Monthly Archives: January 2013

Written guarantees for clergy needed over same-sex marriage

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Foreword – Our Freedom Of Speech Is Under Threat
Some time ago I submitted the following letter for possible publication through my usual media outlets. I did so under the impression that our island war memorials record the names of our courageous forebears who in the face of tyranny laid down their lives so that their eternally indebted descendants could exercise their fundamental right to freedom of speech.
Regrettably, I am gradually realising there are some media personnel in our community who insult and defile those forbears ultimate sacrifice by denying others legitimate free speech simply because editorial control affords them the vicarious pleasure of exercising that privilege. Are they any better than those who believe democratic debate is about silencing their opponents through intimidation? – Iain M Macdonald

Miavaig

Dear Editor

I make belated reference to a letter written to the local press by Mr Donald John Morrison, a respected Christian evangelist and Free Church (Continuing) lay preacher. Highly critical of the concept of same-sex marriage, Mr Morrison argued that such a union not only contradicted the natural order but openly defied God’s biblical instruction on gender relationships.

In his eagerness to forewarn unrepentant sinners of the awaiting ‘eternal fire’ it would be reasonable to surmise that Mr Morrison might contemplate interrupting such a church-held marriage ceremony, warning the participants of God’s displeasure at their matrimonial embarkation on the road to damnation, quoting verses of scripture to justify his warning.

Should such a scene ever be enacted, unfortunately the impact of Mr Morrison’s intervention in opening his Bible at 1st Corinthians will be greatly undermined when a fellow preacher and members from one of ten different island Christian denominations simultaneously open a carton of confetti to symbolically sprinkle the same-sex union with their blessing. Both sides would defend their actions as being consistent with biblical teaching.

Such a contradictory response should give any rational thinking person pause for thought,before rightly concluding that on this particular issue the broad church has entirely lost the plot, tying itself up in theological knots trying to face in both directions at the same time.

That is exactly where gay rights activists and equality legislators want the church to be because they know it’s much easier to defeat a divided and confused adversary who’s already broken ranks. I fear that unless the broader Christian church pulls together and starts speaking with one voice on same-sex marriage (and other issues) it will lose all credibility, allowing denominational rivalries and lack of consensus to be exploited to devastating effect by a powerful and committed gay rights lobby,satisfied by nothing less than full parity with heterosexual marriages

Their frustration at the clergy having a choice to refuse to conduct a marriage ceremony purely on the grounds of the couple’s sexual orientation, will eat away at the more zealous gay activists’ pride until they feel compelled to rectify this perceived taint on homosexuality by enlisting the help of their obedient politician allies who’ve already made apparent where their sympathies lie in any conflict arising between same-sex issues and the church.

And who’s to say the same-sex equality activists aims won’t be achieved in their entirety, faced with a divided opposition of clergy and church members compromised in their ability to voice dissent by the certainty they will be defamed by pompous liberal do-gooders who falsely portray anyone expressing misgivings about homosexuality as a prejudiced bigot

Nor will this be the gay lobby’s only recourse to achieving their aims. Once same-sex marriage is legalised, any couple refused a marriage ceremony at a specific church location purely on the grounds of their sexual orientation can in theory seek redress against the offending denomination through European Human Rights legislation. It’ll only be a matter of time before an aggrieved same-sex couple seek a European ruling.

In the very likely event of their gaining a favourable outcome, what then for the Scottish clergy? Future uncertainty for all church denomination clergy serving within Scotland’s boundaries could be removed by including in their conditions of service a Scottish Government-sponsored clause giving legal priority to their religious freedom of conscience over any obligation to officiate at a same-sex marriage for the duration of their employment

I would ask those qualified to speak for the Scottish Government, legal profession, church or gay community if they would be in favour of my proposal. And, if not, what would be their objection to including such a clause in church employment contracts.

Until such a written guarantee is forthcoming and enshrined in Scottish law, the solemn assurances given to ministers/priests by the Holyrood Government about their freedom of conscience to shun same-sex marriages is as much worth to the clergy and their congregations as a promise from Judas Iscariot.

