Scotland

Oh dear Angus MacNeil the MP who exposed the cash for questions scandal has been caught fixing his own questions!!!!!
I am about to write once again about Sir E Scott School on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland but this time I will also mention the Stornoway Gazette which is the main newspaper in the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles. However this will be 100% biased and I make no apology for the free expression of my opinions which are based on personal experiences with ALL those involved and the investigations I have made to verify the facts below.

The Stornoway Gazette is a wholly biased local rag that rarely rocks the boat and spends most of it’s time singing the praises of the establishment and avoiding all the serious questions that is usually what a newspaper is dedicated to. This rag often prints supposed news stories that contain many lies (both white and black) and certainly many mistakes. Their reporting staff are extremely amateur and rarely, if ever, verify facts before going to print. Obviously the editor does not take his responsibilities seriously.

The latest article presenting lies and mistakes while totally avoiding the truth is in reference to the corrupt MP Angus MacNeil visiting Sir E Scott School on the Isle of Harris. Now I say ‘corrupt’ as this MP has based his career upon the ‘cash for questions’ scandal but there some serious problems with his own behaviour which includes him being caught with 2 young girls in his hotel room, passing over emails sent to him as MP to official bodies to provide them with information about complaints about them (evidence in hand).

This time Angus MacNeil has managed to totally manipulate his OWN QUESTIONS. How hilarious is that? The fact that it is at a secondary school on the Isle of Harris makes it even more funny but I suppose I should not be laughing at corruption at any level but how ridiculous is getting a bunch of fixed questions asked by pupils? The event was meant to be a selection of questions from the pupils but most of them were replaced by other questions just prior to the event.

When it was reported in the Stornoway Gazette the rag did it’s usual praising and made Mr MacNeil and Sir E Scott School look amazing. However the paper also included the name of a female student, which is shameful, and then proceeded to LIE about the question asked. Rather boldly the pupil had decided NOT to ask the question listed but adapt it to a more IMPORTANT question about a very serious matter to which Angus MacNeil should be directing some of his energy. The question asked was about MILLIONS of tax payers hard earned pounds going to waste.

Rather than include the question about corruption the rag replaced it with a rather stupid question asking why the pupils father’s site was better than the official Visit Scotland? In only a few minutes I was able to determine that the site mentioned (Virtual Scotland) does not even belong to the father. Furthermore it would appear that there is some enmity between the father, the local rag and Mr Angus MacNeil. Clearly there is something going on here that the public should be aware.

I attempted to find out more and what I discovered seriously involves some of the most disgusting corruption in the United Kingdom at the expense of the population of the Western Isles/Outer Hebrides. One of the questions that was censored asked why a local government body can set the price of a broadband connection and why the price is set at around £450 a month for a 4mb connection. Surely this is the most expensive in the UK and surely Angus MacNeil should be devoting some of his time on local corruption rather than posing questions about Westminster? Isn’t that what he is paid for?

I would like to ask the question how can an MP involve a school in corruption? How can a newspaper be allowed to print lies and not even bother asking the people named to verify facts? Should a newspaper be allowed to print the name of a pupil? Should a school be allowed to pass such information to a newspaper without checking with the pupil and/or parents first?

This is DISGUSTING

 UPDATE:
It looks like a small apology will appear in 2 of the publications that featured this article. Unfortunately I have been unable to determine any more facts about why the questions were changed or where these papers got the news that Visit Scotland was closing. You might find some of the comments I have added to Iain Maciver’s blog interesting – Who is behind Angus Macneil ’scandal’? – oh dear the page was pulled

Anyway the appologies appeared in the publications and the whole thing blew over. However the Cash for Honours scandal still pops up every now and again and is closely associated with the cash for questions problem. (I thought I would add this little bit as I originally wrote this blog with the intentional error of scandals as a play on words!).

Oh boy I had to laugh today when I saw the article in the Herald article about that postponement of the Dressed to Kilt fashion show. The Herald took the opportunity to reprint that hilarious photograph of ‘I’m not gay’ Mr Jack McConnell sporting his awful pinstripe kilt that made him something of a laughing stock. It is well worth a quick peep if you have never seen it before. you will find it here.

