tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34284772024-03-05T17:09:37.051+00:00Bill's Comment Page.. Current events from a British domestic perspective by an escapee from Room 101 ..Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.comBlogger3205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-10319016979910377062020-11-19T17:22:00.002+00:002020-11-19T17:27:02.472+00:00Martin Bashir, The BBC and "the interview" with Lady Diana, Princess of WalesI never saw “the interview” (I chose not to watch it, perhaps “I was washing my hair” that evening), but I did occasionally see journalist <i>Martin Bashir</i> on <i>Panorama</i>, the long-running <i>BBC</i> current affairs pogramme. I always found his oily smoothness somewhat repellent, not to mention the sanctimonious tones he always adopted when presenting “religious” items. Incongruous I always thought, in view of his muck-raking journalistic activities - and I didn’t/don’t care much about people’s bedding arrangements, however prominent or obscure they are in society, unless actual laws are being flouted. I’m a libertarian and don’t care for small-minded people who moralise about others’ behaviour, whoever they are. It’s all so “tacky”. <div><br /></div><div>Perhaps this latest "judge-led" inquiry will reveal what laws, if any, may have been broken by Martin Bashir and/or the BBC in his/their quest for a "scoop".</div><div><br /></div><div>See the <i>Huffington Post</i> article about the interview and the continuing contoversy <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/princess-diana-interview-panorama-martin-bashir-investigation-explained_uk_5fb65852c5b695be83003aec?ncid=APPLENEWS00001&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9hcHBsZS5uZXdzLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMB7wO7iDtCMsMyV2uKnhlnnO-x-hPLChkAiXEl4sBxoJ_zJtcHo4mIUThv2JfS8VH7h8enaxExuKUKCxDQuGWMior7EKplWZtRmaiyPO05nj_IPIC6q1mULu3zz9iiW2hYcZmfL6PIPpywwtg-mPkJYuoKfF9Wnq9w9MS0MbP-c&fbclid=IwAR0f6GSplTTbEoYH7I0ccnGGsWM4Qb25F54SqjAxN-mMG18VuBvWP03XHVU" target=browser>here</a>.</div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-51016147760836068562020-11-18T23:50:00.000+00:002020-11-18T23:50:22.419+00:00Resurrection of this blogI have for some time been considering resurrecting this blog, given the numerous events over the past year or two which it is difficult to cover in the depth they merit on other platforms such as <i>Twitter</i>, where I have been continuing to post regularly. I hope to post a couple of new articles over the next week - no commitments, no promises though. Let's see how this develops.
I hope anyone who reads this is well, including friends and family, and coping with the current health and financial issues with which the whole world is currently confronted.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-7184649526807826032019-04-25T17:57:00.000+01:002019-04-26T18:51:03.422+01:00European Parliament Election 23 May 2019 - Scotland Region candidates(Note: this is NOT a return to regular blogging here, I am posting this article and perhaps the results in due course, purely as a record for myself.)<br />
<br />
(please see the <b><span style="color: red;">ADDENDUM</span></b> at the end)<br />
<br />
<b>NB/</b> This post has been amended in the light of updated information since it was first published earlier this evening.<br />
<br />
The nominations for the European Parliament Election to be held in the UK on Thursday 23rd May 2019 <b>(* see at end)</b> are now closed and the candidates from the <i>Scotland Region</i> are as follows (listed in alphabetic order by Party):<br />
<br />
<b><u>SNP</u></b><br />
Alyn Smith (currently an MEP)<br />
Christian Allard<br />
Aileen Macleod<br />
Margaret Ferrier<br />
Heather Anderson<br />
Alexander Kerr<br />
<br />
<b><u>Scottish Conservatives</u></b><br />
Nosheena Mobarik (currently an MEP)<br />
Iain McGill<br />
Shona Haslam<br />
Iain Whyte<br />
Andrea Gee<br />
Michael Kusznir<br />
<br />
<b><u>Scottish Labour</u></b><br />
David Martin (currently an MEP)<br />
Jayne Baxter<br />
Craig Miller<br />
Amy Lee Fraioli<br />
Callum O'Dwyer<br />
Angela Bretherton<br />
<br />
<b><u>Scottish Greens</u></b><br />
Maggie Chapman<br />
Lorna Slater<br />
Gillian Mackay<br />
Chas Booth<br />
Mags Hall<br />
Allan Faulds<br />
<br />
<b><u>Scottish Lib Dems</u></b><br />
Sheila Ritchie<br />
Fred Mackintosh<br />
Catriona Bhatia<br />
Vita Zaporozcenko<br />
John Edward<br />
Clive Sneddon<br />
<br />
<b><u>UKIP</u></b><br />
Donald MacKay<br />
Janice MacKay<br />
Otto Inglis<br />
Mark Meechan<br />
Roy Hill<br />
Neil Wilson<br />
<br />
<b><u>Change UK</u></b><br />
David Macdonald<br />
Peter Griffiths<br />
Kate Forman<br />
Heather Astbury<br />
Colin McFadyen<br />
Catherine Edgeworth<br />
<br />
<b><u>Brexit Party</u></b><br />
Louis Stedman-Bryce<br />
Karina Walker<br />
James Ferguson-Hannah<br />
Stuart Waiton<br />
Paul Aitken<br />
Calum Walker<br />
<br />
<b><u>Independent</u></b><br />
Ken Parke<br />
Gordon Edgar<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>NB/</b> As nominations closed only at 4pm today, so far the only source I have found for the nominations listed above is an article in the <b>BBC</b> website <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-48044192" target="browser">here</a> and since I published the article earlier this evening there have been a number of changes (a few quite major) in the linked <b>BBC</b> source webpage, which I have now incorporated above; if/when official formal details become available in either the <i>Highland Council</i> or perhaps <i>Scottish Government</i> websites I will of course add the link here. At the last <i>European Parliament</i> elections in May 2014 the official information for the whole of Scotland was published in the <i>City of Edinburgh Council</i> website, but so far this does not appear to be the case this time.<br />
<br />
<b>(*)</b> As the UK has now chosen to leave the European Union (by referendum held in June 2016), it is possible that these elections may not actually take place in the UK if the 'Withdrawal Agreement' concluded between the UK & the remaining 27 EU member states has been ratified by the UK Parliament prior to the scheduled date of the election. If however the Withdrawal Agreement remains unratified then, then unfortunately the election will have to go ahead. My <i>Twitter</i> feed <a href="https://twitter.com/Bill_Cameron" target="browser">here</a> has regular updates on the issue of <i>Brexit</i>, and many other issues of course.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">ADDENDUM</span></b> (Friday 26 April 2019 18.42 BST [UTC+1])<br />
The formal official <i>Polling Notice</i>, containing full details of all candidates who will stand in the election if it is held, have now been published. You can download it in .pdf format from the website of <i>Highland Council</i> by clicking the link <a href="https://www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/file/20734/notice_of_poll" target=broweser>here</a> and downloading it in the link there. You can also view the <i>Polling Notice</i> in .html format in the website of <i>Edinburgh City Council</i> by clicking <a href="http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20033/elections_and_voting/1914/european_parliament_election/3" target=browser>here</a>.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-42015712605826693782018-08-16T20:57:00.000+01:002018-08-16T20:57:02.410+01:00Update on the status of this blogVisitors to this blog will have noticed that I have not updated it in some considerable time (for over a year in fact) and although it is not entirely 'dormant' as I may still occasionally post an article here in future if the mood takes me, it is likely that this will be random and very sporadic indeed. All my previous articles remain online.<br />
<br />
I do however post frequently in <a href="https://twitter.com/Bill_Cameron" target=browser>Twitter</a> (usually multiple <i>tweets</i> every day) and almost as regularly in <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_bill_cameron/" target=browser>Instagram</a> (links also in the column at right), so if you're interested in finding my latest 'mind dumps' and 'musings' it is there you will find them. This suits the way I mostly live my live now.<br />
<br />
I do also of course have a Facebook profile (link in the column at right), but that is available only to those classed as "friends", almost exclusively people I know personally in real life. Others may view only a summary profile.<br />
<br />
Luckily I remain in pretty good health and am as happy and contented as I have ever been in my life, following my marriage over two years ago. I hope anyone who visits here is doing well too.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-74618170515144959212017-07-24T19:36:00.000+01:002017-07-24T19:36:10.100+01:00The BBC, 'Star' Salaries and Gender Inequality in PaymentsThe article below originally appeared in a comment I posted in <i>Facebook</i> under a link in the <i>BBC</i> page there to an article appearing in its own website <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40696402" target=browser>here</a>. I have expanded/modified my original Facebook comment somewhat.<br />
<br />
The <i>BBC</i> has recently been forced to publish the salaries of all 'stars' being paid £150,000 p.a. or more, and this has confirmed what had only been strongly suspected before - wide differences between the remuneration paid to different people for doing what seem to be very similar work, with the differences being based on gender (men generally being paid more) and/or ethnic origin.<br />
<br />
Gender inequality is wrong, so my suggestion is to lower all the salaries of the male so-called "stars" until they are similar to those of the females whose jobs are similar or indistinguishable from what they are employed to do. Some of the higher female salaries could be reduced too. If any of them (male or female) are not happy, they can I'm sure try to offer their talents instead to commercial networks in the hope of being paid more.<br />
<br />
I imagine their contracts come up for renegotiation every few years - <i>BBC</i> management need to learn how to manage and husband its guaranteed revenue stream more wisely, via the mandatory licence fee it is privileged to receive. I rarely watch or listen to any of them (in the case of <i>Chris Evans</i> after his disastrous reboot of <i>Top Gear</i>), nor indeed many of those already on commercial networks also reputedly paid large sums, so it really will make zero difference to me.<br />
<br />
Best of all, abolish the licence fee and replace it with subscriptions for those that wish to pay them, or take advertising. The <i>BBC</i> lost its way many years ago and while some aspects of it remain good, it does need a radical overhaul or outright replacement.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-74690361567529796092017-06-15T00:14:00.000+01:002017-06-15T01:09:01.500+01:00On the resignation of Tim Farron as Leader of the Liberal DemocratsThis is my brief "<i>editorial</i>" ['pretentious' - Ed.] on the resignation earlier this evening of Tim Farron as Leader of the <i>Liberal Democrat Party</i>:<br />
<br />
If religion hadn't historically tried to impose its will on society, often by physical force and often by social pressure (very often even more powerful in controlling a gullible population), sceptics wouldn't be so fearful of the menace it has too often represented when it gains the upper hand.<br />
<br />
Tim Farron [may feel he] has been harshly treated or at least "<i>misunderstood</i>", and to a certain limited extent even I, as a gay man, would tend to agree that he has, but one cannot divorce what has happened from the historical context of how religious dogmas have always behaved if they thought they could. It's not so long ago that one of the country's greatest heroes (Turing) was chemically castrated, because at that time merely being homosexual was a crime, largely based I would argue on the influence of the <i>Christian</i> religion in framing the country's laws then, and now another of these wacko religions (<i>Islam</i>, lest there be the merest scintilla of doubt to what I refer), because it can, is throwing gay men off of buildings, and consigning women to slavery.<br />
<br />
To be clear, I don't think Tim Farron is any kind of danger as an individual, but the kind of thinking his beliefs represent, if they had the upper hand, petrifies me.<br />
<br />
