The anticipated intolerance of a few has led the bungling fools who call themselves Stornoway Amenity Trust to bring forward Hogmanay to avoid causing offence (see link below). It didn’t work. I am deeply offended. Who was asked if it was OK to make their town out to be a laughing stock under the control of religious maniacs? Nor me.
I suspect not even churches were consulted or have even complained. The local bigotry is so deeply ingrained that people in the amenity trust will not even bother to challenge it.
Nothing will change if people sit on your hands. Why didn’t they ask everyone instead of sounding out church elders and deacons who make up their minds before they’re even asked? They knew their dismal record on anything democratic.
These decisions are pathetic and damaging to us and our children. The message they put out again is that Hebrideans are a backward people. If we allow this nonsense in our name, we are absolutely backward. This is why so many potential employers will still not cross the Minch. Things are getting worse here. There is now more religious tolerance in some Arabic states.
Better set some trap’s for that pesky Easter Bunny!
Iain maciver sometimes goes over the top but he is absolutely right here. This is just narrow minded religious intolerance. I really hope they change their mind .
Disgarceful carry on . They didn’t ask anyone. We do not have a say anymore . Was this Charley Nicolson again. If they don’t put it back to when it should be then we should organise ourselves to launch Loud Rockets outside every Church and manse at 3 A.M. on New year’s Morning. Lets bring the fight to them.
Return our Hogmanay, it is time now to show we are not out of step with the real world. I think Catherine is right.
In a true Scottish tradition that I have experienced in my travels many Scots do not start to celebrate at all until mid-night, staying sober until then as well. So the answer is quite clear – boycott this farce and start one huge bring you own booze and fireworks street party at 12 which goes on until dawn at least.
What a load of rubbish! Maybe you should give up your time and be a volunteer on the Amenity Trust.The firework display hasn’t always been at midnight.everyone including christian families are entitled to enjoy the fireworks.so what if they are on early.before having a go at Tony Robson people should realise the work he has done for the community over the years,the same goes for Charlie,who has done more than most and is widely respected in the community by young and old alike
Murdo, calm down dear. Ian X is doing a Clarkson and you are falling for it. Over on Twitter you will see him telling someone that it is not the time that is the issue but the reasons for the change. They have admitted this is not for weathar but for religous reasons. They have consulted people on previous changes but for religiuous reaSONS there is no consultation.
How dare you, John Rennie. I did not call for Tony R to be shot.
Not yet anyway.
Dear Catherine why do you not read the article properly before sounding off.
Quote: “I suspect not even churches were consulted or have even complained.”
Yet you are calling for peoples homes to be attacked in the middle of the night. I hope the local constabulary aren’t reading this blog.
I much preferred when the fireworks were earlier in the evening anyway, this allowed families and kids from all over the island to attend and get home in time for the bells.
Call me old fashioned if you wish but i much preferred when the bells were taken in at home with family then we sauntered round our neighbours and friends for a week or two.
What has happened in previous years when New Year has fallen on Saturday/Sunday? No party at all?
Who provided the funding for the gig and perhaps they should withdraw it? Until such time that 2012 arrives at midnight. If someone had written this as a comedy sketch, it would have been considered far fetched.
“The real world” – Another stupid phrase that doesn’t actually mean anything.
Paul – The real Lewis tradition is that everyone was at home at midnight to bring in the bells.
John,dear,or dear John,my comments were directed at Catherine but because of my limited typing skills,rather like your spelling,another two posts were uploaded.Also i know exactly how our host thinks,We should be grateful to Tony and his fellow Trust members for all they do for our community.some people should realise that sometimes it is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt
,
,
I would drink to that ghillie
Personally I think New Year fireworks should be at … New Year i.e. midnight! But I think you are being a bit harsh on Tony. Midnight = no funding. Don’t shoot the messenger!
If Ms Davis is right and I suspect she is then it is forcing people to comply with threats of withholding funding. That is a scandal.
“There are as many people of English extraction here as Sabbatarians. If they wanted Hogmanay cancelled, should we go along with them? It would be more democratic.”
What the hair oil does that mean?
This is typical of the Stalinist, totalitarian attitude so prevalent these days. The concept of democracy is beyond the grasp of people in positions of power; from governments to quangos to councils, and even down to council officials and similar petty bureaucrats. What those elected to positions of power appear to forget or, more likely, choose to forget, is that their electorates have chosen them to represent their wishes. Similarly, they choose to forget that it is these same people that pay for their over-inflated salaries, perks and pensions. The officials and petty bureaucrats also forget that it is the people that pay their salaries and pensions.
These Stalinists, including the bureaucrats, not only regularly ignore the wishes of the majority of the people, but are so arrogant as to think that they know better than the hoi polloi. They impose their views and party policies and loyalties on the people, and to hell with democracy. The people are treated with utter contempt.
We also have the unelected Stalinists in the form of curamachs and other assorted minority political/pressure groups who are liable to slander anyone who disagrees with their views, and who that think they have the right to impose their particular views on anyone and everyone; even, in some cases, to the extent of expecting the majority to fund their beliefs.
Regarding the current “rules” laid down by some unrepresentative and probably unelected bureaucrats that New Year celebrations in Stornoway shall end at 10pm on the 31st of December, and thus making us the laughing stock of people from all over the world (I have already had a few telephone calls from people overseas who have had great difficulty talking because they are laughing so much), just who do these arrogant numpties think they are?
I sincerely hope that all those who wish to see in the New Year in Stornoway totally ignore these bureaucrats and continue on and have their own ceilidh right through till midnight, and for long afterwards. Let’s hear it for the vox populi, and those that wish to be wet blankets can go home to bed by 10pm.
Just another Saturday night in Stornoway then,the majority of pubs are open till 1 a.m anyway,most with entertainment and the majority of people are at home.There would be no such outcry if the fireworks etc were on xmas eve when most young families would be at home awaiting Santa.I believe the whole idea is to bring the community together,which includes young children who revel at the spectacle.the rest of us can stay out and revel and make a spectacle of ourselves afterwards if we so desire.WELL DONE Tony and the rest of you for showing common sense
Sorry Murdo, I don’t see that moving to 10pm for the sake of young children and families is a reason, never mind a good one. As a child, I can remember being allowed to stay up to see the new year in, and as a parent I have always enjoyed letting my kids stay up and whenever a local event was on, attending it, whether it be a firework display or ceilidh through midnight. And to be honest if that is the reason that is going to be given, well I am sorry but we’re not all stupid.
In years gone by plenty of families have enjoyed the community spirit of welcoming in a new year together at midnight with fireworks and ferry horns in south beach street car park.
The real and ONLY reason that this decision is being made is as Iain rightly states – It will run into Sunday. The same reason that the homecoming concert was rushed to finish before midnight a couple of years ago, and why everything else that might run into a Sunday over which these people have influence or power is prevented from doing so. Shame again on them.
No doubt, there will be plenty of fireworks being let off at the correct time anyway and the ferry will give us a blast or two as always.
Give it a rest, any ecuse to moan!
That’s, ‘Give it a rest, any excuse to moan!’
Advocacy – surely you’re not wishing to curtail debate?
I have read through all the posts again and do not consider anyone to have been moaning, including those putting forward opposing opinions to my own.
If you take that atitude, surely you must consider all debate on this blog as a moan, and if you wish to curtail it you are surely wishing to prevent peoples democratic right to voice their opinion, are you not?
Now, stop moaning and let the rest of us get on with it!
Advocacy that will be you moaning about folk moaning then?
Just discovered this blog- I’ll be back! I remember Hogmanays in past years when roads into town were full of cars, the town centre full of folk, a huge community spirit going on, on the streets and in the pubs. Then the fireworks went off and everybody headed home happy….but, what now?
I’ll certainly be letting off my own rockets at midnight, and I hope many others do- a firework display that’s Stornoway-wide, for the people, by the people! Slainthe!
Stop your moaning, if this had been changed for any other reason nothing would have been said, so stop your moaning, just Mr X stirring it again…….
Breathtaking hypocrisy by Stornoway amenity trust – we need to know who the members are. This is another golf club situation. The pubs are allowed to open on Sunday mornings to 1a.m. – if they want.
Yet again, people are officially allowed to undertake pastimes that are not good for them but a happy family based event is ordered to finish by 11p.m.
If this is Charlie Nicolsons and Tony Robsons idea of a good community event, I would love to hear their reasons.
Donald, what about the other years it was on early too, nothing said about it then. You are so sad if this is all you’ve got to gripe about.
Why didn’t you vent your anger those years, get a life…………… that includes the rest of you sado’s too.
Advocacy the principle here is very important. My daughter only got home this weekend to see her dying cousin because decent people with humanity stood up to so called Christians who tried to stop Sunday flights.
The world is changing and people are no longer willing to be dictated to by people who think they know better. However there are still plenty dinosaurs like you who have no backbone or intelligence to stand up to dictatorial pen pushers and idiots who believe they have the ear of God.
Nice one Advocacy – resort to personal insults – a sign of real intelligence.
Anyway there are possibly two options:
1. Maybe the Golf Club could organise a bring your own for midnight!
2. Get the crew that did the fireworks in Oban the other week and bring the new year in with a bang and infringe on the numpties “Sabbath” by only one minute.
Roddy, sorry to hear about your dying cousin.
Quote “However there are still plenty dinosaurs like you who have no backbone.” That’s a contradiction!
And to continue the remaining part of your stupid statement, quote – “or intelligence to stand up to dictatorial pen pushers and idiots who believe they have the ear of God.” What you on about…….?
Bypassing the troll Advocacy’s arrogance, dodgy grammar and bad spelling, surely the point here is that while the Amenity Trust have the right to schedule the event at whatever time they choose, the reason given for the change was guaranteed to kick up a stooshie.
When we live on an island where planes fly on Sunday, ferries sail on Sunday, (some) shops and bars open on Sunday, isn’t it about time the Trust realised times are changing? If the event was scheduled for midnight on Saturday night, you can bet there would be plenty of open-minded Christians there along with those of other faiths and none.
Why it is that otherwise intelligent reasonable people in their everyday lives capitulate to this oppressive Presbyterianism year on year is a mystery indeed.
Just look around the island on a Sunday. Planes are flying.., has the island changed?.. No
Ferries sailing…has the island changed?….No
Are the churches still full?….Yes
So what’s a simple New Year bash going to do to all this?…Absolutely nothing!!!
Get a life guys!
Lets ask the real questions here-
Why is it this event they are making such a fuss over?
Because if it had been a smaller event then i imagine that the amount of attention these people are getting would be tiny compared to this and it would have blown over by now, in my honest opinion i think that this truly has been an attention seeking move on their part, not only have they got a huge response from Lewis but Scotland as a whole and even further out as i saw in some posts as other countries, this entire situation is all about money, control, leverage and the will to excert it for their own means!
Why should people be forced to organise around what other people want?
The answer is simple: Power and the will to excert it for gain and attention, seems to me that the minoroties have resorted to “Any publicity is good publicity” and everyones falling for it, the more attention we give them the more power they get and the more swing that comes with what they say, in situations like this we should leave them alone and do what we want to do because as time goes on and we ignore them more then they’ll resort to more extreme tactics showing their true colours if they are a tad loopy, if not then they’ll calm down as well. Those who want a Hogmanay night have to be the bigger people and just ignore this desperate attempt in poor taste to bring silly arguments to a good night.
I don’t think God or Religion have anything to do with this entire situation, in fact i imagine that quite a few Christians are furious in the way their religion has been used in this case, the people who have used it in such a way to hide what they truly want to say should be ashamed of themselves and those who are still trying to stir trouble even more so.
This is all just a bad case of attention seeking using controversial means under the guise of a minority group.
Remember this is just my opinion so please don’t flame and if you don’t understand il try my best to explain exactly what i mean, all in all i really hope that everyone inside and outside of this situation whatever their feelings are on the matter can come to some sort of arangement to stop this in future, preferably a comprimise by both sides!
Are you really going to allow this to happen? Do you have any respect for your country at all? And to think you are fighting for independence. If this is the way it’s going you may as well just hang it up. Stop dreaming you have given all of them away. And it is for this very reason my Grandparent’s left Scotland. If it happens here it will also happen in Glasgow so on and so forth. The last person out grap the flag.
Hogmanay is the traditional Scottish celebration of the start of the new year, and is celebrated FROM midnight on the 31st of December, not BY midnight.
The trust doesn’t seem to understand the significance of this.
The sitting councillors have only till next may to exert their fundamentalist bigoted policy on us.
The new councillors must ensure they don’t award any funds to the Stornoway Amenity Trust; the trust is acting as a private club on behave of the church, using public money to host an event that is going to exclude majority of us.
This could put any further funds to the Trust in Jeopardy if it seems that they are misusing public money.
It is not against the law of the land to celebrate Hogmanay at midnight as far as I know.
The New Year celebration has nothing to do with church, as it is not a religious event, so any religious minded group should choose to take part or not in what is a secular event but, should have no influence over the timing or location of the event itself.
I hope in an independent Scotland church and government would be separated.
BarvasBilly, who knows whether it would make any difference, guess we won’t find out, this time. They’ve had them earlier before and there was no “stooshie” over it, but the religious bigots get something to attack with, so they do. Mr X needs followers so generates the anger, then people like Ann follow like little lost lambs…………
Ann – quote “Why it is that otherwise intelligent reasonable people in their everyday lives capitulate to this oppressive Presbyterianism year on year is a mystery indeed.”
And why is it you do, what have you done to prevent this, what campaign are you on at present to stop it …….. please do tell. You must be a martyr to the cause, with such a statement, or, just a big mouth!
Can you, being of such ‘intellectual elevation’ please explain to me, what the Stornoway Trust has got to do with this?
Debera Morrison Howard – what a load of rubbish you talk!
Dovahkiin, do explain further why they are ‘attention seeking’.
Sorry Advocacy, I don’t respond to bilge written by angry trolls. Goodbye
Well its one of the biggest events of the year, they’ve had plenty of days over the last few years in which they’ve been spoiled for choice when other holidays have landed on sundays but to no protest so its clearly to make a big splash with their views and they got it, its in the local paper, the Daily Record, Facebook and Storonoway which says to me that they wanted two things out of this entire situation to be noticed and be heard with maximum effect, everyones running round reading the articles and trying to find out more about whats happening which means that your being exposed to their views and beliefs in a third-hand way, its quite a clever cycle.
1- Not being noticed on a large scale, would like more power about decisions.
2- Select a target, something well loved and recieved well by everyone of all faiths and creeds.
3- Make outrageous demands with out fully explaining them.
4- Demands get picked up by local media -> Molehill turns into mountain and the public offended and intrigued start writing, talking and phoning about this little minority group.
5- with lack of information the public have to enquire as to what this minority is and what it does causing the media to believe there is a demand for this information making them churn out more news.
6- Now with the news everywhere and everyone talking about them they’ve got tons of free publicity and at least 1 person will join them after reading about them in the news or on forums which in thier eyes will be a victory.
7- Now being heard and all this public interest the minority can make demands to anyone they like within a resonable stretch and if their refused they plead minority and prejudice, which in turns churns up more news and more people joining via sympathy, repeat the process till whatever your goal was folds in (The Council)
8- Move on to next goal and repeat.
They’ve voiced an extreme view on well loved subject and used the plea that their a miniority to get what they want, they’ll roll out the sympathy and prejudice card every chance they get as time moves on. This entire situation might have been about Religious views and beliefs at one point but now Gods been back benched for publicity and their religion is now leverage being used in the PR sympathy.
Its a sad fact that in Britain if something is against a Minority view then the minority usually wins because our governments and all the trickle downs hate to be seen as Un-PC, Prejudice or anything else, they have to play neutral even if that means meeting outrageous demands.
Dovahkiin, I think I see where you’re going with your protracted argument, but think in this case it might be you making a ‘mountain out of a molehill’. You also use the word ‘they’ throughout the post without making it clear to whom you’re referring.
I thought a hogmanay party was on 31st december…or has hogmanay been moved to 1st january?
