Monthly Archives: January 2013

Is there a sea change in SNH’s approach to Barra SAC?

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There may be signs that Scottish Natural Heritage is finally listening to locals about plans for the Sound of Barra, say local campaigners.

They claim a statement from SNH seems to show the Scottish Government’s environmental advisors’ regulatory powers over the Special Area of Conservation management are being dramatically restricted.

However, the government quango has now reacted to the claim and has insisted nothing has changed and that there is nothing new in what they are doing as they have always left their advice “optional” for communities to adopt.

Barra-based campaign group SHAMED (Southern Hebrides Against Marine Environmental Designations) has been campaigning for four years against the SNH proposals to designate two marine SAC’s in the waters east of Mingulay and in the Sound of Barra.

The campaign group recently led calls for environment minister Paul Wheelhouse to broaden the scope of his review into SNH’s scientific case for the Sound of Barra. Mr Wheelhouse has yet to respond.

Meanwhile SHAMED chairman Angus MacLeod, a crofter-fisherman from Eoligarry, says the campaign group is feeling optimistic for the first time in four years.

“SNH responded to one of our recent press releases in a way that made us feel somebody is at last listening. Either the Scottish Government or SNH itself has finally taken on board what we and others have been saying from the very beginning about SNH’s control freakery of conservation sites.
“The SNH press statement of Jan 7, 2013 stated: “We don’t manage SACs. They are managed by those who live and work in and around them, with us providing advice and information.”

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead appears to have confirmed the changes when he said they wanted the community to be in charge of management and added: “Our preference would be for local communities to be in the driving seat of any management plan.”

Mr MacLeod explained: “Until now, SNH would set conservation objectives for a marine SAC and would issue an Advice Under Regulation 33(2) document, listing what activities SNH felt could potentially damage the site. A current management plan, such as for Loch nam Madadh SAC in North Uist, states the previous position in its preamble, i.e. that ‘Relevant authorities who are responsible for managing these activities are “obliged” to take this advice into consideration.’ But it’s clear from SNH’s statement their advice is now optional. Mr Lochhead appears to confirm this.
“In practice, an SNH-driven management plan lists virtually every activity known to man as a potential threat to the sanctity of the site and local authorities, statutory organisations and local people are obliged to monitor. Now, if SNH advice is optional, local people can decide what exactly needs watching, with SNH paying for this service.”

SHAMED has not changed its stance on total opposition to the marine SAC’s in southern Hebridean waters, according to Angus MacLeod. But the group says it is pleased to see the Scottish Government making changes which open up opportunities for communities to make radical changes to the current SNH-controlled regimes.

However, SNH downplayed any talk of a change in its approach. Its spokesman said: “Marine SACs have always been managed by those who live and work in and around them, and not SNH. This is nothing new. We provide information and advice to help them in the process. That advice has always been ‘optional’, however it is and continues to be the responsibility of relevant competent authorities to make sure the qualifying features of the SAC are taken into account in all management decisions.

“There are around 40 marine SACs around Scotland, including a huge part of the Moray Firth, the Firth of Lorn and Sound of Arisaig. Virtually all of them have various forms of ongoing commercial activity. The requirement is that the qualifying features of interest are taken into account in the context of these commercial activities. That requirement kicks in as soon as formal consultation begins on a proposed SAC, so for Barra that was 12 years ago.”

Colourful relaunch for Am Pàipear

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The Uist community newspaper comes out with a brand new look this week. For the first time in its 37-year history, Am Pàipear will be published in full colour and will also bring in many new features in the year’s first issue.AmPaipear

Am Pàipear editor Iain Stephen Morrison said: “Like any publication that has been established for a substantial number of years, Am Pàipear will evolve and change through time. We judged that this was the right time to look at the product and consider how we could publish an even better paper for our loyal readers.
“The changes are quite striking. However I hope that they mark the beginning of a positive new era for Am Pàipear, building on past achievements.”

Am Pàipear was first set up in 1976. Since then, the community paper has grown steadily from a small newsletter to a widely-recognised and respected monthly newspaper. Among the news features being launched this week is a brand new, dedicated sport section, an area for crofting news and an archive feature delving into Am Pàipear’s vast photographic collection.