So Tim Farron has taken the, in my view, somewhat petulant decision to stand down from the Leadership of the <i>Liberal Democrat Party</i> and ended with the jibe that this is because the country is not truly 'democratic', nor 'liberal'. This is nonsense. The harsh reality is that a significant proportion of the population in many of what are self-described as "<i>advanced societies</i>" no longer 'believe in' nor are prepared to be dictated to by religion. If he had clearly said what his own personal views/beliefs are, when asked about it, but that this would not be used to influence his views on public policy, I think that would have defused the matter completely, indeed his own voting record in Parliament is pretty "respectable" in this regard. Instead however he repeatedly shied away from simply stating what his views are. So he has been somewhat harshly treated, but his own reaction to the pressures he has felt he has faced have been "<i>sub-optimal</i>", to put it mildly. And so he "<i>exits stage left</i>" from the political stage of party leadership.<br />
<br />
NB/ I have deliberately avoided touching on his views on 'Brexit', by the way (about which he never stopped speaking); if he had been similarly open about his views on certain aspects of his religious beliefs, I do not think he would have landed up in this dilemma of his own making.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-59361482088200099162017-06-09T19:43:00.000+01:002017-06-09T19:55:12.624+01:00General Election 2017 - Results in Highland Council and Moray Council constituenciesThis is a follow-on post from the 'candidates' article I wrote <a href="http://billcameron.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/general-election-2017-candidates-in.html" target=browser>here</a> on 12 May 2017.<br />
<br />
For the constituency where I live, these are the results:<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey</i></span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Boyd, Dr Donald MacLeod</u></span> - 612 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ’s Lordship"</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Cunningham, Ritchie</u></span> - 6,477 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Liberal Democrats</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"><u>Hendry, Drew</u></span> - 21,042 votes (<span style="color: red;">Elected</span>)<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Robb, Mike</u></span> - 8,552 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Labour Party</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Tulloch, Nicholas</u></span> - 16,118 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Conservative and Unionist</span><br />
- The sitting <span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span> MP, <i>Drew Hendry</i>, has been <i>re-elected</i>, but with a significantly reduced share of the vote (down 10.2% at 39.9%). The <i>Conservatives</i> have dramatically increased their vote, switching from 4th position in the 2015 election to take 2nd position from the <i>Liberal Democrats</i>, with 30.5% of the vote (up 24.6%), who themselves now occupy 4th position with a very significantly reduced vote (down 19% at 12.3%), whilst the <i>Labour Party</i> remains in 3rd position, although with a somewhat increased vote at 16.2% (up 8.7%), from a pretty low starting point.<br />
<br />
For the other two <i>Highland Council</i> constituencies, the candidates are:<br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross</u></span></i></b><br />
<b><u>Bell, Olivia</u></b> - 3,833<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Labour Party</span><br />
<b><u>Mackie, Struan</u></b> - 6,990 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Conservative and Unionist</span><br />
<b><u>Monaghan, Paul</u></b> - 9,017 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span><br />
<b><u><span style="color: red;">Stone, Jamie</span></u></b> - 11,061 votes (<span style="color: red;">Elected</span>)<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Liberal Democrats</span><br />
- this ia a <span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Liberal Democrats</span> gain from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span><br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Ross, Skye and Lochaber</u></span></i></b><br />
<b><u><span style="color: red;">Blackford, Ian</span></u></b> - 15,480 votes (<span style="color: red;">Elected</span>)<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span><br />
<b><u>Campbell, Ronnie the Crofter</u></b> - 499 votes<br />
<i>Independent</i><br />
<b><u>Davis, Jean</u></b> - 8,042 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Liberal Democrats</span><br />
<b><u>Mackenzie, Robert</u></b> - 9,561<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Conservative and Unionist</span><br />
<b><u>Ó Donnghaile, Peter</u></b> - 4,695 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Labour Party</span><br />
<b><u>Sturrock, Stick</u></b> - 177 votes<br />
<i>Something New</i><br />
- The sitting <span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span> MP has been <i>re-elected</i><br />
<br />
For the <b><i>Moray Council</i></b> constituency, the candidates are:<br />
<br />
<b><u><i><span style="font-size: large;">Moray</span></i></u></b><br />
<b><u>Glen, Anne Betty</u></b> - 204 votes<br />
<i>Independent</i><br />
<b><u>Kirby, Jo</u></b> - 5,208 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Labour Party</span><br />
<b><u>Linklater, Alex</u></b> - 1,078 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Liberal Democrats</span><br />
<b><u>Robertson, Angus</u></b> - 18,478 votes<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span><br />
<b><u><span style="color: red;">Ross, Douglas</span></u></b> - 22,637 votes (<span style="color: red;">Elected</span>)<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Conservative and Unionist</span><br />
- this ia a <span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Conservative and Unionist</span> gain from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span><br />
<br />
The source for all the results information here is in the <i>BBC Election 2017</i> 'micro-site' <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2017" target=browser>here</a> - click on the 'Constituencies' link near the top of the page and from there you can find full results information for all constituencies - you can also scroll down any constituency page to find the results at the previous <i>General Election</i> in 2015.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-70934366981566783102017-05-12T22:31:00.000+01:002017-05-12T22:31:53.310+01:00General Election 2017 - Candidates in Highland Council and Moray Council constituenciesThere is to be a <i>General Election</i> across the whole of the <i>UK</i> on 8th June 2017.<br />
<br />
There are three parliamentary constituencies for <i>Westminster</i> elections (i.e. the <i>UK Parliament</i>) in the <i>Highland Council</i> area, and these are:<br />
- <i>Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey</i> (<i>INBS/INBandS</i>);<br />
- <i>Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross</i> (<i>CSER/CSandER</i>);<br />
- <i>Ross, Skye and Lochaber</i> (<i>RSL</i>).<br />
<br />
Because of the low population densities in most parts of the extremely large <i>Highland Council</i> area, the three parliamentary constituencies each cover quite large geographic areas too.<br />
<br />
In addition and because of its proximity to the east of the <i>Highland Council</i> area, I have decided to cover the <i>Moray Council</i> area for this election, which has one parliamentary constituency for <i>Westminster</i> elections, namely <i>Moray</i>, nice and simple.<br />
<br />
This article indicates no particular political preference for any candidate - it is intended to be purely factual and "neutral" and is published for my own reference over the coming weeks and in the hope it may be useful for others; because of the unexpected nature of this election, some relevant websites have not [yet] been updated to show important information, but one can expect the larger media outlets to "catch up" in coming days, meantime I have relied solely upon the official websites of the two council areas where the four constituencies I refer to here are located. In other articles I am likely to publish in coming days, my own political leanings, and recommendations for voting, will be made clear. Those who are familiar with my blog, or who happen to know me personally, will already know what my own views most probably are of course.<br />
<br />
Because I live in the <i>Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey</i> constituency, I will cover it first and in a little more detail because, as well as listing the candidates, I include links to websites where available (or at least those I have identified so far), shown as national (UK), dedicated Scottish (SC), whilst some have a local Party website (LPW), and some candidates have their own personal websites:<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey</i></span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Boyd, Dr Donald MacLeod</u></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ’s Lordship"</span> - <a href="http://www.ukchristianparty.org/" target="browser">UK</a> - <a href="http://www.ukchristianparty.org/scotland.html" target="browser">SC</a> - <a href="http://www.donaldboyd.org/" target="browser">his website</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Cunningham, Ritchie</u></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Liberal Democrats</span> - <a href="http://www.libdems.org.uk/" target="browser">UK</a> - <a href="http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/" target="browser">SC</a> - <a href="http://www.highlandlibdems.org.uk/" target="browser">LPW</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Hendry, Drew</u></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span> - <a href="http://www.snp.org/" target="browser">UK/SC</a> - <a href="https://www.snp.org/drew_hendry" target="browser">his SNP page</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Robb, Mike</u></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Labour Party</span> - <a href="http://www.labour.org.uk/index.php/home/splash" target="browser">UK</a> - <a href="http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/" target="browser">SC</a> - <a href="https://vote.labour.org.uk/mike-robb" target="browser">his Labour page</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Tulloch, Nicholas</u></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Conservative and Unionist</span> - <a href="http://www.conservatives.com/" target="browser">UK</a> - <a href="http://www.scottishconservatives.com/" target="browser">SC</a> - <a href="http://www.highlandconservatives.co.uk/" target="browser">LPW</a><br />
<br />
For the other two <i>Highland Council</i> constituencies, the candidates are:<br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross</u></span></i></b><br />
<b><u>Bell, Olivia</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Labour Party</span><br />
<b><u>Mackie, Struan</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Conservative and Unionist</span><br />
<b><u>Monaghan, Paul</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span><br />
<b><u>Stone, Jamie</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Liberal Democrats</span><br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Ross, Skye and Lochaber</u></span></i></b><br />
<b><u>Blackford, Ian</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span><br />
<b><u>Campbell, Ronnie the Crofter</u></b><br />
<i>Independent</i><br />
<b><u>Davis, Jean</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Liberal Democrats</span><br />
<b><u>Mackenzie, Robert</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Conservative and Unionist</span><br />
<b><u>Ó Donnghaile, Peter</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Labour Party</span><br />
<b><u>Sturrock, Stick</u></b><br />
<i>Something New</i><br />
<br />
For the <b><i>Moray Council</i></b> constituency, the candidates are:<br />
<br />
<b><u><i><span style="font-size: large;">Moray</span></i></u></b><br />
<b><u>Glen, Anne Betty</u></b><br />
<i>Independent</i><br />
<b><u>Kirby, Jo</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Labour Party</span><br />
<b><u>Linklater, Alex</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Liberal Democrats</span><br />
<b><u>Robertson, Angus</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish National Party</span><br />
<b><u>Ross, Douglas</u></b><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Conservative and Unionist</span><br />
<br />
<b>Sources used</b>:<br />
- The website of <i>Highland Council</i> is <a href="http://www.highland.gov.uk/" target=browser>here</a> and its election page can be viewed <a href="http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/799/elections_and_voting/605/uk_parliamentary_general_election" target=browser>here</a>, and all details are either in that page, or in linked pages from there.<br />
- The website of <i>Moray Council</i> is <a href="http://moray.gov.uk/" target=browser>here</a> and its election page can be viewed <a href="http://moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_112554.html" target=browser>here</a>, and all details are in various linked pages from there, for candidates in the .pdf page <a href="http://moray.gov.uk/downloads/file113080.pdf" target=browser>here</a>.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-6974798046157555422017-05-05T22:06:00.000+01:002017-05-06T00:55:31.636+01:00Local Government election - Highland Council - 4th May 2017 - results( please see the <b><span style="color: red;">ADDENDUM</span></b> at the end)<br />
<br />
Overall an excellent result for the <i>Conservatives</i> throughout <i>Scotland</i> and in my local government area - <i>Highland Region</i> - a pretty good result too, in fact an amazingly good outcome from a very low starting position for the party in <i>Scotland</i>.<br />
<br />
In <i>Scotland</i> overall, though, let's not kid ourselves, the <i>SNP</i> retains the largest number of seats, albeit suffering a small loss in numbers of seats (-7). However, and pleasingly, it is <i>Labour</i> that has lost the most (-133), as have "<i>Independent</i>" (-26) and the <i>Liberal Democrat</i> (-3). Two groups have gained seats - <i>Conservatives</i> (+164) and <i>Green</i> (+5). The <i>Conservatives</i> have gone from 4th place to 2nd place in numbers of seats, overtaking both <i>Labour</i>, quite extraordinarily, and "<i>Independent</i>". You can see full results for <i>Scotland</i> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/8201e79d-41c0-48f1-b15c-d7043ac30517/scotland-local-elections-2017" target="browser">here</a>.<br />
<br />
As for <i>Highland Council</i>, where I live, there are 74 seats in all, and the <i>Conservatives</i> have increased from a standing start of "zero", to take 10 seats, really very good indeed. You can see summary details with changes in the <i>BBC</i> website <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/9e1f37e7-8ff3-4237-8806-465df50de366/highland-council" target="browser">here</a>.<br />
<br />
In the <i>Highland Council</i> website you can see full summary seat holdings after all results have been declared, plus details for each Council Ward of which candidates have been elected - visit its website <a href="http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/799/elections_and_voting/371/elections/4" target="browser">here</a>.<br />
<br />
In my own Council Ward (<i>Ward 18 - Nairn and Cawdor</i>), which has 4 of the 74 seats, the four councillors who have been elected are:<br />
- <b>FRASER</b>, Laurie ("<i>Independent</i>")<br />
- <b>HEGGIE</b>, Tom ("<i>Independent</i>")<br />
- <b>MACDONALD</b>, Liz (<i>Scottish National Party</i> [SNP])<br />
- <b>SAGGERS</b>, Peter (<i>Scottish Conservative and Unionist</i>)<br />
<br />
With the remainder being unelected and eliminated:<br />
- <b>CUNNINGHAM</b>, Ritchie (<i>Scottish Liberal Democrats</i>)<br />
- <b>FULLER</b>, Stephen (<i>Scottish National Party</i> [SNP])<br />
- <b>GREEN</b>, Michael ("<i>Independent</i>")<br />
- <b>MACKINTOSH</b>, Andrew (<i>Scottish Labour Party</i>)<br />
- <b>MCINTOSH</b>, Louis (<i>Scottish Socialist Party</i>)<br />
- <b>MCIVOR</b>, Paul ("<i>Independent</i>")<br />
<br />
More detailed voting information for <i>Ward 18 - Nairn and Cawdor</i> is available in the <i>Highland Council</i> website <a href="http://www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/download/1420/2017_council_election_ward_18_nairn_and_cawdor" target="browser">here</a>, from which two .PDF files may be downloaded, yielding what to me is the extraordinary and pleasing result that, looking at 1st Preference Votes alone, the <i>Conservative</i> councillor Peter Saggers was second only to one of the <i>Independent</i> councillors Tom Heggie, both newly-elected at this election. The other two councillors elected were both re-elected, having been councillors in several previous councils. What is even more extraordinary, and pleasing to me, is that the re-elected <i>SNP</i> councillor Liz MacDonald in fact came 4th in 1st preference votes, whereas the other re-elected <i>Independent</i> councillor Laurie Fraser came 3rd in 1st preference votes. The two councillors who were not re-elected, but had been councillors upto now were Stephen Fuller and Michael Green.<br />
<br />
Turning to the way in which the preference votes worked out in Ward 18, only one councillor was elected at Stage 1 and that is Tom Heggie who received 1,144 at this stage, because he exceeded the required quota of 1,061 votes. One councillor was elected at Stage 7, Liz MacDonald (647 1st pref votes). The remaining two elected councillors were elected at Stage 9, namely Peter Saggers (816 1st pref votes) and Laurie Fraser (694 1st pref votes). (Please also see the <b><span style="color: red;">ADDENDUM</span></b> at the end.)<br />
<br />
Finally, for the parts of the <i>UK</i> which had local elections yesterday (much of <i>England</i>, all of <i>Scotland</i> and <i>Wales</i>), you can see full results <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39795422" target="browser">here</a>, but although all results have already been declared in <i>England</i>, <i>Scotland</i> and <i>Wales</i>, there are parts of <i>England</i> for which there are different procedures so are not incorporated into the linked <i>BBC</i> page because they now have Mayoral elections instead, and you can find those results <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/42069d65-f3b1-41e2-b3e9-35ac9d799a1a/england-local-elections-2017" target="browser">here</a>, however results in two <i>Council Mayoral elections</i> are shown separately in two separate pages - these are <i>Doncaster</i> (result <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39784805" target="browser">here</a>) and <i>North Tyneside</i> (result <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39784809" target="browser">here</a>). NB/ Please remember that there are parts of <i>England</i> where the election-cycle did not fall this time, as is the case with the whole of <i>Northern Ireland</i>.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">ADDENDUM</span></b> (Friday 5MAY2017 23.56 BST) I have now re-visited the <i>Highland Council</i> page already linked to above, but for the sake of convenience I repeat it <a href="http://www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/download/1420/2017_council_election_ward_18_nairn_and_cawdor" target=browser>here</a>, where there is now another very interesting document in .PDF format to download, entitled "<i>Candidate Votes Per Stage Report</i>" which details how eligible votes evolved stage by stage until the quota of four elected councillors was arrived at. There is a further report also in .PDF format called "<i>Transfers Report</i>" which analyses in detail how this process evolved. Finally there is another report in 'raw' .CSV format called "<i>Preference Profile Report Ward 18 Nairn and Cawdor</i>" which provides further detail for those interested in a further level of analysis (if you haven't already thrown away your "Poll Card" you can see how your own votes were recorded in the system by checking against your own "Number on Register" by scrolling down the 4-digit reference in the left-most column of this .CSV report, although I suspect that the digits which follow have been further 'randomised' for added security, after re-examination of my own preference votes).<br />
Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-15233729054394810032017-05-01T13:29:00.002+01:002017-05-01T13:38:35.543+01:00Alex Salmond and his silly letter to "The Scotsman" newspaperI first became aware of this via a <i>Facebook</i> page I follow, but think it requires a mention here too, specially as we are only three days away from local government elections in Scotland, when we all have a chance to reduce the presence of the <i>SNP</i>, if not '<i>send them packing</i>' entirely (my preferred option).<br />
<br />
<i>The Scotsman</i> has now published <i>Alex Salmond's</i> letter in a separate "rebuttal" article and you can read what it says <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/alex-salmond-slams-columnist-in-letter-to-the-editor-1-4433486" target=browser>here</a>.<br />
<br />
You can also read the original article, written by <i>Euan McColm</i> to which <i>Mr Salmond</i> has taken exception, by clicking <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/euan-mccolm-election-turns-sturgeon-into-image-of-salmond-1-4426703" target=browser>here</a>. Nothing in Mr McColm's article is, in my opinion, any way intemperate, or "<i>over the top</i>", indeed I think it goes out of its way to present both sides of a very contentious debate.<br />
<br />
Below I reprint my own comment, first published as my response to the brief posting I saw in the <i>Facebook</i> page I referred to above, which really only linked to <i>Mr Salmond's</i> letter, so that more people might see it:<br />
<br />
<table BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="1" CELLPADDING="5" ALIGN="Center" WIDTH=80% BGCOLOR="#6174fc"><td BGCOLOR="#ededdc"><font COLOR="navy"><b>Golly, his ego is so huge he can't take a bit of honest commentary! This is the guy who tried to bluff his way through an interview with Andrew Neil only this morning and Andrew wasn't taking any of his nonsense either (* - see at end). He is divisive, it's what a lot of people think, amongst which I'm happy to count myself.<br />
<br />
I am totally cheesed of with this narcissist. He tried to imply in his silly letter that the criticism of him by McColm was merely as a proxy for covert commentary on Sturgeon, but in my opinion he deserves plenty of obloquy directed at him personally, both for his performance as <i>First Minister</i>, and perhaps even more so since he stepped down and has behaved in increasingly quixotic and erratic ways. Obviously I can't see into the author's mind, but in my opinion there's plenty of justified criticism to share between both <i>Salmond</i> and <i>Sturgeon</i> and the rest of the <i>SNP</i> 'cult' in government, including the completely useless <i>John Swinney</i> and <i>Humza Youssef</i>, and they're just the names that immediately pop into my head, because there are many more incompetents in that crowd of shysters to choose from for a tongue-lashing.<br />
<br />
Finally, whilst the SNP have successfully stifled dissent amongst their own members, officials, elected people and supporters, <i>Scotland</i> is not yet a "<i>one party state</i>" and until they are mad enough to try and make dissent illegal, people like me will not hesitate to call these obsessives out on their many and varied deficiencies, not least for the incompetent way they have run the <i>Scottish Government</i> since they managed to bamboozle the Scottish elecotrate into voting them into power.<br />
<br />
Golly, how I loathe these people!<br />
</B></FONT></TD> </TABLE><br />
* - Alex Salmond was a guest yesterday on <i>BBC Sunday Politics</i>, hosted by <i>Andrew Neil</i>, and you can view the whole interview below as someone has kindly uploaded it to <i>YouTube</i>:<br />
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xlCdflBAlz4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
</center><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Keep Scotland British! You know it makes sense!<br />
<br />
If you're in Scotland vote "Anyone but SNP" in the 4th May and 8th June elections</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyb20Y1da7KkQrXY72jKVaPBpA5drPlmXd0x-VZckwHw8E8KocdkGS3sTFMXEtOqWsJV7cbGfzSRVnvHPVRF70mOYzHddfZuu4gfpxkL_beQd_ToB7VLHq1JcvEaIhJYCft04/s1600/ScottishConservatives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyb20Y1da7KkQrXY72jKVaPBpA5drPlmXd0x-VZckwHw8E8KocdkGS3sTFMXEtOqWsJV7cbGfzSRVnvHPVRF70mOYzHddfZuu4gfpxkL_beQd_ToB7VLHq1JcvEaIhJYCft04/s320/ScottishConservatives.jpg" width="320" height="167" /></a></div><br />
Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-18922739240001674552017-04-27T15:40:00.001+01:002017-04-29T02:06:28.150+01:00A week today vote "Anyone but SNP" in the 4th May Scottish Local Government ElectionsJust a wee reminder:<br />
<br />
When voting in the <i>Local Government Elections</i> on Thursday 4th May 2017, if you are in <i>Scotland</i>, please use your voting choices by voting for "<i><b>Anyone but SNP</b></i>", whilst avoiding voting for the <i>Greens</i>, or any "<i>Independent</i>" council candidate who has a record of supporting the <i>SNP</i>/<i>Green</i> "Scottish separation/indpendence" agenda, preferably using at least one of your preference votes (as high up in your list of preferences as possible), by <i><b>voting Conservative</b></i> .<br />
<br />
Wherever else you are in the <i>UK</i> (if not in Scotland), I similarly urge you to <i><b>vote Conservative</b></i> in next week's <i>Local Government Elections</i> too.<br />
<br />
After the final push for next week's <i>Local Government Elections</i>, we voters have a few weeks of respite before returning to the voting booths again on Thursday 8th June to vote in the <i>General Election</i>, when it is doubly important, for those of us in <i>Scotland</i>, to reduce the representation of the <i>SNP</i> at <i>Westminster</i> as much as possible, either by voting for the political party you favour personally (<i>Conservatives</i> in my case, or <i>Labour</i>, <i>LibDems</i> or even, at a pinch,<i> UKIP</i>), or by voting "tactically" for another political party which seems likely to do well in your own constituency - all to maximise the chances of defeating and ejecting sitting <i>SNP</i> MPs. The <i>Spectator</i> magazine has a useful article <a href="https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/04/vote-save-union/" target=browser>here</a> to assist you in how best to deploy your "<i>tactical vote</i>" in <i>Scottish</i> constituencies for the <i>Westminster</i> election on 8th June to have the maximum anti-<i>SNP</i> value. The <i>Scottish Greens</i> are allied with the <i>SNP</i> in aiming to split the <i>UK</i> asunder too, so wherever you are please don't vote for them either.<br />
<br />
If you are elsewhere in the <i>UK</i>, in <i>England</i> or <i>Wales</i>, I urge you to vote <i><b>vote Conservative</b></i>, to unseat as many <i>Labour</i> and <i>LibDem</i> sitting MPs as possible; in <i>Northern Ireland</i> please show your support by voting for a political party which supports the <i>UK</i>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Keep Scotland British!<br />
Help to re-elect a Conservative Government!<br />
You know it makes sense!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyb20Y1da7KkQrXY72jKVaPBpA5drPlmXd0x-VZckwHw8E8KocdkGS3sTFMXEtOqWsJV7cbGfzSRVnvHPVRF70mOYzHddfZuu4gfpxkL_beQd_ToB7VLHq1JcvEaIhJYCft04/s1600/ScottishConservatives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyb20Y1da7KkQrXY72jKVaPBpA5drPlmXd0x-VZckwHw8E8KocdkGS3sTFMXEtOqWsJV7cbGfzSRVnvHPVRF70mOYzHddfZuu4gfpxkL_beQd_ToB7VLHq1JcvEaIhJYCft04/s320/ScottishConservatives.jpg" width="320" height="167" /></a></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-8270716227476670422017-04-21T13:23:00.000+01:002017-04-21T13:23:39.554+01:00In the General Election on 8th June - vote ConservativeJust five weeks after the upcoming <i>Local Government</i> elections on 4th May, we will be having a <i>General Election</i> in the <i>UK</i> on 8th June.<br />
<br />
Do you want the sensible, rational policies offered by the <i>Conservatives</i>, or do you favour a shambolic government by a very <i>left-wing</i> and <i>dysfunctional</i> 'socialist' <i>Labour</i> Party, either alone or in coalition with its fellow-travellers on the <i>left</i>, the <i>SNP</i> and the <i>LibDems</i>?<br />
<br />
The choice is very clear:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Vote Conservative! You know it makes sense!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvklx8wOPN_8_fY_tZ7B5P8J0Yc-7Ij-uejnK_o6HqsZdWYX1dm1sHQx5dx5vB_yf4gcm9TbHuXzwUNOvsCwD182ZP2ty2gt6iGQH6l_IQBH3xIXfyH9qaEcnmEHoEUYWLUI/s1600/ConservativesGE20171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvklx8wOPN_8_fY_tZ7B5P8J0Yc-7Ij-uejnK_o6HqsZdWYX1dm1sHQx5dx5vB_yf4gcm9TbHuXzwUNOvsCwD182ZP2ty2gt6iGQH6l_IQBH3xIXfyH9qaEcnmEHoEUYWLUI/s400/ConservativesGE20171.jpg" width="400" height="209" /></a></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-45076024430795119372017-04-20T15:00:00.002+01:002017-04-20T15:00:55.928+01:00If you're in Scotland vote "Anyone but SNP" in the 4th May and 8th June elections<i>Local Government Elections</i> are being held throughout the <i>UK</i> (except <i>NI</i>) on 4th May and a <i>General Election</i> is being called for 8th June throughout the whole of the <i>UK</i>.<br />
<br />
Wherever you are in the <i>UK</i>, I urge you to <b>vote <i>Conservative</i></b> in the <i>General Election</i> and if you are in Scotland, when voting in the <i>Local Government Elections</i> please use your voting choices by voting for "<i><b>Anyone but SNP</b></i>", whilst avoiding voting for the <i>Greens</i>, or any <i>"Independent"</i> council candidate who has a record of supporting the <i>SNP</i>/<i>Green</i> "Scottish separation/indpendence" agenda.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Keep Scotland British! You know it makes sense!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyb20Y1da7KkQrXY72jKVaPBpA5drPlmXd0x-VZckwHw8E8KocdkGS3sTFMXEtOqWsJV7cbGfzSRVnvHPVRF70mOYzHddfZuu4gfpxkL_beQd_ToB7VLHq1JcvEaIhJYCft04/s1600/ScottishConservatives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyb20Y1da7KkQrXY72jKVaPBpA5drPlmXd0x-VZckwHw8E8KocdkGS3sTFMXEtOqWsJV7cbGfzSRVnvHPVRF70mOYzHddfZuu4gfpxkL_beQd_ToB7VLHq1JcvEaIhJYCft04/s320/ScottishConservatives.jpg" width="320" height="167" /></a></div><br />
Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-20016071958051635962017-04-19T15:21:00.000+01:002017-04-19T15:21:10.490+01:00Local Government election - Highland Council - 4th May 2017 - candidates listOn 4th May 2017, elections will be held for <i>Local Government</i> throughout the <i>UK</i> (except for <i>Northern Ireland</i>, where I understand the next local government elections will be held in 2019, the last having been held in 2014). You can find information about these elections, and links to fuller information about them via the following links:<br />
<br />
- <a href="http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/elections-and-referendums/upcoming-elections-and-referendums" target=browser>The Electoral Commission</a>;<br />
- <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39500900" target=browser>General information in the BBC website about Local Government elections in 2017</a>;<br />
- <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-39495112" target=browser>Information in the BBC website about Scottish local elections 2017 (incl. links to all Scottish Council official websites)</a>.<br />
<br />
I live in the <i>Highland Council</i> local government area, and its website is <a href="http://www.highland.gov.uk/" target=broweser>here</a>, from which there are links to the dedicated <i>Local Government Elections Thursday 4 May 2017</i> 'microsite' <a href="http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/799/elections_and_voting/371/elections/4" target=browser>here</a>. Various relevant documents are downloadable (in .pdf and other formats) from there.<br />
<br />
<i>Highland Council</i> has 21 "<i>Wards</i>" and a list of all candidates (ward by ward) in the forthcoming <i>local government elections</i> is downloadable (in .pdf format) <a href="http://www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/file/17674/hc_notice_of_poll_-_29_march_2017pdf" target=browser>here</a>.<br />
<br />
I live in <i>Ward 18 - Nairn and Cawdor</i>, where the candidates (in alphabetic name order) are, with their political party affiliations, if any:<br />
<br />
- <b>CUNNINGHAM</b>, Ritchie (<i>Scottish Liberal Democrats</i>)<br />
- <b>FRASER</b>, Laurie ("<i>Independent</i>")<br />
- <b>FULLER</b>, Stephen (<i>Scottish National Party</i> [SNP])<br />
- <b>GREEN</b>, Michael ("<i>Independent</i>")<br />
- <b>HEGGIE</b>, Tom ("<i>Independent</i>")<br />
- <b>MACDONALD</b>, Liz (<i>Scottish National Party</i> [SNP])<br />
- <b>MACKINTOSH</b>, Andrew (<i>Scottish Labour Party</i>)<br />
- <b>MCINTOSH</b>, Louis (<i>Scottish Socialist Party</i>)<br />
- <b>MCIVOR</b>, Paul ("<i>Independent</i>")<br />
- <b>SAGGERS</b>, Peter (<i>Scottish Conservative and Unionist</i>)<br />
<br />
<b><u>Rules for voting</u></b><br />
You can vote for as many or as few candidates as you wish, placing your choices in order of preference by putting 1, 2, 3 and so on in the boxes to the right of each candidate's name on your ballot paper.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Final Comments</u></b><br />
This article is entirely apolitical and makes no comments, one way or the other, about any of the candidates - it is intended to be entirely factual only. I will probably be writing other articles in which my own preferences will be mentioned, although those who know me or who have read my blog in the past may well be aware of my general preferences already.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-30482738616445044782017-04-08T01:51:00.001+01:002017-04-08T01:59:34.795+01:00A brief "plug" for my YouTube channelAlthough I have had a <i>YouTube</i> channel for not far short of ten years, I have done very little with it to date, partly beacuse of a lack of particularly good camera equipment, but more as a result of a lack of suitable editing software, other than of a very basic kind. However, at least as important a reason was lack of confidence, both in appearing before a camera and in how to structure and edit videos.<br />
<br />
However, in the past couple of years, I have been subscribed to quite a decent number of <i>YouTube</i> channels, operated by various other people, and have been trying my best to glean tips from them. For the past few years too, I've had better camera equipment of various kinds and am planning to add additional equipment as I gain a little more confidence, and more recently I obtained a much better piece of editing software, although I am still very much feeling my way with that. But <i>doing</i> is <i>learning</i>, so that's what I am now trying to do a little more seriously than I have before. Along the way I'll no doubt continue to make glaring errors, but I hope to improve gradually.<br />
<br />
Until now I have made almost zero effort to tell anyone else about my <i>YouTube</i> channel, other than close family and friends, but I think now is the time to at least make others more aware of it. If you do care to visit my channel, or even "subscribe" to it, I shall be very grateful - but please be gentle with your comments.<br />
<br />
My <i>YouTube</i> channel may be visited <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/wcambil" target=browser>here</a>.<br />
(To see links to videos I have uploaded, click on the "Videos" link from the link above.)<br />
- as with all my other '<i>social media</i>' accounts (<i>Twitter</i>, <i>Facebook</i>, <i>Instagram</i>, <i>YouTube</i>), there are permanent buttons/links in the right-hand column.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-86107604203159404102017-04-06T21:24:00.001+01:002017-04-06T21:24:22.626+01:00Brodie Castle near Nairn and the daffodils in SpringI visited Brodie Castle near Nairn yesterday, as it was a reasonably pleasant Spring afternoon, with no rain forecast, mainly to see the Spring display of daffodils there, which as usual were rather nice, although perhaps not so good as in some previous years.<br />
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After concluding most of my walk around the grounds, I repaired to the cafe/tea-room in the Castle for coffee and cake, with a little shopping later on in the afternoon. I had an enjoyable day.<br />
<br />
Here's a short video I took yesterday, which includes clips talen during my visit to Brodie Castle, as well as some clips taken at home before and after my little outing:<br />
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<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hQMFau5jsjA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
</center>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-48075171714778285472017-02-04T23:37:00.000+00:002017-02-12T22:08:44.344+00:00"Theresa May wins Spain’s support over early deal for rights of expat Brits in Europe"The title of this article, in quotations, is taken from an article published in the <i>Daily Express</i> newspaper yesterday evening - you can read it <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/762941/Spain-backs-Theresa-May-plan-early-deal-British-expats-rights-European-Union" target=browser>here</a>.<br />
<br />
I've no idea whether this <i>Daily Express</i> article is authoritative or speculative - it would be helpful to see a similar message in other parts of the mainstream media, not to mention direct quotes from both Mrs May for the <i>UK</i> and Sr Rajoy for <i>Spain</i> in particular, although the article does contain a number of direct statements attributed to a spokesman for Mrs May:<br />
<br />
<table BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="1" CELLPADDING="5" ALIGN="Center" WIDTH=80% BGCOLOR="#6174fc"><td BGCOLOR="#ededdc"><br />
<font COLOR="black"><cite><b>Comments directly attributed to a spokesman for Mrs Theresa May, British Prime Minister:</B></CITE></FONT><br />
<br />
<font COLOR="navy"><b>"They both agreed it was an area it would be good to get agreement early on in the negotiations.<br />
<br />
"He said we need to get an agreement on reciprocal rights.<br />
<br />