Roddy your comments are nonsense,the vast majority of us will at some time or another thank these same people you put down on when we attend weddings baptisms and funerals of loved relatives and friends,give it a rest,read my previous quote by Mark Twain
Ann, try answering the questions being asked of yourself first, assuming you’re able to do so, before making demands on others. Your excuse for avoiding them is pathetic.
But having just read Mr X’s latest story, this pales into insignificance!
Panda same applies to you.check what you think are facts before making stupid comments
Yes, whatever you say, Advocacy. Goodbye again.
But I do agree with your second paragraph.
Of course we have the Labour Party influence on the Trust and we have already debated their moral stance.
Laughable. How can you possibly celebrate the New Year at 22:00?
You might as well have it on Friday instead and enjoy yourselves?
Surely if you receive funding for a New Year Celebration then that’s what it has to be used for. Not for a pandering to bunch of Religious Fundamentalists.
The New Year officially starts at midnight. All over Britain fireworks will be released, here in Stornoway they were never fantastic anyway, more a damp squib! if you wish to celebrate at midnight feel free and enjoy.
If the lazer show of last year is anything to go by it’ll be no great loss.!
At one time..All pubs etc closed early to allow staff to take in New Year with their family:-)I have spoken to many church goers and they seriously have no problem with the event going on at midnight.
Please dont tar everyone with the same brush..and Rory, I agree with you..it was poor
This town is the laughing stock of Scotland, people don’t believe this stuff actually goes on, like at one point not being able to get to the island on a Sunday. There are religious people on the mainland and it doesn’t stop them celebrating New Year at the ACTUAL time. Its no wonder why young folk don’t want to come back to live one the Island, many wouldn’t blame them. Why bother with this ‘New Year’ bash? We shouldn’t have to celebrate hours before the rest of the country!!
This is horrendos. They are putting it on early and ordering people away at 11 p.m. They didn’t ask us if that is what we wanted to do.
It is a sign of how poor and weak our council is that none of them have spoken out saying this is wrong. They just go along with Charlie Nicolsons orders and he has consiulted no one at all.. Where is the demcracy. Where is the accountability. What else are they doing without telling us.
As a churchgoer I am offended because it is trampling over peoples rights with no justification . Thatf not what Christians should do .
You can celebrate anytime tou like,no one has been ordered out of town at eleven p.m.the people who give up their time to put this show and manys others have to make decisions that some people will be unhappy with,others will agree with,stop moaning and get on with it,or maybe you could put on an alternative display,plan it,run it, organize it.the vast majority of those wanting to watch fireworks etc will go regardless of the time,including i suspect most of the minority who are complaining instead of thanking the likes of Tony and Charlie
Murdo : you and the trust are walking like an Egyptian. You don’t care that your view are in the minority and you will not ask people their views before coming out with nonsense like this.
You woiuld make a great politician – in cairo.
maybe you should be on the Amenity Trust committee,they are the ones w
ho make the decisions..i did not say i agree with them,only respect them.
What exactly am i to ask anyone’s viewpoint on? did you ?If as you say you are a churchgoer,so what by the way,it is not relevant,maybe you should take more heed of what you hear there especially in this instance about keeping the sabbath.and how do you know who’s views are in the minority?eiyher way the majority is not always right.
With all the discussion we are starting to miss the point. It is our freedom of choice that is being taken away to pllease devout christians. If these devout christians were true christians they would be more understanding that they don’t have the monopoly on all moral values. One of the reasons why the christian church has splintered into various denominations is due to disagreement and an unwillingness to understand that the bible is open to interpretation.
Graham what rubbish. It is clear what the good book says.
Thank you Graham . Could not have put it better . Murdo I suspect is some kind of mixed up fellow who thinks religious people are never wrong. He feels he has to respect trhese people because hes been brought to believe he should even though these people are plainly acting wrongly.
To intolerant presbyterians, and Catholics and Muslims, there is only one interpretation that counts and thats their own.
talk about wrong interpretation,if you had read correctly i said i respected the decision of the amenity trust in this instance,my views on other religious matters are of no consequence and have no relevance here
I should think that your last sentence could just as easily be applied to yourself as you dont seem to have any respect for anything you do not agree with,
First of all my first comment was not directed at anyone. Secondly I have stated a fact about one of the reasons why we have so many denominations. Now if murdo mackinnon or should I say advocacy disagrees with me so be it. I don’t want to impose my view on anybody unlike some. There are those who feel that the fireworks show should be held earlier because they it is against their religeous beliefs to have them early on the Sunday. They have a choice, they can watch them at midnight or go to their bed. What these people don’t have is the right to tell others that they can’t have the firework display at midnight because it is not in line with their beliefs.
Graham,you obviously did not notice my last comments were not directed at you but community councillor,don’t get so {fire}worked up over it,what has advocacy got to do with what i write?
However your last sentence is total hypocracy
Has anybody got any evidence that any religious individual or group put pressure on the Amenity Trust in regard to this matter or is it another case of S**t stirring by certain individuals?
I still cant grasp the idea or the point in setting the New Year firework off before New Year has even came in. The whole point in them is welcome in 2012, so why even bother at all with them if they cant even do that?! The people who run the Amenity Trust are making this Island a JOKE, its in the newspapers this whole story so does that not tell say something!
Aye you shouldn’t believe everything you read
Murdo knows better.
He can see there is two sides to everything,however i see you choose to come out with idiotic comment rather than reply to my previous post to your nonsense
you silly person,you only have to read last sentence in your original post to see how hypocritical you are
Who is your post referring to Murdo?
Graham you also have a choice ,you can watch them or go to bed till they are over.your arguement is pathetic
Sorry Fiona community councillor
This is just a nonsense, tell me, anyone, when were the fireworks EVER held at midnight?
Graham – Quote: “They have a choice, they can watch them at midnight or go to their bed. What these people don’t have is the right to tell others that they can’t have the firework display at midnight because it is not in line with their beliefs.”
This statement is as relevant to yourself and your compatriots, as it is to those you’re directing it at. What gives ‘you’ the right to have them at midnight? What ‘does’ give someone the right to make this decision, is, that they have been given the burden of responsibility to make it? In my ‘short’ time on this planet of ours I have found two type of people, the ‘doers’ and the ‘idle’. The idle often moan about what the doers do, because they’re too lazy to get off their backsides to do anything about it themselves……….
The reason these decisions are taken is because they’re the views and opinions of those taking them, obvious I hear you say, yes it is, and the reason being (and to repeat myself again), they got of their backsides to be in a position to take decisions, unlike ‘you’ and many others like you…………
If you don’t want a repeat of this in the future, run for election for one of the many positions available over the coming years, or all of them. If not, belt up! This too is obvious, to those on the other side of the fence!
Community Councillor – instead of griping on here why don’t you (in your position) make your feelings known to the Amenity Trust, I suspect you haven’t the ‘goolies’ for it. You may be one of the many silent councillors on community councils only there for the gossip!
Advocacy – There have been many “doers” over the many years they have spent on this little planet; Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and the many others. Didn’t make them right in the decisions they made did it? Did they have the right to make them?
nae limits – I believe I attended a church service 2009-2010 that ran to midnight and most of those attending then walked down through the snow to watch the fireworks at Bayhead. Last year I didn’t go to watch what I thought would be a dissapointing laser show – so can’t remember when that was held. I have quite a few pictures of fireworks over the ferry from previous years at midnight, with a hoard of on lookers in the South Beach Street car park, and remember for a few years attending a Ceilidh in the Town Hall and going out at midnight to watch the display. So in my experiennce the display is, as one would expect, normally at midnight, because they are what it says on the Ammenity Trust Website “New Year Fireworks”.
I must admit that my memory is not good enough to remember whether it was these midnight displays that I often bumped into Charlie Nicolson collecting with a bucket to contribute to the running costs, but can’t remember any other time when there was a display when that could have been the case.
Mr Placid – you’re missing my point – my point is that whoever is in the position to make a decision will more than likely make the decision best suited to their own beliefs, like unfortunately, some of those you mentioned.