Anyway back to the main point of this post, Dressed to Kilt fashion show in New York. Last years event was something of a success but this year they have rescheduled the event until the fall. The reason appears to be that it will bring it more in line with the fashion industry calendar which, on the face of it, should be good news for Scotland and tartan. Unfortunately advance tickets had already been widely picked up and, although all ticket sales will be refunded, it all seems a bit of a do.

I find it all a bit strange, surely it makes more sense to have an event that promotes Scottish fashion and tartan appearing around the same time as Tartan Day? It seems others believe this would make more sense too. Annoyingly it looks like Tartan Day is gone and is to be replaced by ‘Scotland Week’. Damn ‘Tartan Day’ is far better, easy to remember and could easily grow to become one of those incredible days of the year.

Dressed To Kilt was a cool idea and perfect for promoting the Scottish fashion industry in the correct environment during a time when they would stand a good chance of making important deals and, more importantly, take advantage of the excellent networking opportunities. If the ‘powers that be’ really wanted to have an emphasis on the Scottish fashion industry during the usual fashion events they should have ADDED something new rather than swap it with something already well established. Who are these people who make such stupid decisions?

Reading the article in the Herald it would appear that the event has been moved “because the organisers are indisposed” well stuff them this is far too important an event to be treated in such a way!

Dressed To Kilt is worth investigating if you are interested in such things but even if you are not that interested you should still visit the Herald article if only to read the wonderfully amusing comments.

As the news broke today that a man in Glasgow was being treated for the awful disease tuberculosis (TB) I must admit I wasn’t very surprised. At one time TB was a terrible problem in Scotland but, after a long struggle, it was almost wiped out. However, over the last few years, there appears to have been a sudden increase in the number of people being admitted to hospital with tuberculosis or a suspicion of having it.

Only a week or two ago there was great alarm in the Outer Hebrides, found off the west coast of Scotland, when it was reported that somebody had been admitted to the Western Isles Hospital, in Stornoway, suffering from TB. The interesting thing about this is that the very first hospital built on the islands was for the very purpose of providing treatment for tuberculosis. Large numbers of children had to be tested for this highly contagious disease and there was general panic amongst the children of the Isle of Lewis and the Isle of Harris (an no doubt a little further away too).

However, when I investigated the story further I was extremely alarmed to discover that the guy was actually suffering from the extremely rare form of the disease known as XDR-TB. XDR-TB is a form of tuberculosis which is extremely drug-resistant and obviously very difficult to treat. A case had been reported in 2003 but this is the first since then.

In an attempt to reduce alarm it would appear that the government and the press are content in saying that you can only catch this disease by prolonged close contact with a person suffering from it. Personally I doubt that it is this difficult to catch and, without sounding alarmist, I seriously think there will be little difference from the normal strain. Furthermore, if it really is that tough, then surely it is more able to survive outside the body.

Of course the good news is that this is the first case in a number of year and the guy is said to be from overseas and not from Scotland. Unfortunately this seems to be the case in most instances of the disease but since we stopped giving the TB vaccination a few years ago this surely leaves a large percentage of the younger population at risk? Furthermore does the vaccination work against the form known as XDR-TB.

As nearly all cases of TB in Scotland appear to be from overseas, especially Asia and very poor countries, does this not create a need to examine all people traveling from such countries? Or, better still, shouldn’t we be working with these countries to help them fight the disease? The solutions seem obvious to me so why do we spend millions of pounds every year in relief aid but hardly any cash in preventing such disasters in the first place.

As tourism is such an important part of the economy of  Scotland surely it makes total sense to take extra precautions to stop this terrible disease from gaining a foothold again? While I am thankful that our health services perform an excellent job in protecting us I think some of the responsibility should be passed to the Scottish Government.

The game we know as Golf was first developed on the east coast of Scotland. The reason why it originated here is that the ground is perfect for the game. For miles along the coast there are areas of ground known as links which is useless for arable farming as the soil is extremely thin and sandy. These stretches of land were rather uneven and included areas of sand dunes with the whole area covered in grass which was rather spongy and springy underfoot (and perfect for golf).

These areas known as links were perfect for rabbits, sheep and cattle which helped to keep, the already fine, grass short. As well as being poplar with the animals the links were also a useful place for recreation. The name links comes from the fact that the seashore and sand dunes are linked by this land to the more fertile ground further inland.

It is not really known when the game of golf first appeared on the links of Scotland. Many believe that a game similar to the modern games of golf was played around the area of St Andrews as early as the twelfth century. The exact nature of this game or from where the idea came will remain unknown but there are a few things which can be considered as reasonable guesses.