Yours faithfully

Iain M Macdonald

I am pointing the finger at poor Neen as she cannot point her own one back at me

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A pair of English anthropologists arrived in the Western Isles to study the natives about 200 years ago. They went to two adjacent islands, Barra and Eriskay, and each one set to work on his own offshore bit of the Hebrides. A few months later, the one on Eriskay rowed a boat over to Barra to see how his colleague was doing. When he got there, he found the other anthropologist standing among a group of islanders.

So how were his colleague’s studies going, asked the visiting anthropologist. Everything was going very well and he had discovered an important fact about the local language. He would demonstrate.

He pointed at the sea and asked the islanders what that was. The Barrachs, almost in unison, shouted: “Sgealbag”. He then pointed at the sky and asked what was that. The islanders again roared: “Sgealbag”. The proud anthropologist declared to his friend that he had discovered that on Barra they use the same word for the sea and the sky. How amazing was that?

That was truly staggering, agreed the other one, because on Eriskay he had found that the people there used the same word for index finger.

Far be it from me to make light of anyone else’s misfortunes, whether they are anthropologists or not, I was a bit shocked and very inappropriately amused but tried hard to suppress a giggle when I met Neen Mackay the other day. The chef and presenter of Gaelic salmon fishing series Turas a’ Bhradain (The Salmon’s Journey) was walking about with her hand held out in in front of her and pointed skywards. She was like an arm wrestler with a most unfortunate case of cramp.

As always when we meet, I gave her the thumbs up. She semed to be giving me the finger. How dare that woman make those rude gestures at me, I thought. What had I done to her? Closer inspection showed she was holding up just one heavily-bandaged index finger.

Even in the wilds of Carloway, you need to see two extended digits before you must consider taking offence and giving anyone a slap. So my amazement quickly turned to pity as I realised Dame Dalmore must be gravely injured. Aw. How could it have happened? Oops, I thought to myself, there was a very good chance some thing terribly unfortunate had happened in her kitchen where she spends so much of her life nowadays. Was she slicing up a row of carrots, like in Tom and Jerry, and just kept chopping until her finger was cut up into handy discs ready for the soup?

Should I even ask? What Neen. or anyone. does with that particular digit is their own business. I have certainly put mine in places that I shouldn’t have and paid a heavy price. OK, I admit it. It happened the day Mrs X found me sneakily picking my nose. There was a foreign body up there. No, it wasn’t Claudia Schiffer, silly.

‘Snot easy but I had to have a go at it. Then my beloved stormed up and brutally walloped my hand away from my nostrils so hard that my picking finger smashed against a worktop causing me the most severe pain you can imagine – unless, of course, you are a woman who has had a baby. The female of the species do go about that particular pain but they’ve not been caught by my missus with fingers in their nostrils. Agony, that was.

So I had a bit of sympathy as Neen tearfully told me how she was stravaiging over the road at Garynahine with her hound Paddy when it began to devour something it found. Ah, roadkill. How sweet. Paddy is having a free meal.

Then she realised that it was an already-dead, mouldering and possibly diseased wabbit. Oops. There was nothing else for it. Ms Mackay set about extricating the elongated bunny remains from the throat of the Labrador. She had her gloves on. Not a problem. There, that’s it. Wait, there’s more down there.

Sensing he was losing a lunch, the Lab suddenly snapped shut his growling tackle. The sound of fangs crunching human bone rent the noontime air. Yaaaoouuuuccchhh. And so did Neen’s howls.

Spouting blood like a well-shaken lemonade bottle with a loose lid, she was whisked to Accident and Emergency where they quickly assessed the doggy damage. After examining the soggy, bloody mess where her poking finger once nestled, a breathless nurse sidled up to her and asked if Neen still had the glove she had been wearing. She did. A quick poke about in it by the medic and she found the underside of Neen’s finger which had been sliced right off.

After some very neat stitching by a Hungarian doc, who she wishes to warmly thank, Neen is expected to recover well. Before she hobbled out, she asked the doc if he thought she would be able to play the piano after what had happened. He saw no reason why not.

“Oh good,” she said. “Because I couldn’t play it before.”

Retired captain claims MV Hebrides has no proper lifeboats but inflatables that could not even be deployed in a Minch storm.

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A row has broken out over the decision of a ferry captain to sail to the Western Isles with a storm brewing.

Another mariner has launched a broadside at the operator Caledonian MacBrayne saying the ferry was not fitted with lifeboats but an inflatable escape chute and inflatable liferafts that would be useless in a Force 11 gale.

