August Editorial

Students start to trickle back to town this month. with nine colleges and three universities in Glasgow, the city has a very large population of temporary residents. They are all welcome!
After all, Glasgow is a Caring City. We pride ourselves on being friendly towards strangers.
It is also a matter of good economics to keep our guests happy so that they will continue to spend their students funds in local businesses.
But things change when the visitor is here by default rather than choice or when that incomer is poor because he or she is legally prohibited from working to earn a living.
Our caring reputation wears a bit thing if we don’t have the patience to understand what someone is trying to say in less then perfect BBC English or if their main concern is where do they get their next meal or do the clothes they have protect them from our weather?
Labelling these individuals – asylum seekers – permits us treat them differently from students. But Scots are a thrawn lot! That permission is not often taken up. Long may we believe that ‘Man to man the world o’er shall brothers (and sisters) be for a’ that!
That theme recurred throughout the wonderful eulogies at Jimmy Reid’s funeral. The grand finale had the wonderful bass voice of Paul Robeson singing: Ode to Joy ‘all men are brothers.’