The Roman game of paganica involved the use of a ball and stick. Interestingly the ball was made from a small leather pouch which had been stuffed with feathers. The first golf balls were known as featheries because they too were made from a pouch/ball stuffed with feathers.

Of course there are many games which involve the use of a ball, or a ball and stick, and many games would have been derived from paganica. Some people believe that the Dutch game known as kolven, which is still played today, was the forerunner of golf. Other folk claim that the forerunner was the French game know as chole, or possibly another French game known as jeu de mail. However none of these games have the aim of sinking the ball into a tiny hole as it’s main element so this fact, and several others, discount them.

One thing that we can be certain of is that golf was played in Scotland well before the year 1457. We know this because it was in this year that King James II attempted to ban the game by an act of parliament, and at that time the game was known as Gowf. King James had grown alarmed at the amount of time people spent enjoying the game which he thought would be better spent practising such things as archery!

On the 15th of January 1552 the inhabitants of the town of St Andrews were granted, by  charter, the right to use the local links for all manner of pastimes with several sports mentioned including golf. It must be noted that at this time it was not uncommon for some people to play golf on the Sunday which caused some conflict with the Church. The church banned such sins against the Sabbath and there are records that date back to the sixteenth century of people being punished for such a crime as playing golf on the Sabbath. Even today it is common for golf courses in Scotland to be closed on Sundays.

The first evidence of an organized golf club is a petition made, in 1744, to Edinburgh City Council by the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith for a silver club to be a prize in their annual competition held on Leith Links. Although several other golf clubs claim to be the earliest formed they lack the documentary evidence to prove it. It is therefore the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith (now known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers) that have the honor of being the first.

In Scotland it was not until 1897 that an official set of rules were settled upon. It was in this year that the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews drew up the set of rules which remain the Committees terms of reference to this day. In America this task had fallen upon the United States Golf Association who had created theirs three years previous. Although there was little difference in the rules of both places it was in 1951 that uniformity was sought and the creation of the modern game was complete. I wonder how the famous Tom Morris would shape up against today’s modern greats such as Tiger Woods?

Now I know I have written a few articles here about the Outer Hebrides and I have a category of the same name but should I have named the islands the Western Isles or ‘na h-Eileanan Siar’? For some time now visitors to the islands (which are found off the west coast of Scotland a little further out than the Isle of Skye) have faced the confusion caused by them having two names. Yes these islands are known as both the Outer Hebrides and the Western Isles. While most know them as the former it is actually the later that is the correct postal address for mail. However, following a recent, and extremely expensive, study commissioned by the Western Isles Council it was decided that, from now on, they will concentrate on using the term ‘Outer Hebrides’ rather than the ‘Western Isles’. Unfortunately there is still major confusion with even the local TV weather broadcasts using one term one day then the other the next, even by the same weatherman!

What are we to do? As a writer who regularly writes about this beautiful part of the world am I to write one article about the Outer Hebrides then write another just substituting every mention of the place with Western Isles? I already own a number of sites dedicated to reporting about the Outer Hebrides but do I also need to build similar sites about the Western Isles of Scotland? Because the search engines are software driven how are they to know that the two names refer to the same place? I suppose they can figure a close association between the two but do they actually know it to be the same place – somehow I think not.

Even though it must be a couple of years since the Council decided to stop using the term Western Isles it remains in widespread use. I suppose it would be too greater job and a ridiculous waste of cash to rename all of the government bodies and quangos to match or would it? After spending a ridiculously large amount of money on carrying out a survey on the very question (said to be at least a few hundred thousand UK pounds) the local council has failed to take any of the results into consideration – other than an obligatory nod to them.

I suppose that the status quo will remain while the British post office continues to use Western Isles as the correct postal address the confusion will remain. However why have the council failed to even discuss this problem in the last few years? Even Visit Scotland and the Tourist Council recognised the need to use the word Hebrides in any official publication or web sites at a very early stage. Even more strange when you consider how often these official bodies fail to get it right.

So what are we to do? Should I search for Western Isles accommodation, Hebrides accommodation or Outer Hebrides accommodation when looking for a place to stay?

Confusing to say the least!

