| | | Neil McIntosh | | Editor of The Scotsman |
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Dear reader, It's been another busy week. In Downing Street, the ongoing rumble of scandal, and the fallout and fallings-out, have been keeping Alexander Brown, our Westminster correspondent, very busy. The David Goodwillie controversy But the issue that most caught Scotsman readers' attention this week came from Kirkcaldy, and humble Raith Rovers. Their signing of David Goodwillie - a player previously found responsible for rape in a civil court - sparked outrage, perhaps best articulated by bestselling author, and (now former) lifelong Raith Rovers fan, Val McDermid. In an exclusive interview with The Scotsman Sport Show, she said: "For the first time in 34 years I am glad to say my dad is not around to see this. It would have broken his heart.” A club happy to destroy its reputation Protests, boycotts and the inevitable u-turn by the club ensued, but the episode will leave a bad taste in the mouth far beyond this week. There are a couple of aspects to this: first, we've seen a football club apparently happy to destroy its reputation as a community institution in the name of signing a pretty ordinary striker, with a terrible backstory, to try and secure promotion. That disconnect is unusual, at least in Scottish football. More broadly, drawing from more than this week's example in Fife, there's the "banter culture" of male attitudes towards women, which Joyce McMillan examines in her column today. Six Nations clash with England awaits Let's hope this weekend can offer brighter news. There's huge excitement, of course, around Scotland's clash with England in the Six Nations tomorrow. Your Saturday Scotsman will have the must-read preview - our Rugby Editor, Graeme Bean, has been building up this week (don't miss our Scotland Rugby Show discussion). I'd also encourage you to keep an eye out for Scotland on Sunday in your newsagent the day after: our sister Sunday title will carry a comprehensive review of events, whatever the result. Although that's not in doubt. Is it? The value of Scottish journalism Finally, and forgive me for pressing the point, but might you consider taking out a subscription to The Scotsman today? It's been one of those weeks where I hope the strengths of our network of staff and contributors, from Fife to Westminster, have really shown the value of Scottish journalism. We hope you agree journalism, produced specifically for the nation it serves, has a clearer perspective and understanding of the issues that matter to us here. And, increasingly, subscriptions are our lifeblood of titles such as ours. Get 30% off new annual subscriptions with the code SIXNTS30 We'd love to have you join us. Best wishes, Neil McIntosh Editor, The Scotsman | 