Hugh MacDonald joined The Herald's fantastic columnist line-up earlier this year, and has since brought us his musings on the pandemic, Glasgow and being a pensioner.
We asked him his thoughts on what will make the news in the next year - and some of the highlights from his career.
Make sure you subscribe to never miss one of Hugh's columns, which you can catch every Saturday.
How did you end up writing for a newspaper?
I have been a journalist all my life. I came into it straight from school. I got lucky. It was an impetuous decision but it has worked out. At least for me.
What’s been the highlight of your career?
Reporting on Andy Murray winning Wimbledon in 2013. It was and is an extraordinary achievement.
A Scot winning the greatest tennis tournament in the world is akin to an Australian being the best downhill skier on the planet.
What’s your favourite part of Scotland and why?
So many. We live in a beautiful country. Perhaps the Big Strand on Islay. It is a stretch of beach that epitomises the wonder and serenity we can find in this country.
What was the last book you read?
The last novel: Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman, which was moving and profound.
Last non-fiction: Truman by David McCullough, a biography of a president of principle and integrity.
What are you going to be writing about for The Herald?
The joy and the anxiety of this is that I cannot be specific. I want to share with readers what is important to me and how life has informed me, sometimes with harsh lessons.
What will be the biggest stories of 2021 and the next decade?
We are only at the start of the Brexit era. There will be turmoil as this unfolds. And, of course, Indyref 2.
What do you make of the government’s response to Coronavirus?
Too little, too late.
Who’s going to win the Holyrood election and why?
The SNP in a landslide.
Reasons: momentum for indy, taken out of the EU against the will of Scotland, fear of unbroken Tory rule in Westminster, desperate standard of opposition.
What will happen with indyref2 after the election?
The clamour will grow louder after a convincing SNP victory which will be regarded as a mandate. Westminster will seek to delay any vote for as long as possible, hoping the political landscape changes. Cue a rammy.
Why should Scots sign up for a Herald subscription?
The Herald has strong voices that will give a variety of opinions on the issues that have a bearing on our lives now and in the future.
To be informed is essential. To be entertained is a bonus that the Herald regularly supplies.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel