The Herald Diary: Beyond Compare

It was the year that saw Rangers Football Club face administration, that saw Greece struggle with teetering debt, that saw Scots wrestle with the idea of a referendum on independence, and saw the Scottish football team once again watching an international competition from the outside. And what did most Scots do? Well, what they usually do - they laughed about it. Fortunately they then sent their musings to "The Herald" newspaper's "Diary" column where their views on world affairs, plus all the stories of all the daft and amusing things that happened in Scotland's pubs, trains, streets and homes were gathered, polished and printed. This is the compilation of the best of these stories. It is where the best of Scottish humour is gathered and kept so that the stories are not lost forever, and if you are a Scot anywhere in the world, you will recognise the humour in them. And even if you are not Scottish you should still be able to smile, even though you have to ask a Scot for the occasional piece of clarification.