"We are firmly of the opinion that we want this issue that is resolved early. There is some broad agreement across member states but not all of them.<br />
<br />
"They both agreed it would be an area it would be good to get an early agreement on."<br />
</B></FONT></TD> </TABLE>On this basis, these are my remarks on what may have been achieved, but what obviously still requires to be formalised:<br />
<br />
This sounds hopeful but I'd be cautious about over-optimism until formal agreement is reached - both the <i>UK</i> and <i>Spain</i> have an interest in resolving this issue quickly, but if <i>Germany</i> and some others remain intransigent, it may not happen so smoothly as this implies - my view is and has always been that the rights of existing <i>EU27</i> residents in the <i>UK</i> must be protected; it is not the <i>British</i> government that is holding cross-border <i>EU</i> residents to ransom, despite attempts in some parts of the <i>British</i> media to paint this picture, it is countries like <i>Germany</i>.<br />
<br />
There should be no illusions about this - <i>Brussels</i> regards <i>Britons</i> in the rest of the <i>EU</i> and residents in the <i>UK</i> from the rest of the <i>EU</i> as bargaining chips in their plans to make the <i>UK</i>'s exit (aka '<i>escape</i>') from the clutches of the <i>EU</i> as painful as possible - the <i>Eurozone</i> is in such a mess that <i>Brussels</i> will go to almost any lengths to keep its banks afloat (notably <i>Deutsche</i> and certain of the <i>French</i> banks, which are heavily exposed in places like <i>Spain</i>, <i>Italy</i> and of course <i>Greece</i>, etc).<br />
<br />
Personally I have few qualms about <i>Merkel's</i> 'crazy' immigration policy, because luckily the <i>UK</i> is not a member of the <i>Schengen</i> area, something which is only possible because the <i>UK</i> happens to be comprised of islands off the mainland of <i>Europe</i> (Ireland is also outside of the the <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/schengen_en" target=browser>Schengen</a> area, it being a practical solution because of its long-standing relations with the <i>UK</i>, but is really for <i>Ireland</i>'s convenience, especially given the open border between <i>Ireland</i> and <i>Northern Ireland</i> dating back to, from memory, 1923 - long before either country joined the <i>EEC</i> (now <i>EU</i>).<br />
<br />
It is no accident that thousands of prospective <i>immigrants</i> surged through <i>Schengen</i> in to <i>Germany</i>, <i>Finland</i>, amongst other destinations, and to <i>Calais</i> (hoping to smuggle themselves into the <i>UK</i>, until the <i>French</i> government at last took the situation in hand and dispersed them around the country). It is possible that a proportion of the large number of 'immigrants' referred to are genuine 'asylum seekers' to whom refuge must be granted, but it seems to be generally agreed that these represent at most 50% of the total numbers and perhaps considerably less. Although the rules for claiming 'asylum' are that a claim must be lodged in the first 'country of sanctuary' (often <i>Greece</i> or <i>Italy</i> within the <i>EU</i>, but also countries such as <i>Turkey</i> and <i>Lebanon</i>), it has always seemed to me only fair that all <i>EU</i> members should share the burden, certainly financially if not always physically - it is striking that the <i>UK</i> contributes more than the rest of the <i>EU</i> combined to this effort and is second only to the <i>US</i> in this financial assistance. Those 'first sanctuary' countries, all of them, have in my view tried their best to accommodate as many genuine refugees as they can, given their own high levels of unemployment and the fact that their economies are generally much less robust than some of the countries further north in the <i>EU</i> (<i>Austria</i>, <i>Germany</i>, <i>Holland</i>, <i>Finland</i> and of course the <i>UK</i>) and from what I can gather the two of them in the <i>EU</i> (<i>Greece</i> and <i>Italy</i>) had been pleading for help from the rest of the <i>EU</i>, both financial and practical, for some years, but had largely been ignored and left to get on with it as best they could, until the surge of numbers in the summer of 2015 shamed the <i>EU</i> and in particular <i>Germany</i> to accept as many as could travel there - the open <i>Schengen</i> border then (since restricted somewhat in practical terms) made transit across the continent fairly easy, if chaotic - but the drawback was that the huge numbers meant that any real effort to distinguish between 'immigrants' ('economic' or other) and genuine 'asylum seekers' became almost impossible, not aided by the fact that many discarded whatever ID they may have had, or obtained forged documentation from what were considered to be more acceptable 'asylum' countries, such as <i>Syria</i> or <i>Iraq</i> and a few others such as <i>Sudan</i> or <i>South Sudan</i> etc, when many of those concerned probably came from completely different countries, whilch although poor were not in a state of political turmoil requiring 'asylum'. This article is NOT about immigration or asylum, however, but it is impossible not to mention this topic when discussing wider matters relating to <i>EU</i> membership and the rights and responsibilities that status implies.<br />
<br />
The <i>UK</i> will always need "immigrants" and generally welcomes them, as we have a robust economy and relatively low unemployment. We also have a long history of accepting refugees in need of asylum and I hope this will continue long into the future, quite apart from our international obligations in this regard. It seems to me that although relatively few genuine asylum seekers arrive direct in the <i>UK</i> from the countries they are fleeing from, even if through equally dangerous countries, that we have to play our part in helping, at the very least financially, those countries where genuine asylum seekers are likely arrive first in <i>Europe</i>. It is certainly unfair to leave it all to <i>Italy</i> and <i>Greece</i> within the <i>EU</i>, or <i>Turkey</i>, <i>Jordan</i> and <i>Lebanon</i>, which already have accommodated large numbers of refugees - and are not wealthy countries themselves - simply because geography places them in the path of these genuine refugees.<br />
<br />
Coming back to the main topic of this article, however, I do hope the governments of the <i>EU27</i> overall (and not just <i>Spain</i>, obviously one of the more important member states) will come to their senses and agree quickly measures to protect both <i>EU27</i> citizens in the <i>UK</i> and <i>UK</i> citizens in the <i>EU27</i> - the <i>UK</i> government and now apparently <i>Spain</i> want to get this matter resolved quickly. Let's hope sense will prevail in <i>Brussels</i> (& <i>Germany</i>) so that this agreement can de done quickly. Although I didn't agree with 'remainer' Theresa May's seeming intransigence, I have come to the conclusion her robust, but fair, attitude has been the better course to follow and will in due course stand the best chance of allowing this matter to be resolved in a common sense way. But it needs reciprocal good will from the <i>EU27</i> too - given that, I do not think the <i>UK</i> will be found wanting. But we have taken the decision to depart the <i>EU</i> and the stamping of feet in frustration and anger by anyone is highly unlikely to change this and given the <i>British</i> nature is only likely to harden attitudes here, which frankly is the last thing I wish to see happen.<br />
<br />
(NB/ This article is also cross-posted to my "Spanish" blog <a href="http://casabill.blogspot.com/" target=browser>casabill - the blog</a> [link] - see also link to <a href="http://casabill.blogspot.com/2017/02/theresa-may-wins-spains-support-over.html" target=browser>relevant article</a>).Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-86944463235586801582017-01-20T23:58:00.001+00:002017-01-21T00:03:15.178+00:00Recent developments in 'Brexit' - the planned departure of the UK from the EUApart from the 'minor event' [<i>irony alert</I>] across the Atlantic today, with the inauguration of a new President (the 45th, President Trump) in the United States of America, there have been some major developments here too, in relation to the United Kingdom (<i>UK</I>) and its forthcoming exit from the <i>European Union</I> (<i>EU</I>), in the past few months. In October 2016 the Prime Minister Mrs May announced that she would 'trigger' Article 50 of the <i>Lisbon Treaty</I> no later than 31st March 2017 - you can read more about this <a HREF="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37532364" target=browser>here</A>. Much more recently, on 17th January 2017 she delivered a major speech in which she set out 12 key areas in her plans for implementing our departure, one of which specially pleases me, that we will no longer be a part of the 'Single Market' (aka the 'protectionist cartel' of the <i>EU</I>) - you can read more about this <a HREF="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38662999" target=browser>here</A> and <a HREF="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38641208" target=browser>here</A>.<br />
<br />
The 12 key areas referred to above include:<br />
- 1. Certainty;<br />
- 2. Control of our own laws;<br />
- 3. Strengthen the union (referring to the four nations which together comprise the <i>UK</I>);<br />
- 4. Maintain the Common Travel Area with Ireland;<br />
- 5. Control of immigration;<br />
- 6. Rights for EU nationals in Britain, and British nationals in the EU;<br />
- 7. Protect workers' rights;<br />
- 8. Free trade with European markets;<br />
- 9. New trade agreements with other countries;<br />
- 10. The best place for science and innovation;<br />
- 11. Co-operation in the fight against crime and terrorism;<br />
- 12. A smooth, orderly Brexit.).<br />
<br />
Naturally there has been considerable reaction to her speeches, not only within the UK itself (and of course from our 'illustrious' [another <i>irony alert</I>] <i>First Minister</i> in Scotland), but perhaps more relevantly from some leading figures within the <i>EU</i> itself; I don't plan to detail that here, except to observe that most of the 'spluttering' responses from <i>EU</i> functionaries and leaders from other countries has been uniformly negative and frankly intransigent. Perhaps not entirely unexpected, but given the <i>shambles</i> which the <i>EU</i> has got itself into, with its badly thought out policies, is still somewhat remarkable, when subjected to critical analysis. Specially of course the <i>Eurozone</i> of the 'single currency', the <i>Euro</i>, but the general <i>protectionist</i> reality of what is purported to be a 'free market' (<i>aka</i> the '<i>single market</i>'), but of course is nothing of the kind - it is basically a protectionist cartel, specially in anything relating to food, for the benefit of a few members, but certainly not of the <i>UK</i>.<br />
<br />
The high unemployment levels, in particular amongst younger citizens, in certain member-states of the <i>EU</i>, mainly amongst southern countries, appears not to concern the Brussels <i>bureaucracy</i> or the leaders of the few <i>Eurozone</i> member countries which benefit directly from the <i>monetary union</i> represented by the <i>Euro</i>. I find this particularly reprehensible. This is indeed probably the major reason that changed me from being a fervent <i>Europhile</i> to someone convinced we as a country had to get oursleves out of this bizarre mess, which is anything but 'democratic'.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-34133916964415408642016-12-11T02:04:00.000+00:002016-12-15T22:40:27.093+00:00EU Citizenship, Verhofstadt and actual EU law - or does this no longer matter?I was startled to learn of the somewhat <i>left-field</i> proposal by Guy Verhofstadt (widely quoted in the media, but I include this BBC link <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38264203" target=browser>here</a>). Guy Verhofstadt, in case you have just crawled from out of some subterranean cavern, is actually an <i>MEP</i> from <i>Belgium</i> and is leader of one of the [minor] groupings in the <i>European Parliament</i> called "<i>Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe</i>", see his page <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/97058/GUY_VERHOFSTADT_home.html" target=browser>here</a>.<br />
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Mr Verhofstadt seems to be implying that a modification of "EU Law" can somehow be "fast-tracked" to allow "EU Citizenship" to be retained on an individual basis by UK citizens, when the UK leaves the EU, as seems to be likely a few years from now.<br />
<br />
Now I do not doubt that that this may be a theoretical possibillity, but I think the likelihood of this or any other '<i>ad hoc</i>' modification of EU Law being "fast tracked" is, ahem, illusory - it might happen after MANY years of tedious negotiation, but the idea such a change could be fast-tracked is just so much hot air, in my view.<br />