No churches consulted. No pressure from churches on this decision making process. No street patrols enforcing an 11pm curfew. Essentially; there will be a free fireworks display at 11, then you can do whatever you please. A non-story, and a load of hot air from the usual suspects.
I can tell you the fireworks have never been at midnight, the occasion you are thinking about was at 1 am, to enable folk to take in the bells and then go in town to watch them, then they were changed to 8 pm, to enable those living out in the sticks to get to see them, and then head home for the bells, as i understand it, the whole event was trying to be more family friendly too, you cannot bring the kids out to watch them at 1 am, or 10 pm for that matter. 8 pm was a perfect time, i don’t know why they changed it.
Not quite right – the occasions I refer to were shortly after midnight to welcome in the New Year with a bit of a celebration. That’s what we do in Scotland, and the rest of the world!
Maybe the Ammenity Trust should just change their advertising to “Old Year Fireworks”.
Santiago – No consultation – exactly Iain’s point – there never needs to be because the Ammenity Trust is so closely associated to the Stornoway Trust and so long as the display is to take place on Stornoway Trust Land it will never be on a Sunday – no need to ask the Trustees the answer is known.
Mr Placid – don’t be so sad, you are pathetic!!
But it is patently absurd to comment about “the religious” and “the Taliban” and “human rights” when no churches or church leaders have even offered an opinion on the matter. It’s being turned into a flagship for religion-bashing based on stereotype, Chinese whispers and assumption. Who knows, next year the Trust might just concede defeat and spend the money elsewhere, faced with such a thankless task.
Santiago are you a fool , Tony Robson admitted in the newspaper that it was brought forward for religious reasons. How thick are you .
Charlie Mac, how rude are you?
They are unlikely to receive funds if they don’t concedene.
Public money comes with a great deal of responsibility, I am sure Charlie is quite aware of this.
Just because the fireworks have never been at midnight in Stornoway, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be at midnight this year.
I apologize for my spelling mistake.
What I meant to say was; They will not receive any further funding if they don’t concede.
Seasons Greetings to you too Advocacy. Are you lost for reasoned argument again? Which part of my posts do you find so objectionable that you consider me and my statements as pathetic??
Just stating things the way they are.
Mr Placid – seasons greetings at 10pm on 31/12/11.
To clear up any confusion, here it is – quote: “Maybe the Ammenity Trust should just change their advertising to “Old Year Fireworks”.
Advocacy – OK Seasons Greetings at 10pm on 31/12/2011, New Year Fireworks at 00:00:01am 1/1/2012!
I think your insult a bit OTT in response to a bit of light humour which these blogs need from time to time!
Mr Placid, this blog certainly requires good humour! Please accept my apologies and do continue.
Are your fireworks not late, I hope they’re a private showing, if not, you’ll have the anti religion brigade after you, accusing you of jumping ship! Should they not be at 00:00:00 am and not 00:00:01 am?
They’re on a short fuse – about 1 second! Longer than many?
If you can’t understand the difference between someone making a minor judgement call based on their own understanding of broad religious opinion on the islands, and someone making a decision based on actual consultation with religious people on the islands, then it’s not me who is the “fool”. I suspect most, if not all, religious islanders will be staying up past midnight, and I suspect most, if not all, would not care two hoots about what time some fireworks are lit. What a storm in a teacup.
Is that the fireworks you’re talking about……………….
Read today’s Gazette, shame on all you people who have been ‘griping’ on here. The fireworks and street party are early so that families can take their young children along, sounds like a very good reason to me!! Then everyone (family) can get home in time to take the bells in together, sounds like a very good reason to me!!
Shame on you lot, and in particular Iain X for using this as a platform to bash church goers, religion and anything remotely connected to it. You’re a sad lot, hang your heads in shame………. I doubt it very much!
You are so transparent when it comes to this Mr X, and all your little sheep – who follow your lead no matter where you take them as long as you’re doing your usual, slagging the church – it’s what you do best, but poorly!
Advocacy is such a two faced idiot.
Can he not see that the gazette effort is the PR spin to make it look like it is about families. Think about it. If that was truly the case why didnt Tony Robson say that to the Sunday mail instead of saying it was to avoid offending the religious sensitivities? Maybe because it isn’t true ? Tony R was honest to the Sunday mail and now the church people have dropped on him from a great height for telling the truth. That is a a fact.
The Gazette will report what it is told to report. It is extremely conservative does not rock the boat because the editor wants to keep his or her job. There is no proper analysis showing the differeing views. Ian x thankfully does not doff his cap to anyone will report what he thinks and what all sensible people think .
Catherine, how rude are you! Are you always so abusive and angry? It might help you to calm down, try relaxing dear – fireworks aren’t that important…… are they?
Sunday Mail, such an honest paper………..
Quote, “Now the church people have dropped on him from a great height for telling the truth. That is a a fact.” Never knew this………please tell more, who were the church ‘people’? You have so much information………… have you tried working for a newspaper, possibly the Sunday Mail?
PS, did Pastor X recruit you or did you find him, he has such a conscientious following? He loads the bullets and his little followers are so happy to fight the battles. You have a little religious cult of your own.
May I suggest you sit and relax for a moment before replying……..so your blood pressure doesn’t become a problem!
Catherine, I’m confused about the “two faced” comment, I’d be ever so grateful if you could explain……
FFS The fireworks have never, thats NEVER been on at midnight.
I have to laugh at all the people on here who are so concerned about their own rights that they are going to set off fireworks, in the middle of the night where they live, irrespective of whether this is going to be acceptable for their neighbours. I dont suppose many people will mind, but have you asked their view!! Many of you seem to think you should be asked about everything so it’s only right if you are considering such action that you should consult those affected
Seems to me many who shout about democracy are really espousing MEocracy
Ghillie – cracker!! Well said.
If “Catherine” isn’t a pseudonym for Ian X, then that level of sycophancy is just plain embarrassing. Quite the high horse to be speaking on behalf of “all sensible people”!
The only PR spin in this laughably trivial story is the implication of some sinister religious plot to force people into bed by midnight.
i am not embarassed at all to agree with him on this kind of matter. You should be embarassed that you are so gullible as to believe what the gazette and Charlie nicolson tells you to believe .What is Santiago a pseudonym for. D******* ?
Catherine, I thought we agreed you would try and relax, you don’t seem to be having much success, here you go again, abusive and angry behaviour….
You really do have to try and calm down dear……., if not, there are angry management classes you can try.
BTW, the issue wasn’t about you agreeing with him, rather sucking up!
P*** OFF !!!
Seems to have been more than one storm last night.One due to low pressure,one due to high pressure,storms never last,do they?…….unless it’s an X tra vicious one,even they subside eventually and peace and tranquility will resume….till next time
Murdo, only got a warning for one of them though! One subsided very early on while the other raged well into the late evening.
105 comments, and no-one seems to be any further ahead than at the start. Makes me wonder what value blogs on subjects like this really have.
I have edited some recent comments that have been made here. It has been necessary to remind the person concerned about their responsibilities and how they can lose the right to be heard if they do not recognise them. Sorry, folks.
Ann, what do you expect from the blog?
It is always worth remaining placid whilst blogging! Better for the blood pressure as well as showing a little respect for others even if at time you don’t feel they deserve it.
The Gazette report suggests the “spokesperson” must have taken on board my suggestion of not calling them “New Year Fireworks” but “End of Year”, excellent – nice to be listened to!!!! Not sure why they are going with this “Blast Design” crew instead of the lot that provided the most famous display in the world at Oban though??
Who is this “spokesperson” anyway, that they didn’t want to be named?
Anyway the Amenity Trust do excellent work and the organising of such events should be applauded.
However, the reports do conflict somewhat as to the reason:
The planned fireworks display will be brought forward from midnight to 10pm in case it over-runs.
Tony Robson, of the Stornoway Amenity Trust, said: “We thought it was best to respect the local tradition and finish things at 11pm.
“We did not want to risk any conflict with those who may be offended and believe that people will still enjoy the night.
So who is Tony talking about being offended? Families of young children or Sabbatarians? Oh, and what happened to the £7000 funding?
Anyway – it is the way it is going to be.
