Looking for better things

Happy new year everyone. The snowstorm has returned outside as I write (that makes snowfall on 15 of the last 17 days chez Nicholson, something that until now I would only have associated with Canada or New England), but the winter will pass - we just have to hang in there and wait for warmer conditions to return, as slowly but surely they must.

So it is with our country. The papers talk of weak recovery, still rising unemployment and bankruptcies, and more in the same vein, but there is a definite feeling that the overall picture will be brighter by the end of the year than what we can see at the moment.

And there will be plenty of debate. We have a General Election, which may generate more heat than light but at least will concentrate minds on what might help take us forward. Here in Scotland we will hear plenty more on referenda, alcohol pricing, and closer to the profession, legal services reform and perhaps the future of the Law Society of Scotland itself.

If I have a wish for the year it is for a better quality of debate than we have often seen of late. Politically it may be too much to hope for it not to be conducted on party lines, especially in an election year, but too often we have seen people relying on soundbite material or set-piece positions as a substitute for real engagement with the issues. And yes, I think that sometimes applies even within the profession as battle lines are drawn up.

To some extent the remedy lies in the hands of the rest of us watching from the sidelines, to challenge the arguments of those who purport to speak for many. Better debate is the more likely if more join in. It isn't difficult. Could it be a New Year's resolution not to let our Scots reticence get the better of us?