CalMac is meanwhile insisting that all its captains are up to the job.

Capt Morris Macleod

Capt Morris Macleod

Midway into the voyage, from Ullapool to Stornoway on Tuesday evening, the captain of the MV Hebrides, was told that Stornoway harbour was shutting because of the unsafe conditions and that he could not berth there.

The ferry had to turn round and return to Ullapool where the passengers had to sleep on its seats or pay for onshore accommodation. It finally left for Stornoway at 5.35pm tonight (Wed).

Now the master of the ferry has come under fire from another master mariner for deciding to sail at all with a severe weather forecast.

Captain Morris Macleod, a recently-retired oil installation platform manager and master mariner for decades, who lives near Stornoway, said: “The ferry captain sailed despite a Force 10 to 11 forecast. That is a blatant breach of CalMac’s own health and safety.
“On Tuesday evening they encountered 65 knots while still in Loch Broom before reaching open water. The captain made a horrendous mistake.”

A typical passenger chute

A typical passenger chute like the one on the MV Hebrides – could it have been deployed in Tuesday’s ferocious gales in the Minch?

He said the Master had showed a serious lack of professional judgement in sailing from Ullapool with that weather forecast, adding: “The safety of his crew and passengers is of paramount importance and commercial considerations should never supersede this.”

The claims have split seafarers. Several experienced mariners criticised the former captain for speaking out while others thought he was “absolutely right” to raise his concerns.

Ferry company CalMac has so far refused to be drawn into a discussion over the concerns and criticisms raised by Capt Macleod. A spokesman said: “We have no comment to make other than that we stand by the professional judgement of our highly-experienced and highly-qualified Masters.

Last night, Capt Macleod said he was disappointed at the company’s response. He said: “The fact is that the MV Hebrides has no proper lifeboats like the regular ferry – just a Mass Evacuation System which, in fact, is just inflatable liferafts which the passengers access via an inflatable chute like you see on large aircraft.
“You simply could not even deploy it in storm force 11 conditions.”

He likened the decision to sail on Tuesday evening to that of the ill-fated Stranraer-to-Larne ferry Princess Victoria which sank after taking water by its stern on January 31, 1953.

He said: “It’s the same thing. She sailed when she should not have. Exactly 60 years later, CalMac is making the same mistakes at Ullapool. No lessons have been learned.”

Post Office move to Engy’s is scrapped

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A change of site for Stornoway’s second post office which would have seen it open for longer including Sunday afternoons has been scrapped.

The Post Office had launched a public consultation when it announced plans to move the Bayhead post office from its current site by the Bayhead Roundabout to the Engebret Ltd filling station on Sandwick Road.

A Post Office statement has now confirmed the move is now off after a review taking into account a wide range of factors including the responses as part of the consultation process and the views expressed at the public meeting.

It concluded: “After careful consideration we have decided not to proceed with the proposed move of Bayhead Post Office and the branch will continue to operate from its existing location.”

So why did the ferry Hebrides set off from Ullapool last night with a raging storm forecast?

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Wakened by the weather. I see on Facebook some idiots are criticising the Stornoway Harbour Master for closing the port thus forcing the mv Hebrides to turn back.

The Master of the mv Hebrides showed a serious lack of professional judgement in sailing from Ullapool with that weather forecast. The safety of his crew and passengers is of paramount importance and commercial considerations should never supersede this.

As a  Master Mariner (Foreign Going) for over 40 years I am appalled at the decision to attempt to transit the Minch given the forecast. You can quote me on this.

Regards,

Captain Morris Macleod

Police and FP Church still have nothing to say officially on whether church theft case will end up in court

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After all the red-faced snorting last night from Lord Haw Haw Macleod about the collection theft case, Northern Constabulary has not yet been able to confirm the case will not end up before the courts.  Nor has FP minister Dr Tallach yet confirmed that the church has formally asked for the case to be dropped.

Despite the fact that certain media are prepared to be briefed by him, and rush to publish accordingly, I am now assured Gentle John Macleod has no authority to speak for anyone in the matter. In other words, he continues to be regarded as an embarrassing, self-seeking hindrance both to his church and to the people caught up in this sorry tale.

I shall meanwhile continue to rely primarily on what I am told by the official sources i.e. the people who are actually in the know.