I use the term Sabbatarian as opposed to Church-goer or more importantly Christian. There is a difference, though thinking about it more even Sabbatarian may not be strictly correct when we are talking about Sunday Observance.
£7000 is public money, the Trust dos not have a mandate to spend it otherwise.
The planes and boat run, the pubs and restaurants are open on Sundays; Why would Sabbatarian be offended by Hogmanay celebrations run into Sunday? Who has started this local tradition, is it not the church? Hogmanay is much older than the church is.
Flaming heck !! this is only about fireworks and some religeous bigots. Has the world come to an end.
I smell a rat. Why has the Gazette not investigated why the latest excuse is completely different to what Tony ROBSON said to another newspaper? I hope there is no undeclared connection between that great campaigner for truth, the Stornoway Gazette, and Mr Tony ROBSON. I think we should be told.
It’s readers are being treated like mushrooms. It’s about time that editor was sacked. The paper is very badly written and laid out and it is extortionate advertising prices.
Robot 1, what you on about?
The Trust should not use public money to impose their bigotry on the rest of us(non Sabbatarians).
Hogmanay is at midnight and doesn’t finish at 11.00 o’clock; the Trust either doesn’t understand the significance of this or chooses to ignore it.
The Trust should not use public money to impose their bigotry on the rest of us(non Sabbatarians).
Hogmanay is at midnight and it doesn’t finish at 11.00 o’clock on the 31st of December; the Trust either doesn’t understand the significance of this or chooses to ignore it.
I stopped buying the Gazette a long time ago, for local information I read the Heb News.
Investigative journalism seems to be dead on this Island.
It is not just about Fireworks; it is because the Sabbatarian are trying to impose their will on the rest of us.
Robot 1, quote:- “Hogmanay is at midnight”.
Utter rubbish, if you’re going to engage your brain and open your mouth at least know what you’re talking about. I just wonder how many of the displays you’ve actually been at in the past anyway…………..!
Your religious intolerance is ‘glaring’, and obviously the basis on what’s behind you joining this ‘stormy’ debate, to satisfy your ‘own’ form bigotry. Your lack of knowledge and understanding is just as transparent, where did you get the figure of £7000 public funding from? I would suggest you keep your ‘robotic’ brain and mouth, firmly programmed to remain idle, until someone (Mr X) reprogrammes you with the latest software in the form of ‘actual facts’ (assuming it’s not pirate software he uses, which will be corrupted with his usual bigoted viruses), you would then be in a position to put across a rational comment. The problem with this ‘robot’ is that it’s only as good as its programmer, in this case bigoted!
BTW, the definition of hogmanay is: “in Scotland, the last day of the year and the parties to celebrate it which start in the evening and continue until the next day” obviously does need reprogramming!
Why do you read the “Heb News” if, as you claim, “Investigative journalism seems to be dead on this Island”. Is this another of your silly inaccurate statements, surely you just mean the gazette has no investigative journalism!
I wonder if the Stornoway FP church is aware of Advocacy’s postings?
I wonder what they’d make of them?
Ann, “Stornoway FP church” – what have they do with my comments, please do explain??
can you sign this petition please
share if possible too! 
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stornowayhogmanay/
Kerri Macrae, a quote from your petition: “We believe that it is unfair for a small minority to dictate that we will not be able to celebrate at midnight with our families and friends.”
No one is stopping you from celebrating at midnight, and what gives you the right to dictate that she should be at midnight?
I despair of some of this stupidity. Nobody is saying you can’t celebrate. Nobody is suggesting Stornoway “brings in” the New Year at 11pm. Nobody is suggesting an 11pm curfew, and no religious people/groups have yet commented, threatened, suggested or otherwise engaged with this entire subject.
Free fireworks display at 11pm, just like every other year. Get over it.
It’s not about the time to them, if the 100 odd comments have proved anything it’s that.
It’s about attaching the blame to religion, l doubt many of them care about the fireworks or have even been there in the past!
well done advocacy you must have been reading my earlier posts
and santiago
some are QUICK TO CRITICISE MAYBE WE WILL SEE CATHERINE,KEVIN ,PAUL,JONH,GUGA,BARVAS BILLY,DAVID,RODDY,ANN,DEBERA,PANDA,EMIGRANT,RORY,FIONA,COMMUNITY COUNCILLOR,GRAHAM,CHARLIE MAC,CALUM AND ROBOT MARCHING IN PROTEST IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS LED BY MR X WITH HIS MIC..I DOUBT IT.MOST OF THEM WILL BE HIDING IN THE SHADOWS ENJOYING THE SHOW SAME AS THE REST,MAYBE THE AFORE MENTIONED SHOULD FORM THE NEXT AMENITY TRUST…WHO SHOULD BE THE CHAIRPERSON??
Spot on Murdo!!
Are advocacy and murdo mackinnon the same person ? Their subjective view of life and the church are almost identical along with their bigoted argument which is almost as if it was one. One thing I have to say is that they appear to be stringing people along with their poor single minded stance. I have also read various blog inputs which suggests that advocacy is a young man who is a member of the local labour party who becomes defiant in support when the anti labour debate gets too hot. I don’t if this is true but I’m starting to thing there might be some truth in it. Most certainly the defence of the church ties in with the accusations that the church minded people are dominating the party. Does anyone else have this feeling about advocacy ?
lol go back and read aprevious blog…in case you cant find it….sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear foolish than open it and remove all doubt
tou seem to select comments from other peoples comments ,take them out of context and try to twist them to suit your own narrow minded selfish point of view
Robort ,like Robot 1,i think there must be a malfunction in your programme or maybe you had some storm damage last night because you are clearly a few slates short
BIGOT??? ask someone to read you a dictionary
Haha!!
Advocacy seems to be using personal abuse and downright rudeness to discourage anyone who disagrees with him from taking part in this debate. For example, he goaded Catherine with his, “Calm down dear, it’s only a commercial” act until she told him where to go and stopped contributing to the discussion. I suspect that many of the bloggers who, like myself, write under pseudonyms do so only to isolate themselves from these personal attacks.
This blog is very useful as it is only real online outlet for discussion of local issues. It may be more useful if the editorial policy for commenters were to include sanctions for personal abuse, as this may raise the level of discussion considerably. This could be enhanced yet further by banning the use of “noms de plume” as these seem to promote discourtesy and general bad behaviour by divorcing the commenter from the consequences of his or her actions.
Well, Advocacy and Murdo Mackinnon are certainly tenacious if nothing else. The regularity and volume of their posts makes me wonder if they actually have a life outside this blog. Perhaps they are disgruntled imports from a certain local accountant’s blog which has gone awfully quiet of late? There were absolutely loads of nutters there at one time. The thought is too funny.
Thanks to them both (if they are indeed two) for providing me and no doubt plenty others with such (largely unintentional) laughs on this thread in particular. Without their invaluable and incisive input (in both lower AND UPPER CASE), this thread would have no more than say 20 to 30 posts, then been quietly forgotten about.
Delicious irony, gentlemen! Keep it up: you’re doing sterling work here!
Good post, Mary.
Robert, just a few short questions for you, they should be easy enough for you to answer as you’re the author of the accusations.
(1) Why would Advocacy and Murdo be the same person without disclosing it, have you have some reason for this puzzling suggestion?
(2) Why would I hide being part of the local labour party (apart from, for all the obvious reasons I’ve battled on about for the last few weeks!!!!).
(3) Why can’t people have similar views about something, is this an alien concept to you?
(4) How does being ‘single minded’ (as you call it) string people along, (bizarre)?
Quote: “Does anyone else have this feeling about advocacy “? It’s okay to stand alone with your feelings, although insecurity can be an awfully unsettling state of mind!
Can I suggest that also those using the word ‘bigot’ (on the other side of this fence) so freely to describe and attack, all those disagreeing them, check the ‘real’ meaning of the word before using it, again.
BTW, I must thank you for the “young” inclusion, in an incoherently wild selection of accusations…….
I remember Labour at my door last May, tenacious nutters they were just like advocacy rambo and his best mate murdo the wacko mackinnon. I was undecided who to vote for, needless to say they helped them. I asked a simple question only to get a response which I couldn’t share. These people were just like wacko and jacko not very bright, single minded minus any logic.
