Wednesday 23 October

After a morning of heavy showers we are now bathing in sunshine, but with quite a brisk westerly wind. 11 degrees is apparently normal for the time of year, but feeling slightly nippy. The petro-chemical plant at Grangemouth is to close down, and the refinery at the same location is likely to follow suit in a couple of months' time. The result is an imminent loss of 800 jobs, with the same number to follow later. I hope another operator can be found for the site, which has great economic significance for the area, and Scotland as a whole. If not, one of the pillars under the Scottish economy will collapse, leaving the case for Scottish independence (which I do not support) significantly weakened.