85: Flat Budget

Posted on February 9, 2011 by davidsberry

The Flat Earth Society lives. I use them as examples of denying-the-bleeding-obvious. But at East Lothian Council’s meeting to set a ‘flat’ (£210m) budget, our other-worldly Labour opposition deserved a prize—if not a world record—for cognitive dissonance.

After Leader Paul McLennan detailed his Administration’s proposals, Labour’s Willie Innes spent his time trying to rubbish his speech. By comparison, Don Quixote was a shrewd strategist. And, lest ye think I’m being partisan, his group voted against:

  • free school meals rollout to more deprived (i.e. Labour) areas
  • two dedicated police, adding to four already in (you’ve got it—Labour) areas
  • a doubling of apprenticeships, so beloved by his party Leader
  • retaining tenant advisors (avoids vulnerable being made homeless)
  • sustaining budgets for Schools and Adult Social Care (i.e. NO CUTS)
  • building more council houses that the 95% of our tenants say they want
  • avoiding planned forced redundancy (savings come from managing vacancies)

To everyone else’s embarrassment, they even tried a legal challenge to the first item. Perhaps when swingeing service/job cuts visited on Midlothian, N & S Lanarkshire and Glasgow by their Labour colleagues become public, ELC’s comparative fiscal robustness might inspire them towards enlightenment.

But I doubt it. Flat-earthers dislike moving at all (in case they they fall off)…and I don’t even know which planet our lot are on. Relevant links (doesn’t matter which you pick):

http://theflatearthsociety.org/cms/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prestonpans-Labour-Party-Social-Club/167173356641834

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86: Parliamo Politico I

Posted on February 8, 2011 by davidsberry

Let’s Talk Pencil-Pusher: Lesson I—Bob the Builder (First of a series, translating bureaucrat-speak into what it really means for the folk in East Lothian)

Ever since Mrs T handbagged councils into selling off homes, our crisis in affordable housing has grown. East Lothian Council had quality homes on decent estates; after 25 years, over 12,000 of  20,000 were sold. In that time barely 100 were built. Homeless legislation distorted waiting lists to over 4,000 until non-‘vulnerable’ (i.e. ordinary folk) stood nae chance.

In a press release over the weekend, the SNP Government committed to “invest in record levels of council house building, with funding for 5,000 council houses supporting 8,000 jobs in the next Parliament”. Sounds good; but what does that mean to us here?

In less than four years, your local SNP has completed 100 houses, with 300 more under construction across East Lothian and 800 more in planning. Most will be allocated to existing tenants of good standing and revised laws will keep them publicly owned.

More importantly, this will de-constipate allocation so that sons or daughters can find homes in their home town, empty-nesters can down-size more easily and even priority need clients should benefit by being housed closer to their family and support system.

ELC Affordable Housing Strategy is available at:  http://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=917&documentID=309

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87: Schadenfreude

Posted on February 7, 2011 by davidsberry

After a lifetime paying attention to politics and over 17 years activism on behalf of my home town/county/country, I may be de-sensitised to what lengths the Labour party will go to rubbish any opposition. But years of close observation of their greed for power in Haddington, Edinburgh and London still had not prepared me for what Wikileaks has dragged, squirming, into the light of day.

Former Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy MP is described in the secret papers as “an up-and-coming Labour leader from Glasgow” is said to have told the Americans that “economics is changing the politics in Scotland,” and in his opinion “the economic crisis has embedded for a generation the idea that Scotland will be better served as part of the United Kingdom.”

On hearing this, Education Secretary Mike Russell retorted angrily: “What type of politician would want to see his fellow citizens bankrupted? So much for Labour’s ‘moral compass’!” Having witnessed how Labour runs things, maybe I’m not so surprised.

See: http://www.newsnetscotland.com/general/1585-wikileaks-labour-exploited-economic-crisis-to-halt-growing-support-for-snp

Schadenfreude (Ger): perverse joy in the discomfort of others

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88: Beef Haddington

Posted on February 6, 2011 by davidsberry

I am delicate after an evening’s hospitality from East Lothian branch of the National Farmers’ Union. Though blowing a hoolie outside, the 150-strong annual dinner inside the Maitlandfield roared with cameraderie. And, since members apparently lead double lives as prop forwards, Nico’s big function room was bulging at the seams.

Amidst a background hubbub a decibel or three beyond that requiring ear protection, many made me welcome: Johnny Watson of Skateraw with big ideas for a tourist gateway; Billy Logan of West Garleton who built a major supermarket supplier within a decade; Jim Wyllie of Ruchlaw who has farmed the gamut—from fruit to pigs to arable; Bob Simpson of Castle Mains who keeps Walker supplied with tatties while he manages local Scouts, coaches kids’ rugby and lobbies tirelessly for his village.

My preconceptions went out the window. Accents were a broad cross-section of our county. Bloc loyalty to any political party was nowhere in evidence. And, though talk did sometimes turn to prices, I found these stewards of our beautiful countryside more full of lively good cheer than of bean-counter fixations. Hope I get invited back.

http://www.nfus.org.uk/about-nfus/regional-managers/lothians-borders

East Lothian President: Stuart McNicol, Castleton, North Berwick

Diagram of beef cuts in Scotland

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89: Ane Dreich Blaw

Posted on February 5, 2011 by davidsberry

For two days now, Scotland has been thrashed by an Atlantic storm, familiar to all those who have spent any time here. Some simply draw the curtains, make another pot of tea and dream of distant, sun-drenched holidays. That is understandable but their loss.

