Michael lives in Glendaruel, Scotland. He was born in August 1953 in Bromley, Kent of Scottish parents and was brought up mostly in Ayrshire. He received his secondary education at the Marr College, Troon after which he went to Edinburgh University where he studied Theology and then Scottish History and Literature.Any psychologists out there? Why might he have included the forced phrase: “of Scottish parents”?
Matt Qvortrup: Numpty....
49 minutes ago
The anguish of the Volk was heard in his ears.
This is a common game I play with CVs, but I see he was SNP Chief Executive 1994-9. I assume he graduated in the mid-70s. Up until 1994, it's sketchy: he worked in "television and media", then established his own production company, Eala Bhan, which I can find little about. Not dismissing community cinema on the Isles, parliament is a significant step up.
He managed one term as MSP, before loosing in 2004 and focusing "his work as an author and newspaper columnist". He was re-elected in 2007.
Still, there is a semblance of a real job there, unlike many steeped only in party positions.
Never mind psychoanalysing Nats, can anyone tell me why my cat will approach, purring loudly, and sniff and lick my hand. Then sink her chops into it?
It happened last night when I was in that hypnagogic state. Bloody terrifying, I don't mind telling you! I thought the Harpies had come to rip my very soul out!
Cats are crazy little buggers with only a thought for their own little world....just like the cybernats actually!!!
And one of the ironies is that I've lost count of the number of times I've seen or heard Nats protesting "We're not anti-English, look at Mike Russell - he is English"!
Irony is a mis-used word, I find, where paradoxical or unfortunate coincidence would be appropriate.
Mike Russell's statement, however, *was* ironic. Maybe he should be called the Token English, then.
"Mike" has worked hard at becoming Scottish right down to never being called Michael (which he always was at school) and losing his rather posh English accent. I hope he's changed a few other things as well over the years because at school he was a clype and a bully who "confiscated" cigarettes from those younger and smaller when he was a prefect.
I'm not sure that's a fair comment. Perhaps he was just concerned for your health?
But it's interesting that you mention an English accent. He says he was "brought up mostly in Ayrshire", and I have no reason to doubt that, but why does he consider it relevant? Why even mention it? What's he trying to prove?
I'm sorry, but can I check if Scotleag is confirming or refuting the existence of unseemly prejudice which requires someone to de-Englishfy themselves, including forgoing an 'English' name?
It's so hard to tell these days!
"unseemly prejudice which requires someone to de-Englishfy themselves"
We will all have similar stories.
An Edinburgh pub, watching the pre-match buildup to a Scotland rugby game.
Interview with Rob Wainwright, then the Scotland captain.
Loud bellow from imbecilic Nat:
"He cannae be oor captain with an English accent like that!"
I haven't heard Russell's previous accent, but anyone who moved to an area before the age of 12 or so shouldn't have developed an alien accent: especially if their parents had the desired accent ("of Scottish extraction/parentage" would have been fascinating! Denying his own parents!).
My guess is that it's one of those generic Lowlands accents. I know because I have one, and received abuse enough long before Devolution. Listening to Salmond, I often hear every second or third enunciation of "I" as a definite "Ah".
Numpty.
"I'm not sure that's a fair comment. Perhaps he was just concerned for your health?"
I'd have been more convinced of that if he hadn't been in the habit of smoking them himself!
Regarding accents, I think anyone who moves away from home inevitably picks up parts of the local patois over time even if it's just a Glaswegian migrating beyond the city boundaries and starting to use 'ken' instead of 'knowwhitahmean' People adapt naturally in order to make themselves understood.
But beyond a certain age (and I think it might be bit older than 12 as suggested but can't be definitive) the only people who lose or change their accents are those who want to - witness the two accents of Lulu, the one for Scottish consumption and the one for elsewhere. Yet the likes of Craig Ferguson & Billy Connolly have lived in the USA for years and are both still indisputably Scottish.
In 'Mike's case he was still speaking with an English accent aged 18. That was after six years secondary school in Ayrshire though it's fair to say that this was quite a growth area at the time and non-Scottish accents were quite common. When I saw him several years ago on TV when he became Nat chief exec I recognised him immediately but was also instantly struck by the change in accent. If an accent doesn't change after six years in school then it doesn't change - unless by design - afterwards. I assume that possession of an English accent in the SNP might be a drawback not seen in other parties. There are non-Scottish MPs representing Scottish seats and/or Scots representing non-Scottish seats in the other major parties and that's the way it should be in a UNITED kingdom.
BTW SU, good to see you still going strong. I wasn't able to comment once you turned on the moderation (though I understand full well your reasons for doing so) and it wasn't until I realised I could comment if I took out a blogger account. Good to be back and more power to your elbow.
Scotleag
"But beyond a certain age (and I think it might be bit older than 12 as suggested but can't be definitive) the only people who lose or change their accents are those who want to"
Um, I don't necessarily agree with that.
Some people are more linguistically chameleonic than others - I am. I presume I was reasonably Scots-sounding when I left school, but it had vanished almost completely after 7 years in Cambridge and Bristol. (I'm just thankful I didn't pick up much Bristolian, moi loverrr.)
11 years back in Embra and some of it (not much) has come back, according to the wife. None of this was deliberate, it just happened.
So perhaps a partial defence of Mr Russell - his change in accent could be natural, if he's been spending all his time yakking with Nats.
The references in the biog do sound forced, though.