High wind warning from Western Isles Council

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High Winds Warning
Evening Buses Cancelled

Evening bus services for Lewis, Harris and Uist are being cancelled because of the warnings of high winds forecast for the Western Isles. Most services will stop around 6pm. Further details are below.

Sports Centres will also be affected with Ionad Spòrs Leòdhais closing at 5pm and other facilities closing at the end of the school day.

The budget consultation meeting scheduled for tonight in Barvas has been cancelled. The meeting has been re-scheduled for tomorrow night in Barvas Hall at 7.30pm.

The high winds warning, with gusts of up to 85mph, is in place from 8pm tonight to 8am tomorrow morning (Wed 30th). High tides will be at approx 9.20pm in Lewis and 8pm in Uist. High seas and large waves are also likely along exposed western coasts with overtopping of causeways.

Building Contractors and the general public are asked to ensure that loose objects such as slates, trampolines and bins are secured as far as possible.

The Western Isles Emergency Planning Co-Ordinating Group met earlier today and will continue to monitor the situation.

Updates will be posted on the Comhairle website under Public Notices, http://blogserver.cne-siar.gov.uk/wp-notices/

For information tomorrow on possible school closures or other information, check the Comhairle website and local media.

Bus Services Tuesday 29 January 2013
The last public bus services departing Stornoway are:
17:30 Stornoway to Tarbert
18:00 Stornoway to Ness
18:00 Stornoway to Carloway
18:00 Stornoway to Shawbost
18:00 Stornoway to South Lochs
18:05 Stornoway to Flesherin
18:05 Stornoway to Upper Bayble
18:05 Stornoway to Tolsta
18:05 Stornoway to Back
18:10 Stornoway to Newvalley & North Lochs

All evening services to and from Stornoway after 18:10 will be cancelled

The last services to Scalpay, Leverburgh and the Bays of Harris should depart from Tarbert at 18:35 weather permitting

Bus services throughout Uist and Barra are expected to operate as normal however for later services check with the bus operator (contact numbers within timetable leaflets and on the CnES website)

Late evening services in Uist that will be cancelled are
21:00 Creagorry to Lochmaddy
20:45 Balivanich to Lochboisdale

SNH letter shows its advisory role over the Sound of Barra

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Scottish Natural Heritage has released the text of a letter after being consulted on a Marine Harvest licence application to shoot seals in the Sound of Barra.  SNH has been trying to explain how it fulfils its advisory role.

Dear xxxxxx

Application for a licence to shoot 3 harbour and 6 grey seals at 1 fish farm in the Western Isles Management Region from Marine Harvest Ltd

Thank you for consulting us on this licence application, we appreciate the opportunity to comment.

Our view is that the assessment of seal damage at fish farms should be based on stock loss and not on the number of seals present in the area. Our opinion is that seal shooting should only be carried out in close proximity to the fish farm affected by seal predation and only when salmon cages are stocked. Finally it is our belief that shooting should only be used as a last resort where all appropriate methods of non-destructive seal deterrent have been exhausted.

We note from the results of the Scottish Oceans Institute survey that the applicant employs Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADDs) “all of the time” at this site. We would like the applicant to note that where ADDs are employed it is our view that they should be used only when there is evidence of seal presence or attack rather than as a panacea.

We advise that Marine Scotland take account of the following when considering whether to grant this licence application:

  • The Potential Biological Removal (PBR) figures of 54 for harbour seals and 408 for grey seals calculated for the Western Isles Management Region for 2012 by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU);
  • The potential cumulative impact on the harbour and grey seal populations of the Western Isles Management Region of all anthropogenic impacts such as those covered by licences granted at other fish farms, rivers and netting stations and any other unnatural seal deaths caused by accidents such as entanglement in ropes and nets and collisions with boat propellers;
  • The fact that the application is for shooting seals within the Western Isles harbour seal conservation area; 
  • The fact that not all marksmen will have received training for seal shooting until after the licence period has started therefore there could be some cases of misidentification of species and, for example, harbour seals could be shot by accident in areas where only grey seals are licensed.

Position
We advise that if this licence were granted there could be a significant effect on the Sound of Barra possible Special Area of Conservation (pSAC) designated for harbour seals Phoca vitulina. We recommend that conditions are added to the licence to limit the number of seals shot at fish farms within 50Km of the Sound of Barra pSAC in order to prevent a significant effect on the site.