<br />
To bring this whole nonsense proposal back down to some semblance of reality, here is what the official <i>EU</i> website says about the status of <i>EU citizenship</i> <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/justice/citizen/" target=browser>here</a>:<br />
<br />
<table BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="1" CELLPADDING="5" ALIGN="Center" WIDTH=80% BGCOLOR="#6174fc"><td BGCOLOR="#ededdc"><br />
<font COLOR="black"><cite><b>What is EU citizenship?</B></CITE></FONT><br />
<br />
<font COLOR="navy"><b>- Any person who holds the nationality of an EU country is automatically also an EU citizen. EU citizenship is additional to and does not replace national citizenship. It is for each EU country to lay down the conditions for the acquisition and loss of nationality of that country.<br />
<br />
- Citizenship of the Union is conferred directly on every EU citizen by the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.</B></FONT></TD> </TABLE>This seems to imply that the status of 'EU citizen' is entirely dependent on being a citizen of an EU member state. Whether it follows that if one is a citizen of a member state of the EU which ceases to be a member state of the EU that such a citizen might retain the status of EU citizen, is not at all clear, whatever Mr Verhofstadt may care to assert.<br />
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Frankly, though, I'd never heard of the "<i>Treaty on the Functioning of the EU</i>" before - as this is stated in the official website of the <i>EU</i> one must suppose it is a real thing and not just wishful thinking; have you heard of this before? By the way, if you want to 'blow your mind', you could always read this document and try to understand it - <a href="http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A12012E%2FTXT" target=browser>here</a>. This is just a minor example of the "<i>Alice in Wonderland</i>" fantasy-land that the decision of the <i>UK</i> to leave the <i>EU</i> seeks to consign to unlamented history! My best reading of this fantasy is that it is a part, or apparently subsidiary to, the 'Lisbon Treaty'<br />
<br />
I think what this whole [probably minor and best forgotten little nugget of an] episode reveals is just how much of a wake-up call the <i>UK</i> has delivered to the schlerotic <i>EU</i> and just how desperate it is to try and defuse this 'crisis' - that is to say, the decision of the UK electorate to leave this cosy (suffocating?) little club.<br />
<br />
Natrually it is no surprise to learn that the <i>UK</i> political party, or the remnants of its following after recent elections, in both the UK and the EU, which participates in this frankly minor and inconsequential grouping, is the "<i>Liberal Democrats</i>" - as a true 'Liberal' and a true 'Democrat' I do not wish of course to try and and silence these people, rather do I celebrate the welcome diversity of views which they represent. <br />
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However, I would love to know the legal basis under which the so-called "associate citizenship" of Mr Verhosfstadt's fantasy-thinking might be conferred. It is either a naive declaration with little consensual acclaim (from the rest of the <i>EU</i>, or at least its two or three most influential members), or it is a sign of the increasing desperation of the <i>EU</i> hierarchy to try and respond, perforce feebly, to the existential crisis that the imminent departure of the <i>UK</i> from the <i>EU</i> represents. If <i>EU</i> citizenship does not depend on being a citizen of an <i>EU</i> member-state, on what does it depend? Is it proposed that any existing '<i>EU citizen</i>' holds that status independently of a similar citizenship status of a member state of the <i>EU</i>? If this new status is to be conferred upon <i>UK</i> citizens, presumably it must apply also to citizens of all <i>EU</i> member states. If accepted as a valid <i>EU</i> treaty amendment (fast- or slow-tracked) it seems to imply that <i>EU</i> citizenship may be granted completely independently of any partuclar citizenship status of an <i>EU</i> member state. Is the <i>EU</i>, in Mr Verfofstadt's thinking, to abrogate to itself the power of granting citizenship of the <i>EU</i> to anyone, independently of whatever status they may or may not hold in any member (or former member) atate if the <i>EU</i>?<br />
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It strikes me that whilst the <i>UK</i> occasionally arrives at a pragmatic interpretation when responding to contemporary events, it would be highly unusual for an entity so hidebound by its own self-image as the <i>EU</i> to do likewise. Please wake me up when the dysfunctional <i>EU</i> actually bucks it historic reputation and shows it is capable of genuine change, not the kind of desperate gesture politics that Mr. Verhofstadt seems to be peddling.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-75490559155920644572016-12-06T23:59:00.000+00:002016-12-06T23:59:41.586+00:00Over-spending and Debt at Christmas - please try and resist the temptationI rarely touch on personal domestic matters, but at this time of year many people will become increasingly "excited" over the coming few weeks in the run-up to <i>Christmas</i> or the <i>Festive Season</i> or the <i>Holiday Season</i> or however you choose to describe it. I have little or no religious faith (I hover between <i>Agnosticism</i> and <i>Atheism</i>), but I have felt since I was becoming a teenager and then young adult that the idea that there was some "power" overseeing humanity was so much superstitious nonsense. I try to be "nice" in my personal dealings, so I hope that not too many are offended by my cavalier viewpoint, but ultimately if you are offended I'm afraid you will have to live with it, because in reality I don't much care. You have your views and I have mine.<br />
<br />
In any case, however you view the coming few weeks, many people including me look upon the forthcoming <i>Christmas</i> holidays/festival/celebrations as an opportunity to get together with friends and family, eating and drinking rather more than is usual during the rest of the year, also offering hospitality and gifts to various family, friends and acquaintances and receiving similar in return. However, the simplest thing I can urge upon you is to <i>not overdo it</i>, and remember that if you are incurring debts, or your friends and family are, to fund this annual <i>extravanganza</i>, that <i>booms</i> generally are followed by <i>busts</i>. Debts incurred to fund this period will fairly soon have to be repaid, somehow or other. I realise that for younger families with young children that they will want to provide their children with a happy and exciting <i>Christmas</i> and certainly will not wish their own children to feel they are less fortunate than some of their classmate contemporaries, who receive the latest "must have" toys, games, clothes and gadgetry generally at this time of year. I understand the pressures that people face in a "<i>consumer</i>" society. Most of us have budgetary limits in what we can do; some of us have more "<i>discretionary</i>" income, beyond the absolute essentials, than others. Some amongst us have almost no such "<i>discretionary</i>" income at all and whatever "<i>joy</i>" (if any) they can look forward to over the coming weeks will be dependent on the help of others, which I hope will be as generous as others' means will allow.<br />
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But for everyone, I would like to urge some level of moderation, both in the desire to "<i>give</i>" and expectation of what you may wish or expect to "<i>receive</i>"; we all want to enjoy oursleves, but not at the expense (surely) of subsequent weeks or months of actual or near penury to pay for it. I volunteered for some years, quite some years ago now, with a charity organisation that sought to help people in various personal struggles and I always remember that another volunteer, when we were both "on duty" around this time of year, tried to explain to me the pressures she was under not to disappoint her own children in their expectations, which she was barely able (if at all) to satisfy. I am not "wealthy", but I suppose I am "comfortable" in comparison to many others, so it's possible that I don't always understand fully the pressures that face some others, I don't deny it, but I am very aware that not everyone is so fortunate as me.<br />
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In Nairn we have a weekly newspaper, published every Tuesday, as I have mentioned a few times before - <span style="font-style:italic;">The Nairnshire Telegraph</span> does not have any online presence, so it is not possible to link to their articles, but one item they carry every week is a sort of 'moral homily' from some religious bloke signing himself '<span style="font-style:italic;">Sandy Shaw - Nairn Christian Fellowship</span>' and they are usually pretty trite, apart from being poorly written and full of logical <span style="font-style:italic;">non sequiturs</span>. I read them, or at least glance at them, every week when I am in Nairn, and usually indulge in a little derisive chuckle and have at least once before written about something I read in the column - for example, in November/December 2011 when I wrote <a href="http://billcameron.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/video-clip-religious-bigots-should-be.html" target=browser>this</a>. The article today (Tuesday, 6th December 2016) is the usual mix of religious <i>mumbo-jumbo</i> mixed in with <i>practical advice</i>, so whilst I find the former risible I am happy to acknowledge that that there is considerable "<i>common sense</i>" in the latter. The article this weeks is pithily entitled "<b>Debt</b>" and I reproduce it below:<br />
<br />
<table BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="1" CELLPADDING="5" ALIGN="Center" WIDTH=80% BGCOLOR="#6174fc"><td BGCOLOR="#ededdc"><center><br />
<font COLOR="black"><cite><b>The Nairnshire Telepgraph<br />
Tuesday, December 6, 2016 - page 8</B></CITE></FONT><br />
<br />
<img SRC="http://www.billcameron.net/blog/content/images3/IMG_0555v3.jpg"></center></TD> </TABLE><br />
Whatever your views on "<i>religion</i>" (and I have already expressed my own scepticism and indeed scorn for these "notions" and "beliefs" as they are what I regard as fiction), there is I think a good deal of <i>common sense</i> in the linked article. Do with my article what you will. In any case, enjoy yourselves over the coming weeks, but don't overdo it in any sense.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-44168320092182127192016-11-28T14:16:00.000+00:002016-12-02T20:32:25.538+00:00Murder in Nairn - 12 years ago today - police still "absolutely committed" to solving crime(Please see <b><span style="color: red;">UPDATE</span></b> at end)<br />
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Today is the 12th anniversary of the murder of Nairn resident Mr Alistair Wilson. The crime remains unsolved and no motive for the killing, even if one is known or suspected, has been revealed. However, <i>Police Scotland</i> state that they remain <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-38105346" target="browser">absolutely committed</a> to finding his murderer and that the case remains "active".<br />
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It is to be hoped that the perpetrator of this crime will be identified and made to pay for it, sooner rather than later.<br />
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You can visit the page for this unsolved crime in the <i>Police Scotland</i> website <a href="http://www.scotland.police.uk/whats-happening/featured-cases/157713/" target="browser">here</a>:<br />
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<table align="Center" bgcolor="#6174fc" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" style="width: 80%px;"><tbody>
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<span style="color: black;"><cite><b>Alistair Wilson</b></cite></span><br />
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<span style="color: navy;"><b>Anyone with any information in connection with the murder of 30-year-old banker Alistair Wilson should contact Police Scotland on 101, or Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.<br />
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<u>Contact Us</u><br />
Contact Police Scotland on 101, or Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111</b></span></td> </tr>