Ann / Mary you are right , they are amusing with the reasoning of their argument. I’ve seen a sharper hampster than those pair.
Your a hoot rambo……sorry advocacy……..a real hoot.
Ann, your selective ability to retain some posts, while ignoring others, is consistent with your kindred spirits………. However, I must agree with your comment about personal abuse, but it’s disappointing you fail to notice those ‘most’ responsible for their instigation. So, like your compatriots, your contribution to this debate is somewhat predictable and disappointing, because you fail to notice the short comings of your fellow ‘religion bashers’!
I am fully aware when I may ‘overstep’ the mark, and I raise my hand to those times, however, and not making a defence for this, they are often in response to people who have themselves overstep the mark. So, if you’re going to take the moral high ground in defence of your argument and friends, at least have the common decency to also notice their ‘below par’ behaviour!
I’ve said this before but will repeat it for those that missed it, fortunately Mr X, for all his faults, like my own, is a firm ‘believer’ and advocate of free speech, and gives the opportunity to ‘everyone’ to contribute sensibly under an alias, and for obvious reasons – as is so apparent on his blog. It opens up valued debate, which is often heated, as the issues discussed are often very controversial. He himself is a relentless soldier for his causes, and I often wished he sat on the other side of the fence.
Mary, I rest my case – I assume Robert ‘is’ one of your mercenaries – fighting the cause, just because it ‘is’ a cause!
Rambo and wacko alias advo and murdo are good laugh, must be great when they howl at the moon. Freedom of speech is something which know little about, in fact you know little about anything other than your bigoted views. Are you the secretary rambo ?
what an idiot.time you got a grasp of the english language,maybe we should correspond in gaelic as that has only 18 letters in its alphabet
Ann,tongues and cheeks?ever heard of it?lol put the right bait on the hook, some sucker will bite.
De do bheachd fhein Iain?is e a btitheadh math
Your right wacko, you bit………cod brain
You and most whom i mentioned before took it hook line snd sinker,Mr X may not be a good fisherman but he knows how to set the bait
Robort i think you are getting your net in a tangle,careful before you drown {or choke}on your own stupid comments.you sounding like a wee fish in a small pond,getting out of your intellectual depth
OOOPS BIG POND
Wacko you couldn’t get your net in a tangle as your to thick. As far as you are concerned intellectual is not a word which you would know anything about. You and seaweed are on par when it comes to intellect.
Just to show how stupid you are go look back at previous blogs in relation to politics,you will then see how stupid your comments are…look before you leap and all that
you see you cannot answer simple questions,you resort to insults instead,shows your mental capacity,you a tory?Or a councillor?
You know about abuse and insults, that is all you have given to the ladies, You are a bigot and a bully.
There have been more fireworks on this blog than we’ll get at hogmanay thankfully there were a few brighter sparks than you to debate with,then again you always get a dud
Explain your reasoning please?Bigot and Bully?have you found a dictionary yet? i await your reply with interest…yawn
as i write there have been 158 comments on this blog,i have replied to two ladies,can you point out where i abused or insulted them?
Robert, give it a rest. It’s absolutely pathetic now.
I’m all for a bit of a wind up, which unfortunately sometimes results in people getting a bit riled – but your behaviour is destroying this debate!!
You know a lot about duds, you are the biggest dud of all. Obviously you don’t know how to use a dictionary or you wouldn’t be asking me to look it up for you.
Why don’t you go back to the other blogging site with all your loony labour pals.
Rambo you were never in a debate, you just want to be abusive to others.
You apologies to the ladies if you can because I don’t think you are man enough. If you do apologies i will go.
I think i’ll go and entwine myself in seaweed and wash my hands of you before the rest of your roof blows of and you’ll be exposed to all and sundry for the idiot you have made of yourself with your comments.GO CHECK YOUR FACTS
Maybe Mr X could forward all my previous contributions to previous debates to you,then you might reslise how deep a hole you are digging for yourself,dig too deep ,it will cave in
By the way,your last comment speaks volumes
I knew you were not a proper man, just a bully.
HELP HELP Iain,Mr X,Mr Maciver,in your headline we have quango’s maniacs and laughing stocks.Now i know it’s approaching the festive season but do we need another turkey?
You should know, you have been stuffed and it was easy.
YOU ever see a cat play with a mouse?
You enjoying your cheese, you squeak some when you are cornered.
YOU silly person you have not made any sensible contribution to this debate,you won’t even answer simple questions.you make statements and accusations but when asked to clarify your own comments you seem unable to do so,instead you resort to abuse and a futile attempt at humour,PATHETIC, you are no better at that than you were at debating,go replace your tiles,if wit were sh++ you’d need a laxative.come back and join us when you learn to understand what you read Santa will come down my chimney first ,it be easy for him at your house as your roof seeems to have blown off.Merry xmas.
1. People who comment on blogs/news articles are the stupidest people in the world, bar none. (Yes I’m aware of the hypocrisy).
2. Said people who think that commenting on a blog will make a difference or indeed force people to consider their alternative viewpoint are also idiots (again, aware of the hypocrisy).
3. I would consider myself a Sabbatarian sympathiser but not a Sabbatarian. I would much rather, however, that a new year’s event ran into new year. While the “festive fireworks” have been recently held at daft times (8pm 3 days before new year) recently there have been no Hogmanay celebrations at 11pm over the past few years (I have avoided Stornoway town given the community events are far, far better – and given youtube proof and eyewitness reports let’s not embarrass ourselves by considering the lasershow as anything). As far as I am aware, this is the first time that a proper Hogmanay event has been arranged. Surely to goodness everyone involved realised the problems this would cause; given that next year’s leap year avoids this entirely, why not wait a year?
4. How many people will go to this event regardless of when it ends? How many of you will not attend purely due to it ending at 11pm?
5. I’m not quite sure what I’m getting at here.
6. Santiago, should you not be calling yourself “Santa Go!” given the time of year?
7. Given recent events, does it really matter?
I see murdo mackinnon is extremely miffed and rightly so. He as murdo / advocacy is extremely rude and abusive which is totally unfair to other sincere bloggers. Anything he gets is deserved.
Ho Ho,like i told you or rather asked you more than once,please answer the simple questions that were put to you.you don’t seem to want to?why not?they were kept simple so that even you could understand them.I suggest you read this blog in its entirety again,very carefully,then answer the questions please.
The miffed wacko trying to plead not guilty, grow up son.
And the winner is… [fill in space on 01/01/12]
We cannot forget the tradition we have. The Sabbath has always been important and those who didn’t go to church still observed it. I know things change but we should still try and keep the good things.
Haven’t been on here for a while- having read a few posts I know why.
It’s just opened a can of worms, all we’re looking for is a simple recognition that, come midnight on 31/12/11 we all welcome in the New Year as a celebration together, and fireworks have become an established part of that, along with ship’s hooters etc.
Almost every other town in the land has some sort of celebration, why can’t we?
It’s not rocket science- ho ho ho!
Barvas Billy, quote – ” fireworks have become an established part of that, along with ship’s hooters etc” and “It’s not rocket science- ho ho ho!”
It appears for you to get the ‘facts’ right is “rocket science” though, as you call it – ho ho ho. “Fireworks have become an established part of that”, you’re right there, not your at midnight!!!! Ho ho ho
Please skip quickly over “your” in my final sentence and the sentence will flow nicer, for those of you wondering why the word is there, yes, it’s a rare mistake…….! ho ho ho
‘s mathaid gun dig ‘breitheanas’ oirnn uile, ‘s gum bi steall uisg’ ann fad na h-oidhche!
I don’t know why we cannot give respect to the old people. My granma says that no good will come from breaking the Sabbath. She will worry about it all next year. There is a hole lot of old people just like her.
Anne, as ignorant and arrogant as ever.
A leopard can’t change its spots……………….
A bheil a Ghàidhlig agad idir, am fear a tha a sgrìobhadh aig còig uairean agus dà mhionaid seachad air an dà-fhichead?
