They'll be trying to dig him up next...

Glaswegians are often stereotyped as drunkards and/or thieves. Something which I've always thought was rather unfair to the many thousands of Glaswegian Puritans who neither drink nor steal, unlike the current batch in parliament, many of whom it now transpires do both with gleeful enthusiasm.

However I may have to reconsider my position on this after learning that Glasgow Council have 'appropriated' what is probably the most famous Welsh character in English literature - Merlin, Wizard and Adviser to King Arthur of Camelot.

A council spokeswoman said that Merlin - created by Welsh clergyman Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century - had been added to a list of 'well-known' figures from the city based on a book by Scots advocate and amateur historian Adam Ardrey who spent six years 'researching' the matter.

Mr Ardrey claims to have discovered this while researching his own family name and while he doesn't specifically claim to be descended from Merlin, the implication is plain to see.

"I found that my name Ardrey was connected with the very first reference to Merlin, which had him fighting at the Battle of Arddreyd."

For anyone other than Glasgow Council, this sort of obsession would be taken as a sign of mental illness rather than a historical revelation.

Sadly, this sort of blatant theft is precisely what we are coming to expect from Glaswegian politicians.

Isn't it Mr Speaker...


Merlin magics up Glaswegian link