A rather short post for me this one but I dare not say any more as I am likely to get pretty angry and say something I may later regret :-O

Edinburgh is Scotland’s capital city, primary vacation destination and home to many of Scotland’s most important festivals including the famous Edinburgh Book Festival (which becomes more popular each and every year). Obviously if you choose to stay in the city for the duration of your Scottish vacation then you will certainly find plenty to do but there may be times when you wish to experience for of this wonderful country.

Day Trips from Edinburgh

One of the great things about basing your vacation in the capital is that the communication links which means that the number of possible day trip destinations is truly immense. One of the most popular places to go on a day trip is the nearby city of Glasgow. Glasgow is a shoppers paradise and, over recent years, the city has worked hard to present itself as a city suitable for vacations. This mainly started to happen after Glasgow became the European Capital of Culture when there was much investment and an awakening of civic pride. Compared to Edinburgh, Glasgow is something of an opposite, where the capital offers historic buildings going back centuries Glasgow’s finest buildings date from it’s heyday years at the end of the nineteenth century. Throughout the city there are countless fine Victorian buildings ranging from glorious housing to your usual bold museums and other civic buildings. For the artistic visitor there are numerous galleries and it has to be said, some of the finest examples of the works of Rennie MacKintosh, especially the famous Willow Tea Rooms (Cranston’s) and the Glasgow School of Art buildings. There is so much more to write about Glasgow but the most important thing is that it is only about an hours train journey away.

Another historic Scottish city that can be found within an hour of Edinburgh is Stirling. Although, at first, it would appear that  Stirling has little to offer the tourist it is only when you look more closely that you begin to realise that it is in the city’s long history that the best tourist attractions are to be found. Top of the list must be Stirling Castle which is one of the finest medieval castles to be found in Scotland and many even claim it to be finer than Edinburgh Castle. Touring the castle can be rather exhausting as the ground is rather hilly and the pathways are mainly cobbled, so, if you have mobility problems, you should plan to take your time. Even for the healthiest of visitors the complete tour can take well over an hour just to cover the basics. Over the years there has been comprehensive restoration works carried out in various parts of the castle. Of special note are the incredible tapestries and the interesting kitchens.

Glasgow and Stirling are only two of the most popular day trip destinations from Edinburgh. There are an incredible number of, widely varied, places to visit including Rosslyn Chapel which is highly popular with conspiracy theorists and fans of the Da’ Vinci Code book and movie. If you are planning a vacation this year remember to book your bed and breakfast or hotel in Edinburgh as early as you can because there are so many festivals held there that they are often fully booked at various times of the year. If you are unable to find anywhere to stay think about booking a hotel in Glasgow, this city is often an excellent choice for a base, especially for the younger visitors who appreciate the city’s vibrant night scene.

The Glasgow Boys were a group/collective of twenty five artists who painted in Glasgow through the 1880s and 1890s. As well as painting Glasgow scenes they also painted rural landscapes in a most colourful fashion. Some of the most famous artists in the group were Sir James Guthrie, George Henry and John Lavery and Culture and Sport Glasgow have struck a deal with the Royal Academy in London to display around a hundred paintings and fifty drawings in 2010 (Easter until August). Culture and Sport Glasgow are a charitable organisation which have the honour of looking after the city’s museums.

As well as appearing in the Royal Academy, London, the Glasgow Boys Exhibition will first appear at Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow. Culture and Sport Glasgow have yet to decide upon which works will be chosen but it is hoped that it will include a selection of Glasgow Boys works taken from some of the private collections of Europe and elsewhere in the world. If the private collectors will allow their paintings to go on display it will certainly make the event extremely important as many of the works in those collections have not been seen before by the public.

Though this is the first large scale exhibition to be staged by Culture and Sport Glasgow it is, most probably, one of Scotland’s most important art events of this century (so far) and the charity hopes that the event will help boost tourism to Glasgow and increase awareness of this wonderful group of artists. If you  are planning to visit Scotland or London to see the exhibition I strongly suggest that you book your London hotels and Glasgow hotels at your earliest opportunity. It can be really upsetting when an opportunity arises to attend something really special but you are unable to get nearby accommodation.

Although the Glasgow Boys, and the later Scottish Colourists, were incredibly influential in Scotland and Europe they also had an impact on the London art scene. However it was only in the year 2000 that the Royal Academy first held a Scottish exhibition when they displayed a collection of works by the Scottish Colourists. For it to take almost a decade for them to have a second exhibition of Scottish art is a damn disgrace. Unfortunately I was not able to visit that exhibition and my main concern is that the Glasgow Boys exhibition will be the last exhibition of Scottish art for a great many years so I will have to make a very special effort to attend this one.