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My most recent previous article on the murder is <a href="http://billcameron.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/murder-in-nairn-almost-11-years-and.html" target="browser">here</a>. There are links to all my posts on this murder, so close to where I live, in the right-hand column under the heading 'Murder in Nairn' articles.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">UPDATE</span></b> (Friday 02DEC2016 20.20 GMT) - To mark the 12th anniversary of the murder, according to <a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/cops-probe-new-lead-nairn-9365233" target=browser>this article</a> in the <i>Daily Record</i> published on 30th November 2016, apparently a radio call-in was held on the <i>John Beattie</i> show on <i>BBC Radio Scotland</i> during which an "anonymous caller phoned the John Beattie show as it discussed the case" and provided information, which was not broadcast but has been passed by the <i>BBC</i> to <i>Police Scotland</i>, who in turn have stated that the information provided will be "thoroughly investigated". Perhaps we will learn in due course that this information is significant and will allow the investigation to make progress, but as yet no-one not privy to the investigation can make any inferences and I for one certainly do not do so, although I am obviously extremely intrigued by and interested in this development.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-2162508695418133162016-10-30T13:05:00.000+00:002016-11-28T15:18:27.234+00:00John Gordon Macintyre, Nairn - Obituary<br />
<table BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="1" CELLPADDING="5" ALIGN="Center" WIDTH=80% BGCOLOR="#6174fc"><td BGCOLOR="#ededdc"><center><font COLOR="black"><cite><b>J Gordon Macintyre<br />
5 October 1931 - 25 September 2016<br />
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<img SRC="http://www.billcameron.net/blog/content/images3/jgmnairn2016101.jpg"></B></CITE></FONT><br />
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<font COLOR="navy"><b>Rest in Peace</B></FONT></center></TD> </TABLE><br />
Always known as "J Gordon Macintyre", Gordon Macintyre was a flamboyant and eccentric, but hugely likeable fixture of Nairn (and beyond in certain circles) for many decades. I first met Gordon soon after I came to live in Nairn in September 2000, as I was invited by one of my new neighbours to join her as a guest at a chamber music concert at <i>Clifton House</i>, which it so happens is just around the corner from where I now live, and immediately joined the <i>Nairn Performing Arts Guild</i> (NPAG), a registered charity run by him and which organised chamber music recitals, plays and readings of various kinds. I remained a member until NPAG was succeeded by <i>Music Nairn</i>, when Gordon and his wife, Muriel, decided to move from their long-term home and business at Clifton House (run for many years as a quirky and wonderful small hotel and restaurant, until a few years before they moved), as they now wished to 'retire', to a new home just outside Nairn at Geddes.<br />
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From the word go I seemed to 'click' with Gordon - I liked him a lot and I think that feeling was reciprocated. He was an unusual and rather eccentric man, specially when compared with his rather more down-to-earth, fiercely intelligent and occasionally 'waspish' wife Muriel. But Gordon was of course in his own way a practical businessman too, running their hotel and restaurant business very successfuly in his own inimitable and flamboyant way. Muriel sadly passed away some years ago, in June 2009. Gordon was always immaculately and often colourfully attired, often sporting one of his extensive collection of bow-ties or cravates; even in his later declining years, though his attention to the detail of his wardrobe perhaps had slipped a little, he still managed to look smart and certainly always stood out from the crowd in whichever gathering he found himself. I count myself fortunate to have known Gordon, albeit only in the later stages of his life - it made settling in to my new home in Nairn so much more pleasurable.<br />
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It so happens I was away at my holiday home in Spain for a month from toward the end of September, as it turns out just a few days after his demise, which I had not heard about when I left for Spain. However, he had telephoned me about a week prior to this (I think therefore only three or four days before before his death) to ask me to postpone a visit to his home that we had been talking about, as he was feeling 'off-colour', saying that he would contact me when he was feeling a bit better. In the light of his death so soon after the call, I now think he was probably telephoning, consciously or unconsciously, to say 'goodbye'. It so happens his obituary was in our local weekly newspaper, <i>The Nairnshire Telegraph</i> (no online presence) only this week, in the issue dated Tuesday 25th October, a month after his death, whereas his obituary in <i>The Scotsman</i> was published only a few days before that on 20th October (read it <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-gordon-macintyre-hotelier-and-arts-patron-1-4262713" target=browser>here</a>), to which it bears a certain similarity, so it is possible his family had deliberately kept his death low-key for the first month, it being inconceivable to me that it would not have been written about sooner, specially in our local newspaper, otherwise.<br />
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In any case, I am very saddened to learn of Gordon's death. I am just grateful that I had the pleasure of knowing him and for his friendship.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-37359176031712369732016-09-03T20:09:00.000+01:002016-09-07T18:36:23.994+01:00A "senior moment" with my refrigerator and temperature monitoringI feel a bit silly writing this, but perhaps knowing about my forgetfulness might prompt others not to be so careless as I've obviously been.<br />
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I have always had a thermometer inside my refrigerator to monitor the internal temperature for chilled food, but I haven't been checking it as often as I obviously should have been - or "<i>putting two and two together</i>" over the past several weeks when certain foods (specially cream, for example) have been "spoiling" far more rapidly than they normally do, so I have been disposing of half-full tubs after only a very few days and buying fresh tubs. The problem is that, because it is summer (or at least what passes for summer in the north of Scotland), I have not been taking account of the fact that ambient temperatures indoors, specially at night, have been considerably higher than in much of the rest of the year.<br />
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Although my refrigerator is pretty modern (and large) and works very well, and because it is frost-free requires little maintenance whilst in use, apart from making sure the interior shelving remains clean and hygienic, specially after any inadvertent spillage or leakage, I had forgotten to adjust the rotary thermostat inside the door to regulate the temperature inside the refrigerator part to take account of the warmer weather we've been having recently; the freezer part is completely automatic and has never not done the job it is supposed to.<br />
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Yesterday I did check the inrerior thermometer properly, however, and was a little shocked to realise the refrigerator interior temperature was hovering around 12-13 degreesC, instead of the 3-5 degreesC it should be. So I have now turned up the rotary control by several steps. Overnight the refrigerator cooled down considerably, to about 0-1 degrees, so throughout today I've been making small adjustments to achieve the desired 3-5 range. I won't be making the elementary mistake of not checking the internal temperature regularly in future!<br />
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I'm now reasonably confident I won't have to throw away so much prematurely spoiled food in coming weeks as I have been finding it necessary to do recently.<br />
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NB/ It so happens the refrigerator at my home in Spain is almost exactly the same as the unit in my kitchen here in Scotland (same make and model, slightly different trim and a different body colour), but I've always been much more aware of the need to monitor/regulate the temperature there, because I expect it to be warmer, whereas for most of the year in Scotland it's less necessary, even though the central heating is on from early Autumn until late-Spring, but except in really severe winter weather I prefer not to have the central heating on all night, because I sleep better in slightly cooler air.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-26097472484158535802016-09-03T02:09:00.000+01:002016-09-12T22:48:02.594+01:00Further thoughts on the EU, "Brexit" and related mattersAs we are now at the beginning of September, and the end of the main summer holiday period when many politicians, civil servants and citizens generally will have been on holiday, it is I think now appropriate to write the kind of article I am now writing. As has often been the case in earlier years the month of August has, apart from being an hiatus in 'business as usual' for politics, also been a time when eccentric stories become <i>newsworthy</i> for broadcasters searching for things to write about during the <i>dog days</i> of summer.<br />
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For most, probably all, of my adult life I have been strongly supportive of the EEC (later the EU) and of the UK joining it and remaining a part of it. Personal circumstances meant I was not able to vote in the 1975 referendum, two years after the UK joined the EEC, to decide whether the country should remain or leave - I lived then in a place called Djibouti (wedged between Ethiopia/Eritrea and Somalia) in the north-east of Africa, and at that time people living outside the UK could not vote in UK elections, except in very special circumstances. But had I been in a position to vote, I would certainly have voted to remain in the EEC.<br />
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Broadly speaking, with perhaps just a few qualms, I supported most of what was done later, where it affected the UK. The Schengen Treaty (from 1985 to 1995 until 1997 when it was incorporated into EU law by the Amsterdam Treaty), did not and does not affect the UK, or as it so happens Ireland (that last bit is really irrelevant to me, of course, because even though it might otherwise affect Northern Ireland, there has been a common travel area between the UK and Ireland for a long time, unaffected by the independence of Ireland from the UK). The fact that the UK is an island nation meant, in my view, that it was practical, if not in the view of some I suppose entirely desirable, not to adopt Schengen. I doubt if it would have been easily do-able if we had land borders other than with Ireland. It is probably no accident either that our decision to remain outside Schengen coincided with plans to build the Channel Tunnel link between the UK and France (constructed between 1988 and 1994) - the value of that decision has perhaps only become more sharply defined by the events of very recent years.<br />
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The Single European Act, whose main purpose was to enhance 'free trade', ultimately came into force in 1987, having been delayed in its implementation by actions in Denmark, Greece, Italy and Ireland. Interestingly, it is probably the only piece of EU legislation largely championed from inception to conclusion by the UK. Because the UK has, for decades and indeed centuries, been all about 'free trade'. It did extend QMV ('Qualified Majority Voting') though, as part of the price paid [by the UK] for certain other countries (basically France and a few others) to allow this legislation to pass. The subsequent Treates (Maastricht, Amsterdam and Nice), whilst ratcheting the EU's control a little tighter with each step, seemed to me 'acceptable' in the greater scheme of things.<br />
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What really began to make me rethink my view of the fundamental wisdom of the UK being a member of the EU were the referendums on the now-defunct European Constitution held in 2005 in both the Netherlands and France, in which both rejected its proposals (others had already had referendums to ratify it), which effectively halted that particular process, and specifically what followed a few years later; the UK government had earlier promised a referendum, but the rejections by others made that pointless. Having read the draft European Constitution in great detail myself, in anticipation of a referendum being held in the UK, I too would have voted against it had I had the opportunity.<br />
