PM, RIP

i'd not long been at the scotsman today when there was a kerfuffle at the newsdesk end of the room and i heard a sentence i couldn't believe. but when i swung over to the bbc website, there it was on the breaking news ticker: scots qc paul mcbride found dead in a hotel room in pakistan.

i didn't know him, really, just was around sometimes on a shift when he was the duty lawyer for the sunday herald - he always smirkingly slagged off half the stuff in front of him, refusing to read it (probably in the knowledge that we were just being cautious about a lot of things). you always knew when he was on duty, as this wee whirlwind of energy and sound would birl in (almost always late), and the newsdesk would stop in its tracks for a good gossip about Things Lawyers And Newspaper People Talk About. he was also a frequent source of advice even when not our duty lawyer - in particular his was a voice that supported the SH in naming ryan giggs during the superinjunction silliness, and i recommend the sky video link for anyone curious to see him in media-friendly action.

i would cross the street to avoid most of the people he defended in his qc guise, and frequently disagreed with everything that he said - and yet i'm sad he's not around any more. he was always happy to talk to even the lowliest casual sub when he was in the SH office, arguing the toss on anything from politics to sport to pop culture. the world is a touch duller, less charismatic, less razor-sharp without him and his cheeky grin and acerbic wit. my heart goes out to his partner, family and friends, and hope they take some comfort in knowing that he made an impression on everyone he met and will be remembered as a great character, and respected for his skills, no matter whether you agreed with anything he said or not.