit of street cabaret fuelled by tinnies and God knows what else. The shouting, the swearing and the occasional full on rammy is the mood music to ordinary folk trying to get on with their shopping and business. And it bleeds out along the east end of Union Street, into Adelphi and some reaches of the Merchant Quarter. Yet nothing seems to get done – not even when you point out what's going on to city wardens. I know. I've tried. The irony is this anti-social – in many cases criminal – behaviour is happening at the epicentre of a multi-million pound regeneration of the city centre. It bemuses me that with so many stakeholders and organisations – including the city council – doing and spending so much to make the city centre vibrant, the authorities – including said council – are doing so little to tackle one of the most visible obstacles to the grand plans. Yes, the people creating havoc are troubled souls with chaotic lives and need a helping hand. Yes, moving them on merely shifts the problem somewhere else. But I think we can all accept one place the problem shouldn't be is in the heart of Aberdeen, especially during a sustained campaign to regenerate it as an attractive place to live, work, shop, eat, drink and play. Perhaps we can all play a part in helping the powers-that-be recognise and tackle the problem. Don't just tut and walk past the rowdy yahoos. Report anti-social and criminal behaviour to 101 – and if you get no answer report it online. Drop your local councillor a line asking what steps the council is taking to address this alarming problem. City centre safety is, after all, a local authority responsibility. If everyone objects to what is going on, then perhaps the authorities will listen and bring much needed peace and calm back to this troubled section of our city centre. Scott Begbie is a journalist and editor, as well as PR and comms manager for Aberdeen Inspired.
