Spud stirred restlessly in his bed. It wasn’t the first Christmas Eve he had spent in a hostel. It seemed crazy, but that damn street light just outside his window was brighter than usual. The wee parcel that had been brought in by a stranger and left at the front...

So Irvine Welsh has written a short story for the Christmas edition of The Big Issue, the monthly magazine of a charity that supports homeless folk. Good on him - it's one of several worthy causes Welsh has supported over the years. But we should worry. This could be...

Another plaudit comes Welsh's way. In a Scottish Book Trust poll Trainspotting has just been voted the favourite Scottish novel of the last half-century. Congratulations are in order. Can't argue with a popular vote. But Welsh is right to raise doubts about the award....