According to the editor, local news still remains the priority for Am Pàipear. Iain Stephen said: “Our ultimate responsibility is to be the voice of Uist, if you like, a reflection of life in this community. Local news from Uist remains the number one priority, including Gaelic and cultural aspects.
“Within that sphere there is much going on that has previously been under-covered in my opinion. Sport is a prime example, which we are now looking to report on in much greater detail. We have hugely exciting plans for sport coverage this year, from everywhere between Berneray and Eriskay, which I think our readers will enjoy immensely.
“I really believe that Am Pàipear is one of the best community newspapers produced in Scotland and the re-launch this week is, to a great extent, about expanding upon that position. The new format predicates planned advances into digital media which I am confident will see this paper informing and entertaining Uibhistich for many years to come.”

Pensioner faces court over theft of the church collection

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A police investigation into how many hundreds of pounds went missing at a hardline church in Stornoway has resulted in an elderly woman facing court over alleged theft.

The cash, thought to be regular offerings in envelopes by worshippers, was snatched in what was at first thought to be an audacious break-in at the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

It has emerged that a pensioner from the same congregation, which is the charge of Reverend James Tallach, has been reported to the procurator fiscal and may now face court.

The FP church in Stornoway

The FP church in Stornoway

Last summer suspicion fell on church-bearers and everyone who had access to keys at the church on Matheson Road after cash disappeared from a cupboard in which was kept envelopes of cash which members and attenders had handed over.

A source close to the FP congregation said: “It became clear that whoever was responsible must have had access. Although it was firstly assumed someone had broken in, there was no damage. Only the office-bearers and a cleaner had keys.
“It then emerged that the money must have been taken between the Sunday services which had seemed a very daring thing to do. It had apparently happened on several occasions so there was suspicion it was a well-planned operation.”

Eventually, a woman, understood to be linked to a church office-bearer, was interviewed by police.

Other church sources said they had heard that about £1,500 had been taken. They said that since the police got involved the treasurer has been contacted by a member and told of an address where the missing cash could be collected.

On Saturday, FP Church spokesman Reverend Donald Ross, of Dingwall, declined to comment and referred a request for more details to Rev Tallach directly. However, Mr Tallach did not respond to an inquiry late on Saturday. As it is a strongly-sabbatarian church, it was thought unlikely he would reply over the remainder of the weekend.

The source claimed there have also been reports that adherents of the same church had fallen victim to pilfering for many years.
“Ladies who had visited the former manse had said several times that money had gone missing from their handbags. It was a great mystery but that may not be connected to recent events.”

A spokeswoman at Northern Constabulary said: “On Tuesday, 7 August 2012, it was reported to the police that a large sum of money had been taken from the collection at the Free Presbyterian Church in Stornoway.
“Following police enquiries, a 69-year-old woman from Stornoway was reported to the procurator fiscal in connection with the incident.”

Most active in the Highlands and Islands, the FP Church has about 40 congregations – including some in Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Often dubbed the Wee Frees, it claims to be a bible-believing church which has often hit the headlines for its objections to many Sunday activities, including travel by ferry and air to the Western Isles.

It closes down access to its own website on a Sunday on the grounds that it may stop others from breaking the Sabbath.

The church has recently strenuously opposed plans for same-sex marriages with recent reports that it has asked government minister Alex Neil to recriminalise homosexual acts.

Scottish Salmon Company denies it targets workers with families for lay-offs

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Twenty eight employees at an island salmon processor have been told their jobs are to go amid concern over the selection of who was be axed.

The redundancies at Scottish Salmon Company based in Stornoway were announced earlier this month but now there is growing disquiet at the strategy used to decide whose jobs are to go with claims that workers with families and locals are being pushed out.

Staff at the plant at Marybank, near the town, have been told that, despite assurances to many of them before Christmas that their jobs were safe, 28 jobs are now to go in the next month.

SSC's plant at Marybank

SSC’s plant at Marybank

A source close to staff said: “Many of them were told that their jobs were guaranteed and a few were told that they may have to be paid off. Now some of the ones who were told their jobs were safe are out and some of the ones who were due to go have been told they can stay.”

Fury is mounting after it emerged in the latest list of redundancies, most are staff with families and most of them are locals. The company is claimed to be discriminating against workers with families because they have decided that single staff and workers from abroad are better motivated and have less absence.

It is also being claimed that none of the management team are being made redundant.

The source said: “Scottish Salmon Company have now changed their mind and decided that they do not want to keep local people with families and that single people – especially ones from Poland – are the ones they want to stay.
“The staff have no problem with working with other Europeans but they are not happy at the discrimination against people with dependents in this country. If it is not illegal, it should be.”

There have also been claims that the workers were ordered to write to their councillors to plead for planning permission for controversial applications for fish farming sites. Most were still refused following enviromental concerns.