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What followed a few years later was the Lisbon Treaty, effectively the European Constitution rewritten, pushed through in spite of being initially rejected in a referendum in Ireland in 2007, later shoved through in that country in 2009 in the face of the economic crisis facing that country after the 'crash' of 2007/2008; but let's face it, no one really cares what Ireland thinks (certainly not most of the other members of the EU, other than the UK), so they were 'prevailed upon' to allow it to pass. The reality is that the UK independently bailed out Ireland during this crucial period, not because of any undue sentimentality (that is not the British way), but simply in a recognition of the historic intertwining links between the British and much smaller Irish economies, although perhaps influenced also by the social and familial links between the two countries. The harsh reality, though, is that without UK support, Ireland would have been 'sunk', as otherwise Ireland would have been consigned to the same 'hell'/purgatory currently occupied by Greece. As for the semi-clandestine ratification by the UK of that Treaty by our then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, I would prefer to remain silent; the level of contempt I have for that man is infinite and only a modicum of concern about the libel laws of this country will restrain me from writing what I really think about that excuse for a man; as I am also Scottish (and 1/4 quarter Irish as it so happens, with reference to earlier comments) I don't think accusations of 'racism' apply, although I am quite happy to acknowledge that it is my firm belief that the "socialism" that Gordon Brown and those who think like him profess to believe in, is one of the greatest evils that existed when I was born and unfortunately continues, luckily in much reduced form, to this day, I have grown weary of glossing over this basic reality in recent years, so this is the first time, apart from brief allusions to it in Twitter from time to time, that I have really 'let rip' on this issue. Unfortunately there is not a great deal to choose between the destructive effects of the "socialism" offered by Labour ('new', and the 'old' <i>back-to-the-future</i> kind which current leader Corbyn represents) and that offered by the SNP.<br />
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On Friday 2nd September our sad excuse for a First Minister in Scotland, Ms Nicola Sturgeon, gave up on her 'day job' of actually running Scotland in accordance with the <i>Scotland Act</i> (as amended), in favour of a pointless resurrection of the obsessive and obsessed <i>SNP</i> policy of wanting to rip Scotland out of the UK, despite very recent opinion polls demonstrating that the people of Scotland, apart from adherents of the 'SNP cult' which Ms Sturgeon leads, have little or no desire for this to happen, and far less desire for the holding of another referendum to try and change the result of the referendum held on the matter as recently as September 2014.<br />
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Despite the febrile predictions of those who campaigned vociferously for the UK to remain a member of the EU, the economy continues to be robust and the exchange rate of our currency, the Pound, although somewhat lower than before the EU Referendum (but arguably now at a more sensible level to meet both the needs of exporters and holidaymakers requiring to purchase a foregin currency to help fund their annual vacation abroad), has certainly never been in danger of 'collapse' and indeed in recent weeks has been strengthening somewhat from its low point after the EU Referendum - fine, so long as it does not become too strong and begin to adversely affect exports. As with everything else in life, the level at which the exchange rate hovers is a balance of complex and sometimes conflicting interests.<br />
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Now that summer is almost over, and more or less normal business has resumed, one imagines (and hopes) that the government will begin seriously to put in place the process of the UK leaving the EU. I am not one of those people that wants precipitate action, but I do want to see some concrete moves in this direction fairly soon, to give voice to the results of the referendum in June. The attempt in the past few days at a <i>tax grab</i> by the European Commission (EC), against the wishes of EU member state Ireland for whose benefit the EC purports to be acting, is just the latest example of the malign anti-competitive instincts of some EU member states and the bureaucrats of the EC and only reinforces the need for us in the UK to get out of the economic and political dead-end that the EU represents.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428477.post-60434815666691604262016-08-22T22:18:00.002+01:002017-02-19T16:07:53.421+00:00First review - new Sun Dancer restaurant and bar in Nairn(Please see <span style="color: red;">UPDATE</span> at end)<br />
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The new <i>Sun Dancer</i> restaurant and bar in <i>Nairn</i> finally opened a week ago yesterday (i.e. Sunday 14th August); I do not think it has yet been advertised in any way, certainly it was not in last week's Nairnshire on Tuesday 16th, so it seems to have undertaken what is usually known as a "soft opening". Rumours locally are that it was originally scheduled to open in May, presumably in order to catch the late-Spring and early-Summer trade, but local rumours are that its opening was delayed for various reasons; I will not repeat any of the reasons I heard about though, as this is mere hearsay and the important point, as I see it, is that it has now opened.<br />
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I visited with my partner yesterday Sunday 21st August around lunchtime and we had ice cream milkshakes in the ground floor cafe - very nice they were too and the interior is bright, cheerful and modern in feel and the young lady serving us was pleasant and friendly. We asked if we could visit upstairs to see the bar/restaurant and being told "yes" went up to take a look.<br />
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It was much more spacious than I imagined it would be (I live close by so have followed its progress over the months). It is well laid out and the tables are not too crowded together. There is a bar area in one corner, with comfortable and quite smart furniture in that part of the floor. The tables and chairs of the main restaurant part are also quite smart and the balcony at the front has some tables and chairs, pleasant for a drink on a nice day or evening. We asked to book a table for the same evening and returned for our meal later with time for pre-dinner drinks.<br />
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The staff are friendly and pleasant, although still obviously learning their jobs and getting comfortable with their work environment, drinks and menus, etc. We had a very nice meal indeed, broadly comparable with the two other what I consider decent eateries in Nairn (<i>The Classroom</i> and <i>The Bandstand</i>) and the cost was broadly similar too; the <i>Sunny Brae</i> is lovely too of course, but is rather more refined in many ways than those three (including the <i>Sun Dancer</i>), only being a bit more expensive.<br />
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There was a Sunday menu on offer, 2 courses for £15.95, with 3 courses being a few pounds more; there was a small but sufficient range of options for starters, mains and puddings/desserts, although we understand there may be a more extensive menu in due course, but that they are trialling a slighlty more restricted menu, at least at the beginning, not to over-complicate matters. The food as mentioned was pretty good, so this represents good value I think, specially for an evening meal, with drinks (campari/soda, guinness [2 pints in all], a large glass of white and a small glass of red, for the cheese we had for dessert), the total bill was about £66-, rounded up to £71- (for 2 persons) with tip, a bit less than we would normally have added, for the reasons mentioned later in this review.<br />
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The table settings are nice (white quality table cloths, decent cutlery and crockery, high quality cloth-like paper napkins) and the dining table seats are quite comfortable and smart. It is obvious considerable care has been taken with designing a very pleasant venue to take full advantage of the lovely views out over the Firth; we had a corner window table just inside the outdoor balcony so the views were excellent, but most tables (even those not directly adjacent to the large windows) will have good views of the Firth.<br />
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The only criticism I would have is that the service was very slow and somewhat disjointed, but always pleasant and friendly, although it did require us on several occasions to try and attract the staff's attention after we had been waiting for lengthy periods, both to place our orders and to receive each course, requiring us to query the delays throughout the evening. For example we had to wait 15 minutes after finishing our main course before managing to attract the attention of someone to take our dessert order (the cheese board for both of us, which was excellent when it came, but obviously required no "cooking"), then after 25 minutes of waiting for it to be delivered, we managed to attract the attention of a waitress returning to the kitchen with used crockery from another table, when it was delivered rapidly; probably it had been waiting for delivery to us in the kitchen for some time, I suspect.<br />
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Getting the bill took another while, a pattern throughout the whole evening. However, I think this will become a great place to eat in Nairn, assuming they maintain their initial food standards (which are quite high in local terms I'd say), once they become rather slicker in the service area. I put the delays down to the staff still becoming familiar with their roles, so expect and hope this is merely a "teething" problem. I think they have been quite busy during their first week of operation, from what the lady who appeared to be in charge indicated to us, and it was certainly pretty busy on Sunday evening when we were there, so everyone there was flung into the deep end whilst still learning their jobs. We shall certainly visit again in a month or so (rotating it in with the other places already mentioned, which we will undoubtedly visit again in the intervening period), and hope we will have an equally enjoyable meal, but experience somewhat slicker service, once the staff have become more comfortable in their jobs. However, first impressions are that it is a very welcome addition to Nairn's dining scene.<br />
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NB/ This review is a slightly more detailed version of one I have already placed in the restaurant's own recently-created <i>Facebook</i> page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sundancerrestaurant/" target="browser">here</a>.<br />
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<small><i>My aim here, as with all reviews of restaurants and hotels which I add in various places (my own blog or 'social media' or specialised review sites), is to be honest and completely fair. I do not think the Sun Dancer yet has a listing in Tripadvisor, but perhaps that will come in due course.</i></small><br />
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<span style="color: red;">UPDATE</span> (Sunday 19FEB17 16.50 RST [GMT+1]) A rather tardy comment, but my partner and I, together with a friend, visited the <i>Sun Dancer</i> for a second time on Tuesday 10th January 2017, this time for lunch. The lunch menu offered a reasonable range of choices and all three of us had enjoyable meals, nicely presented. The cost was again pretty reasonable too. Happily, the service on this second visit was much slicker than on our earlier visit, whilst still retaining a friendly atmosphere, without being "over familiar" in any way. The restaurant was fairly busy too, for a Tuesday in the middle of winter, with roughly two thirds of the tables being occupied in the main part of the restaurant (the smaller end part was screened off that day). We again occupied a very nice table by the windows at the front of the restaurant so had excellent views out over the Firth. In summary, I'd say we all three were quite happy with our meal and will certainly return in due course, rotating this newish restaurant with the two or three other pretty good eating places in Nairn.Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393265755614039206noreply@blogger.com0