Appraisal of the impacts of the proposal and advice in relation to the SAC
The fish farm listed in the application lies within the Sound of Barra pSAC proposed for harbour seals (Phoca vitulina).

The site’s status means that the requirements of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 as amended, (the “Habitats Regulations”) apply as a matter of Government policy as set out in revised Circular 6/95. Further information is available at: http://www.snh.gov.uk/docs/A423286.pdf.

In our view, from the information available, it appears that in this case the proposal is not connected with or necessary for the conservation management of the site. Hence, further consideration is required.

In our opinion this proposal is likely to have a significant effect on the harbour seals of the Sound of Barra pSAC.  If a licence was granted with no restriction placed on shooting at individual fish farms in the vicinity of the pSAC there is the possibility that all the seals could be shot at one or a small number of the fish farms within or close to the Sound of Barra pSAC. Therefore the population of seals within the pSAC could potentially be reduced.  As a consequence, Marine Scotland is required to undertake an appropriate assessment in view of the site’s conservation objectives for harbour seals (see Annex).  It is important that this assessment considers other licence applications under consideration that may impact this SAC.

On the basis of information currently available we consider that it is probable that it cannot be ascertained that the proposal will not adversely affect the integrity of the site. This is due to the decline in the number of harbour seals in the Sound of Barra pSAC in recent years.

If you would like to discuss our comments please contact me at the above address.

Yours sincerely,

Plane Sailing – but no trains?

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Kyles Flodda
Isle of Benbecula

Dear Editor

Yes, boats and planes are controversial topics of conversation in the most recent round of cuts to public services here in the Western Isles, and there is nothing plain or straightforward about the shenanigans and neat footwork now being witnessed. There is genuine anxiety in the southern isles.

The Comhairle claim that NHS Western Isles take up about 30% of seats on the air services now under threat of closure, or reduced service, on the Barra/Benbecula/Stornoway routes. The subsidy carried wholly by the Comhairle is about £630,000 pa. Our MSP has written to the respective Chief Executives of the Comhairle and NHS, concerned in particular about the impact on patient services and accessing planned hospital appointments (especially from Barra).

Barra patients and GP’s are more likely to favour the single and more convenient journey to Glasgow on one plane journey, rather than two often disruptive ferry crossings and long overland distance to Stornoway. This may prove to be more costly to the NHS.

Andrew Walker

        Andrew Walker

NHS Western Isles are undertaking their own appraisal of proposed changes, to report on the day the Full Council makes its decision on substantive cuts (82 options presently under consideration), on 14th February – colloquially being referred to as the St Valentine’s Day Massacre! An additional near £5m of cuts, on top of £10m of cuts already implemented in two previous years.The Scottish Government are overly optimistic, and are reported to have said, rather naively: “The Scottish Government is aware of the ongoing discussions between NHS Western Isles and the local authority and expects that the situation will be resolved between the two organisations.”   (Hebrides News, 28th Jan)

Too bad we don’t have trains! Yes, as taxpayers to the UK Treasury, our good citizens will be contributing towards the generous subsidy of 8.1p per passenger mile being paid by the UK government to the various rail franchise holders on the mainland.

Resolving this unfortunate local difficulty being faced by our life-line inter-island air services demands an urgent meeting with the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretaries for (i) Finance, (ii) Transport and (iii) Health and Social Care. Our MSP is best placed to organise such a meeting. RET for ferry services to our islands is subsidised by central government (also soon to include inter-island ferries too), so why not our vulnerable air services?

What is the difference, and why should the Comhairle alone be saddled with this hefty subsidy cost? Many other public service agencies, and quangos (eg SNH, SEPA, HIE) in addition to NHS and the Comhairle use these air services on a regular basis. They are in essence life-line services, and ferry travel is often not an option.

The SNP government and local representatives are presently out of favour here in the islands, for a number of controversial and disadvantageous decisions recently made – including an inflation-busting increase in ferry fares from April this year. They need to redeem themselves. This proposed solution, i.e. assume responsibility for this subsidy for this vital inter-island air service, on a five day per week basis, is surely within their powers?

Yours sincerely

Andrew Walker