Incapabil sa se angajeze in mod normal cu alte persoane este adesea in semn de nici un handicap, adesea tratabile dar rar.
I can translate : Being unable to engage normally with other people is often a sign of a disability, one which is sometimes treatable but often is not.
So, sir Advocacy, you speak my native tongue, Romanian?
Traian
Some say with many tongues………………..
Gu dearbh Adv., tha feum agad air barrachd na faclair Gàidhlig :-/ Tha mi an dòchas nach eil thu a caitheamh cus dha do thìde air an stéidh seo, le mise a sgriobhadh cho luath agus an tuigsinn agad fhéin cho slaodach, ged tha do theanga fada ‘s geur. Is ladarna gach cù air a shitig fhèin.
Mar sin leat.
Izberite jezik, katerikoli jezik skoraj!
Vendar pa v teh dneh lahko govori v katerem koli jeziku, ko lahko dostopate do spletnih prevajalec!
Samo to ni tako enostavno z galski.
Imeli bomo naš novi ognjemet leto po polnoči v Ljubljani, enako kot drugod po svetu (razen Stornoway!).
God dosent care about your opinion any more than He cares about mine.God has His own opinion
This god that you speak of. Has he told you all this about his opinion Murdo. Or is it something you imagined or thought you would say because other “respectable” people say it ? Maybe you should get a grip of your own life before you mutter darkly about what you think is the truth about these mystical beings and what they think of other people .
Pots and kettles i think
Och och, what a stooshie in Stornoway! I’m glad i live in Argyll, here we have the priest and the ministers going and supporting the same events raising funds for good local causes and EVERYONE here respects both churches for that, believers and non-believers alike! A lot of people who never attend churches year round go to the midnight service at Christmas, what does that tell you all? I myself am not religious but i agree entirely with Callum! Live and let live and go out and enjoy the party together!
Argyll Al, just as well you live in Argyll then, no need to get involved here, or are you the ‘stick my nose in’ type……
James the Agnostic, rather James the ignorant.
Advocacy get a life, Argyll AL does not deserve your rudeness. Sounds as if Argyll is the place for real christians. You could learn a lot from them advocacy.t
Harrrrry, who?
Advocacy, who?
RJ Macdonlad, why?
advocacy why?
I am happy with the situation. That way I can enjoy some fireworks then head home to take the bells in with my mum and dad and go first-footing…THE REAL TRADITION OF NEW YEAR!! What about families who want to take children? I dont see what is so great about being in a large crowd to take in the bells…very impersonal, but I guess that’s just the way of some folk these days!
But do you need to be in a large crowd in Stornoway to do that? This never, ever used to happen. How long have these street parties been going on anyway?
Exactly…when did these ‘street parties’ start anyway? Are we so insecure as a society that we have to copy other places? What is wrong with taking in the bells with your family then heading out to friends.
Never used to be such a thing as a street party so there was no issue
Since when did fireworks or a street party become your God-given right as a citizen of the Western Isles? Who is paying for this? And since when did we move from New Year being a family orientated celebration to a big piss-up in the street? The inferiority complex of many people of the Isle of Lewis and their paranoia that everyone is mocking them is sending them into a frenzy. We should be proud of our family/community spirit not lamenting a missed opportunity to celebrate en-mass with people we hardly know!
Nobody is stopping you celebrating after midnight…are they? Go find your friends/family and have a get together!!
Thank you Alison. You are happy now keep quiet. The point is that in recent years many people have been happy to turn out and celebrate the New Year with a fireworks display at or after the bells as in many towns and cities.
Boring types like you can stay in with the BBC’s excruciating annual display of yuckiness with the talentless Jackie Bird or whatever else you choose to call “THE REAL TRADITION OF NEW YEAR”.
Traditions change because tradition in fact is what we make it. Get over it, you people that are stuck in the past. It may be impersonal to you but we like it and now it’s our tradition.
The fact is that the majority of people brought in the New year in whatever way they chose and then made their way to town to watch the fireworks at 1 am if they wanted to.NOT at midnight.
How can having fireworks at midnight possibly be a tradition as they have never been held at that time in Stornoway.NEVER.No complaints other years,Obvious why this year though….any excuse
Murdo it will be a tradition if that is what people want. It is already a tradition throughout most of Scotland. Who says we have to follow pointless old tradition here ?
I suppose you still put your cockerel under a creel every saturday night . It was tradition at one time and so was praying that catholics would not come and settle here. Maybe you still do that .
Another unfortunate tradition in the islands more than anywhere in the country is that sensible people here still listen to malcontents like you who seem completely unable to use the brains that God gave them .
RJ Macdonald, quote:- “Thank you Alison. You are happy now keep quiet”. Who are you to ask anyone to keep quiet, it’s just like your kind (the bullying type in case you haven’t looked at yourself recently) using bullying tactics to get your voice heard, do ‘US’ a favour and attempt to keep your ‘mouth firmly shut’ if that’s the way you speak to women!
Another of your painful sentences, “the point is that in recent years many people have been happy to turn out and celebrate the New Year with a fireworks display at or after the bells as in many towns and cities”. Just so we are all clear about this, what years ‘were’ they at midnight?
Where was your ‘voice’ in previous years when the fireworks were at every time apart from midnight?
It’s actually you that needs to get over it Mr RJ, we have no problem with the time, ho ho ho!
An idea would be to find somewhere your traditions are more suited, maybe with Argyll Al. Be a much better festive season here without you, ho ho ho!
I suspect I have better credentials for living on this island than you advocacy .
R j ,It’s amazing how opinionated we can become concerning issues of which we knowlittle or nothing at all.Did you ever notice that,when the evidence is running thin,the vehemence of the argumentation increases?
You become opinionated and you start using words that it is not in our tradition to use – like argumentation . FFS .
Does your vocabulary not stretch that far?surprising when you use words like”malcontents”
I use the brain God gave me{as you put it} as best i can.As i said earlier i respect choice made by the amenity trust,i didn’t say i agreed with it.You should be careful,if you are too open minded your brain will fall out
RJ, I don’t your credentials would grace the table of normal people.
Your opinion of yourself in stomach wrenching……..
I gave no opinion of myself that i remember,perhaps you could remind me where it was?
Advocacy,my apologies
RJ, you’re pathetic!
No worries Murdo
Advocacy is so single minded you can see he is a rude bigot. I’ve seen a more rational mouse. People are only allowed to have a good time on his small minded terms. His attitude towards Argyll Al is typical of him.
Advocacy is not all that bad Harrry.
Harrry,you and others seem unable to grasp that no one is denying you of your entertainment or enjoyment,surely you are capable of organizing your own at whatever time you choose.That’s up to you as it was up to Amenity trust to choose the time of the event they arranged.
I think Argyll Al, James the ignorant, RJ, Harrry, Ann and others in their lost brigade were starved at birth of oxygen – it’s the only rational conclusion that comes to mind for their inability to grasp simple facts and plain sentences with small words.
Well said Advocacy, hear hear.
Advocacy the more you say the more you convince everyone that you’re a bigot.
Regardless of what we say the bigots have one this one. So much for democracy. Until people like advocacy accept the concept of democracy these islands will continue to live in the past.
Well, bigot he may be, Harrry, but I think there are other issues involved here, such as deep feelings of inadequacy. As a regular commenter on, and reader of, many blogs local and global, I have seen this rather sad behaviour so many times. He is certainly voluble in his posts, but not so good at accepting criticism (despite his own claim that he is) and is a poor and arrogant ‘debater’, which is largely the reason most people on this thread, including myself, simply don’t bother with him (although he refers to this as ‘avoidance’, another symptom of his malaise).
The bottom line perhaps is that Advocacy just isn’t “getting enough”. In fact, judging by the content of his 43 (!) posts to date on this thread alone, it looks like he isn’t getting any at all! I mean, look at the original post subject – fireworks, innit?…rockets, fire, flame, heat, explosions, spurts, good timing, bad timing…you get the idea. His constant use of words and phrases with negative connotations, e.g., ‘stupid’, ‘inability’, ‘stomach wrenching’, ‘moan’, ‘gripe’, ‘anger’, ‘get a life’, ‘sado’s’ (sic), ‘idiots’, ‘pathetic’, ‘shame on you’, ‘hang your heads in shame’ etc ad nauseum is a clumsy attempt at transference of his own inner negativity onto others. They really hate it when that negativity doesn’t rub off on other commenters (or as they see them, antagonists).