If you have never had the opportunity to see any of the art of the Glasgow Boys then it is possible to see some of their works on display in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery at the moment (other works can be seen in the Hunterian Museum and the Burrell Collection). I shall be going to the Wickerman Festival again this year so I will have to make a point of visiting Broughton House which is in Kirkcudbright (known as the artists town) where, I believe, there is some of the Glasgow Boys art on display. I haven’t yet decided if I will be camping for the duration of my vacation or if I will just camp at the festival then spend a few days in a hotel in Dumfries or Castle Douglas. Whatever I decide to do I will certainly be having fun.

There are a great many things about the Hebrides that make these islands rather unique and certainly very special.  The Hebrides are found off the west coast of Scotland and there are two distinct groups, the Inner Hebrides and the Outer Hebrides. The Inner Isles have always been a popular tourist destination, with the Isle of Skye being one of the most popular, but more and more folk are going the extra distance to visit the Outer Hebrides. The outer islands include the Isle of Lewis, Harris, North and South Uist, Barra and several more inhabited islands and many more uninhabited. Strangely, and rather confusingly, the Outer Hebrides are also known as the Western Isles.  Recent studies have shown that the vast majority of folk much prefer to use the name Outer Hebrides to Western Isles and most are not even aware that the correct postal address is Western Isles – confusing isn’t it!

Anyway, now I have all that out of the way I would like to talk about one of the things that I enjoy most about this part of the world. I have always wanted to be able to paint, maybe I will give it another attempt some time soon, but for now I settle for learning how to take reasonable photographs. There is something really special about the light in the Hebrides, I don’t know what it is, but sometimes there is an almost mystical mood to the place. While there are photo opportunities around virtually every corner I find the sunsets and sunrises the most exciting. Every dusk and dawn produces a whole new vista with different shades and hues. Now I have seen excellent sunsets elsewhere in the world but whenever I visited the Hebrides I was almost guaranteed to see at least two or three spectacular evenings and, if I was up early enough, one or two sunrises, far more than anywhere else I have visited.

Having moved to the Isle of Harris in 1991 I have seen so many spectacular sunsets that I rarely get my camera out. I really must get back into the habit again soon, it’s just simply lazy of me because it is so easy just to say I will catch the next one but every single one is unique so I could really be missing the best opportunities for getting that really special shot. About nine or ten months ago I bought a new camera and during the initial buzz of photographing everything I took to getting up early. Because of the islands being so far north sometimes I just had to stay up late to catch the sun rising because, in the middle of summer, there is often little or no true darkness. I managed to catch a few really nice shots of Hebridean sunrises but I did notice that they do not last as long as the sunsets. So, if you plan to take photographs of sunrises in the Hebrides you really will need to be prepared and ready to go. To be honest the safest bet is to catch the Hebrides sunsets, more often than not, you will get at least a few minutes worth of ‘WOW’ and every week or so, in the summer months, you get an amazing sunset that remains glorious for some time but continually changes until the sun has set completely.

So, in summary, I would say that the Hebrides sunsets easily beat the Hebrides sunrises for two very simple reasons;

1. Sunsets last far longer than sunrises, I don’t know why but they just do!

2. The frequency of spectacular sunsets is far greater than the frequency of spectacular sunrises.

However, there is something unique about catching the sun rising wherever you are. In a city you can enjoy the city coming to life but in the countryside you hear the place awakening. Furthermore everything seems to be crisper and clearer in the mornings whereas in the evenings there is an almost ’soft focus’ effect. Another point to remember is that it is sometimes more sociable to catch a sunset than a sunrise, especially in the summer when the sun rises really early when most people are asleep. If you are having a family vacation in the Hebrides then maybe you could plan for an early morning fishing trip so that other members of the family can enjoy that while you take pleasure in photographing them, the scenery, and, if early enough the sunrise.

If you are staying in self catering accommodation in the Hebrides then getting up extra early should not be a probblem but if you are in a small hotel or in a guest house staying bed and breakfast you may wish to bear in mind that others will be sleeping and may not share your enthusiasm for catching the sun rising.