For me it is changing light, a wild glory of mood swings that gift both Scotland and its people their sinewy character, their dark humour, their embrace of life’s contradictions. It is why Los Angeles struggles to connect with the heart; why the Big Yin claims wellies as Scottish national dress; why, through our Breton bridgehead, even our Auld Alliance cousins have learned to celebrate life’s more perverse moods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18msKRflbzs

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90 Days to Decide

Posted on February 4, 2011 by davidsberry

Given the gravity of world events—emotive clashes in Tahrir Square; 5bn tonnes of CO2 exhaled by parched Amazon forests; double-devastation to half of Queensland, as well as the deepest world recession in a generation—it’s perhaps no wonder few know or care that Scottish elections are just three months off.

In fact, people blame their politicians for this recession as much as they blame foreign bankers. Their focus is on the pragmatic—the price of petrol or how tough making their mortgage has become. Few retain the broad view that considers root cause. As usual, our American cousins have a pithy phrase for this kind of thinking: “When you’re up to your ass in alligators, it’s hard to remember your original plan was to drain the swamp.”

Whoever forms our Government will spend over £30bn of public money—£5,000 for each one of us. We could drain this swamp we’ve fallen in by firing the Scottish economy into the stratosphere of Scandinavia (Norwegian GDP per capita is five times Scotland’s). Then all those fiscal alligators would have nowhere to live. But, before then, you—and 4m others—will need time to work out who can take us there. Start now. As Jeb Bartlett said (also pithily) in The West Wing:  “Decisions are taken by those who show up.”

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_West_Wing

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91: Time to Defect…

Posted on February 3, 2011 by davidsberry

…to the Federation of Small Businesses? A staunch member of the SNP for 35 years, I’ve never endorsed another’s manifesto. But I find the FSB’s booklet laced with a sense that would lead us out of this economic fankle faster than anything I have heard espoused by UK parties and can’t quibble with:

  • it is in both private and public sectors’ interests to return to growth quickly
  • Scotland’s business support agencies should collate and promote information about all sources of business finance (to bypass banks’ excessive demands)
  • link the amount Holyrood has to spend with Scotland’s economic performance (thus hard-wiring economics into the decision making process)
  • ScotRail should provide reliable 3G Mobile and Wi-fi on all key rail routes
  • by focussing on account-managed companies, Scottish Enterprise touches few of Scotland’s 297,000 businesses
  • to survive, town centres need to have more economically active people in a wider range of activities (more local jobs -> more money -> more local spend)

I disagree with parts (e.g. doing away with council-level decision-making), but all prospective MSPs should digest this booklet. Big banks got us into this mess but 99% of Scottish businesses employ under 250 people. It’s time politicians tuned in to them.

http://www.fsb.org.uk/scotland/election2011

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92: Omni-Bus

Posted on February 2, 2011 by davidsberry

At Hallhill in Dunbar last night a working group gathered to follow up a lively public meeting on Jan 28th that vented frustration with FirstBus. Chaired by Peter Armstrong of Spott, the group agreed a constitution for Rural East Lothian Bus Users (RELBUS) with the aim: “a well co-ordinated, accessible and affordable bus service that meets the needs of local people”.

Dunbar folk have a valid gripe about their buses. A month ago, FirstBus sprung the halving of their service to Edinburgh as a fait accompli, but the reduction in suburbs served, higher fares and cast-off, high-step (i.e. disabled-inaccessible) coaches used are rubbing profiteering salt into poor-service wounds. Given outrage about First’s services in Ormiston/Pencaitland and ‘predatory’ fares where they face little competition (£1.20 to cross Edinburgh but £3.70 to get to Haddington from East Linton), it’s time someone sat First down and explained customer service to them in words of one syllable.

RELBUS could be that someone, uniting rural communities in our county—i.e. the 80% where First dominates. Bus users East of Tranent and Prestonpans should consider joining up. There’s nothing like a vocal, united front among customers to get any company’s attention. E-mail Peter at chair@relbus.org.uk.

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93: Bellweather

Posted on February 1, 2011 by davidsberry

Two hundred years ago, during the Napoleonic Wars, people had little—no cars, electricity, social work, NHS, trains, TV, benefits…not even a police force. What trade there was went by sailing ship or canal barge.

But engineering was a lively part of Scotland’s Enlightenment: Edinburgh’s New Town and our own Gosford House were newly built. Then a spate of shipwrecks on Inchcape reef or ‘Bell Rock’ had Robert Stevenson engaged to build a lighthouse to tame this scourge of shipping.

Sixty men spent four years building interlocking masonry of Aberdeen granite on the reef, 19km from land and 4m underwater during springs. Five died doing it. Exactly two hundred years ago today Bell Rock lighthouse was first lit. Harry Simpson, chairman of Arbroath’s Year of the Light, is awestruck by their audacity: “Even in this day and age, I can’t see it being done; not like they did it.”

On clear nights, its flash still lights our horizon. Those lucky enough to sail ELYC’s midsummer Bell Rock Race witness the brawny engineering and elegant beauty of an enduring monument to what we Scots can achieve if our hearts believe we can triumph.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=lighthouse%20stevensons

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94: Brian Was Right

Posted on January 31, 2011 by davidsberry

"Yes, We Must All Learn to Think for Ourselves!"

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