Biography
I've worked as a journalist for over three decades in newspapers and broadcasting (radio & television), covering current affairs, politics, arts and sport.
The author of four books, I have also edited three.
I was also media advisor & comms. director for the Labour Party at the Scottish Parliament (2008-12) - I wa sspecial adsiro to Wendy Alexander and Iain Gray and worked with the office of then Primei= Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling.
Since teaching at Edinburgh Napier (2012) I have continued to write for among others The Sunday Times, The Scotsman, The Herald, The Conversation, The Courier and Daily Record.
I refgularly appear as a political and media commentator for BBC, STV, ITV, SKY, and other international media, such as regualrly to Al Jazeera.
Specialities include the media and politics - Scottish, UK and EU .
As a speaker I've presented at a range of conferences both as a journalist and lecturer such as The Observer Ted X, bi-annually at Holyrood conferences on politics and media (2012-20), the University of Dundee lectures on the Scottish Referendum 2014, the Royal Society of Edinburgh on Hate Crime and the Media with the Scottish Justice Minister 2015 and the inaugural Independent Press Standards Organisation with Sir Alan Moses in its first UK public consultation 2016.
I was interviewed by The Observer and The Times on Edinburgh, architecture and planning and presented a report for BBC Radio 4's Business programme and The World at One , December 2019.
I was commentator for BBC, STV and Al Jazeera on UK GE 2019.
I was also commisione by the Wester Hailes Community Trust to write history of the the community on its 50th anniversary