Freud (Sigmund, not Clement) would have a field day with Advocacy. After his initial exclamation of “WTF?!” (or whatever that would be in German), he would indeed have a case study as interesting as any he dealt with in his long life. He would surely come to the conclusion that it was all down to various, um, repressions fairly quickly. That’s what Freud was famous for. Unlike Advocacy, Freud knew his plums
It’s also a well known fact in the blogosphere that certain persons try to compensate for (or ‘rage out’ or try to forget) their miscellaneous inadequacies by commenting almost obsessively on blog posts (anonymously of course), dozens of times, sometimes even going to the extent of assuming multiple identities to give the impression that other people agree with them, because they actually have no support base. They must always get the last word in. They fulminate to the extent that the original blog subject is virtually forgotten and they themselves become the subject and the centre of their little universe. They are lone stars with little connection to the real world (whereas I must go now because I DO have lovely connections with the real world and have work to do in it). Phew, that was a long post for me: where do obsessive commenters get the time?
Mar sin leibh an dràsda, and Happy New Year when it arrives Harrry, and all other reasonable people
Ann /Harrry if you look at the grammar and and the way sentences are structured and phrases could murdo mackinnon and advocacy be the same person.
Graham: Yes.
Yeh! definitely
LOL,I think this is about the only time Advocacy and i have agreed.As for you?I think that chip on your shoulder indicates wood above
Sitting comfortably and relaxed with my coffee I decide to visit the ‘blog’ for the first time today, unfortunately, reading Ann’s post first I end up almost drowning my laptop with my unusually expensive coffee, the pain in my side giving an indication of just how hard I was laughing, a shout came from the next room asking “what you watching”, I say “I’m reading”, not believing me my long suffering partner enters the room curious to find out what’s so funny – thinking she would share my experience she proceeded to look at me like a rabbit staring into a car’s headlights – “who’s the nutter” she asks,” quite sad, did she actually count your postings, she’s obsessed with you”, taking a moment to think about I realise she’s actually right.
For those of you that think Advocacy is Murdo Mackinnon, try engaging your brains – you obviously don’t have the capacity to remember previous debates!
Unusual as it may seem for you, two people ‘can’ actually agree about something, it may be an alien concept for you and your ‘little’ brigade, but I’m quite used to it. Ho ho ho.
I wonder is Ann actually Mr X, I have a feeling in my water, as they say!
Thank you Advocacy, but you’re about as convincing as an episode of Machair.
Ann, that would be about what?
Advocacy are you sure it was not your mammy who came in to ask what you were laughing at. No woman in with any sense would be interested in a single minded like you.
The mad advocacy found out again and again.
Steady, Ann. I was in Machair. But, well, maybe you’re right. And Advocacy is wrong. Again.
The attempt to deflect attention didn’t work, Advocacy – sorry, I mean Murdo.
Great Advocacy has crawled into some corner to hide, peace at last. Ho! Ho! Maybe someone should attach him onto a rocket and fire him back into space. That would be a cracker Ho! Ho! Ho! No more Advocacy
Sorry Iain, I forgot you were in Machair, but I now seem to remember you being a thoroughly credible barman! (Gin & tonic, please)
Sandra, alas I fear we haven’t heard the Last Pronouncement of the Almighty Advocacy. They must always have the last word, and remember that according to Him we must ‘engage our brains’, that we ‘don’t have the capacity’ and that we are apparently in a ‘little brigade’ (as a brigade is a major tactical military formation typically composed of two to five battalions, and one battalion consists of between 300 and 1200 soldiers (Wikipedia), he should maybe have looked that one up first).
Right, this sad nutter’s off to make the dinner
Maybe Advocacy is already physically in space to meet up with his brain and that’s why he has not responded. Hope it’s a oneway ticket.
I think he might be under the Subway counter in Glasgow. Is that not where all good Labour people go ??
Advocacy in Glasgow no, they must have a Subway shop on either the moon or mars.
Sid I don’t know about advocacy but i’m impressed,I’ve never seen such a small mind in such a big head before,yours i mean!
We already know that murdo mackinnon went into outer space during a previous fireworks display. Small head, no brain and a massive ego. Somebody has already said that advocacy and murdo mackinnon are the same person, definetly true. Only a head banger could come up with the rubbish. Somebody should ignite his blue touch paper and we would be rid of him.
Your village just called,they’re missing an idiot
As I live in Stornoway it can’t be me, it must your village looking for you. How did you get out of your straight jacket. Anyway can’t wait until the firework display when you will be launched back into space where you came from.
We,ve encountered your type before.what about adding your opinion to the original debate or is that beyond your capabilities?empty cans make the most noise.
Advocacy or is it murdo mackinnon, you are right about empty cans. You have an empty head and make an almighty racket. As far as you and your attitude towards the firework display leaves a lot to be desired. Nobody has put out an SOS so why are you so rude to those who want the fireworks at midnight. Work at saving your own soul and go to bed early then things like fireworks on a Sunday won’t offend you.
Sid and gang: – quote of the day for you “They that are fated to be fools, have one consolation, that they are fated also to be ignorant of it.”
NORMAN MACDONALD
Had to laugh when I read this one, ho ho ho……….
Sid,you can obviously read,unless someone is reading for you,but you seem incapable of understanding what you read.Will you be so kind as to point out to me where i indicated i have a problem with fireworks on a sunday?My attitude?I have shown respect for the people who made this decision,and understand why it was taken,whether i agree with it or not.However some people use any opportunity to attack those with strong religious beliefs.This debate is more about the Anti church campaigners throwing their toys out of the pram,for no reason. and making unfounded accusations against members of the amenity trust.Hogmanay always has,still is and always will be the last day of the year.As for bigotry?time some people took a long hard look in a mirror.When what you want doesn’t happen ,learn to want what does
Advocacy your quote is truly correct as it fits you like a glove.
Murdo although it will frighten you, have a good look at yourself in the mirror and you will see it’s yourself that you are talking about.
As advocacy and murdo are the same person one entry will do.
Why ,like others before you can,t you answer a simple question??after all it was you who brought subject to the fore.
What is the question “is murdo a bigot”. The answer “yes”. Simple question answered.
Explain please,or are you another Sid and Robort who cannot answer simple questions?like i said previously you should have kept your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt,cant wait for next topic for debate,maybe then advocacy and i will be in disagreement as usually happens,however at least we can have an intelligent debate without the likes of you coming in and offering no opinion on topic of debate,
I think you have a wee personality problem regarding advocacy / murdo or is it that you are wired to the same bit on the dark side of the moon.
Sorry Murdo, anti church campaigners? Do you mean those of us who do not wish to adhere to the nothing on a Sunday policy which is promoted by a small vocal minority who claim to represent all cristianity?
Sid and gang: – quote of the day for you “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something”.
Plato
You fools just keeping springing to mind, ho ho ho…….
Mick and I didn’t move to Lewis to be told when and where we can set off fireworks! We will be setting them off at 12 and be going out and doing the traditional road dance into the wee small hours with our friends who have come up for a traditional hogmonay
‘Hogmonay’? ends at midnight then new year begins.No body who have been criticised in this blog especially in the opening remarks have ordered anyone to do anything.Did you consult your community before you organised your celebrations?I would imagine that like most who plan any event,you set a time and a place,send out invitations and inevitably for whatever reason some don’t come ,carry on regardless ,the majority who do come take up said invitation will no doubt enjoy themselves.rightly so.I have no right to judge your arrangements any more than you or others have to slate those who put on a fantastic event on HOGMANAY. Well done ,your efforts are appreciated by the majority of people in the community s
It was indeed an excellent display, all-too-short, but spectacular nonetheless. Much better than last year’s laser show.
Well said Ann,excellent and spectacular and enjoyed by the majority ,Well done Amenity Trust.