New links added - July 2005 - batch 1

I haven't written about new blogroll links I've added for a while, although I have slipped a few in to the list without specific mention in a post until now. It seemed about time to do an update. I've also deleted a few links for various reasons, mainly because they seem to have disappeared or have been inactive for three months or longer.
Garry - A Big Stick and a Small Carrot - Garry is another blogger based in the north of Scotland (in Aberdeen) and started to blog earlier this year. He has a fairly witty and left-of-centerish way of writing that both amuses and, for an unreconstructed right-of-centre eccentric (in the context of the politics of the average Scot) such as me, occasionally infuriating but usually thought-provoking style. I added the CuriousHamster to my blogroll some weeks ago, but didn't get around to writing about it before now.
A Lacanian Scottie Does Politics - a somewhat unusual new blog that I have only just discovered [via a comment (s)he posted in Garry's blog, mentioned immediately above]. First of all, I had no idea what 'Lacanian' means, but Lord Bagpiss (for this is the pseudonym that whoever writes this blog chooses to use), although he has a lengthy disquisition on the matter here and there's more here and, prompted by all of this I have now read a very brief synopsis of the life of Claude Lacan. Suffice to say that I think that the refreshing attitudes the writer seems to display will make this blog a very useful addition to the Scottish blogosphere - the quality of the writing is high, a little long-winded, but probably very worth persevering with. S(he) doesn't reveal very much about who is behind this blog, but we can probably deduce that it is a Scot , or where the writer is writing from. Do give it a look.
bloomfield.me.uk (Richard Bloomfield) - a very recently-discovered blog, by me at least, although he seem to have been writing for almost two years. Richard Bloomfield tells us he is a Yorkshireman by origin, but has lived in Edinburgh for a while and says 'this is now home' (to paraphrase). He seems to write lucidly on a wide range of topics and, from the little I have read so far, seems to take a pretty balanced view of life in general. Well worth being added to my blogroll.
Maidenkirk to John o' Groats - The writer calls him-/her-self Calatrian and lives in Falkirk (Scotland) to which (s)he has returned after a lengthy career in teaching, mainly in London. The blog began only in June and I have been reading it more or less since the beginning, although I am not sure (even now) where it is going exactly, not that this is a criticism of course, just an observation. It is, however, well-written and I share his view that a heightening in the quality of speeches and debate at Holyrood would be a very welcome development. His desire for 'radical change' does, however, make me wonder precisely what kind of radical change he is referring to; I shall be intrigued to glean more details in his future writings.
My Newz 'n Ideas (Rosemary) - the writer reveals that she lives in Los Angeles and she is a Conservative, seemingly with a religious bent and a strong supporter of President Bush. She holds strong views and writes forthrightly about them; I don't agree with all she writes (surprise, surprise), but her views do represent a very major strand of thinking in the US and it is useful to expose oneself to ideas that challenge; I do, however, agree with some of what she writes and the sincerity of her views shines through. I've been reading this blog sporadically for quite some time (found through her occasional comments on Alan's blog) and it is time she was added to my blogroll. Without implying in any way that her inclusion here is some kind of 'tokenism' it is a fact that my blogroll contains very few blogs written by persons of female gender, so I am glad to be able to add one that is well-written and worth reading; I wish there were more (some of the few really excellent ones include far too much profanity, seemingly for its shock-value, for me to consider including them).
Butler, Mike - only just discovered this one, because I seem to have been added to his blogroll. Mike lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennslyvania and seems to have developed an interest in Scottish blogs of late, so I thought I should reciprocate. His blog is often quite personal in nature, detailing his daily activities, but he also touches fairly frequently on international affairs, specially as they affect the US and Iraq and other Middle East and world affairs, and that means the UK too of course. His itinerary seems to take him quite frequently to Canada (Montreal and Toronto). An interesting style of blog-writing that seems to combine anecdotes and comment quite well, and he seems to have the knack (which I might try and learn from - ha, ha) of avoiding long-windedness. Worth a whirl.