“Staff were given no choice in the matter. they were not asked, they were told. A woman from the office came round and made them all do it, put the letters in envelopes and went off with them.
“Some of the Europeans had no idea what they were signing. They all did it because the culture there is such that they knew they would probably be got rid of if they refused,” said the source.

Some councillors confirmed they had received letters from SSC staff urging them to grant permission for sites.

A spokeswoman insisted the processing company would make no official comment but that she wanted to give the background to the situation. She said SSC operated a system of elected staff representatives and the workers had indicated they were happy with them.

She claimed it was these representatives who set the criteria for redundancies based on the skills needed to keep the plant operational. It was on that basis the staff consultation took place. The redundancies were regrettable, she said, and due to lack of available fish but that layoffs would probably be temporary.

However, it seems that many in the workforce have rejected her claims. The source said: “This just nonsense from SSC. Certain people were told by a manager they would be staff representatives. It was a box-ticking exercise. The workers had no say and decisions are already made and being implemented before anyone is consulted.”

It has emerged that the company is now planning to move gutted fish north to Stornoway from a plant in Argyll for filleting before shipping it back south again.

Ken puts the islands at the forefront of Holocaust commemorations

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A THOUGHT-PROVOKING exhibition has been launched in Stornoway to mark how millions of Jews and others were gassed during World War II, as part of Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations. It is 68 years since Auschwitz was liberated and the Western Isles was the first area in Scotland to announce that it was to mark the occasion.

Ken (right) helps gets an exhibit ready for the public

Ken (right) helps get an exhibit in barbed wire ready for the public gaze

Organiser Ken Maclennan, a former social worker, said the exhibition was not just to commemorate the millions who died in Nazi Germany but also in the subsequent genocides around the world.

“It is also to make people aware of the discrimination that is still going on. Many people think it could never happen today yet it happened in the 1980s in in Cambodia and in the 1990s in Darfur. It is about spreading hatred and discriminatory practices against sections of the population and we need to always tackle it,” he said. The exhibition has gained or been loaned a series of photos, paintings and poetry which help visitors get a feel for what happened at these horrific events – sometimes directly from those who were there.

Ken with a dramatic painting by Glasgow painter Robert McNeil

Ken with a dramatic painting by Glasgow painter Robert McNeil

Ken said: “I don’t think anyone can leave without being touched in some way.”

As a former social worker, who now lives in Point, he has wide experience of dealing with asylum seekers and refugees and has come into contact with people involved in horrific events.
“Part of our exhibition is devoted to Scottish Gipsy Travellers. You can see in some media coverage the same references to them as happened before the holocaust. There is a lot of discrimination going on in Scotland – the same as everywhere else. The challenge is for people to look at their own communities and make them better for their children and for generations to come.”

Ken does not think it valid to say such ghastly events that resulted in mass killings during World War II could not happen today.

“Discrimination is not obvious overnight and involves a lot of people – including the media – to incite hatred. After some time, perpetrators encourage people to see their victims as sub-human. Once you get people to be seen as vermin, the only real question that will be asked is how to exterminate them.” He now hopes the exhibition materials will be used by teachers, health workers and others who deal with vulnerable people as well as councillors and elected representatives. “It’s about good leadership. Where you get that kind of leadership, they will not allow it to happen on their patch.” About 1,500 events took place around the UK yesterday (SUN) for Holocaust Memorial Day.

Survivors of the Holocaust, politicians and many others gathered at the main event at the Millennium Bridge in central London, which had the general theme of “building bridges”. Stornoway was the first town in Scotland to announce its Holocaust Memorial Day events, although it being a Sunday, no actual events were held yesterday to respect local sabbatarian sentiments. The exhibition, however, runs all week at the town’s An Lanntair Gallery. More details are available on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website.

Bikers turn out for Billy’s funeral

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Dozens of motorcyclists turned out to ride slowly ahead of the funeral cortege for the late Billy Johnson, of Plasterfield.

Dozens of motorcyclists turned out to ride slowly, many with headlights lit, ahead of the funeral cortege in a tribute to the late Billy Johnson, of Plasterfield, who was a keen biker himself.     CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS
The bikers road slowly to the south parking area at Sandwick Cemetery.

The bikers rode slowly and lined up at the south lane at Sandwick Cemetery.  Several mourners said afterwards that it was an appropriate and respectful tribute to Billy, who had a lifelong interest in motorbikes.

In Memory of my good friend Billy.

It is hard to believe that you have now gone
When I look on the days when we were so young
It seems as if it were just yesterday
That we both worked together at home and away
Two wheels took us here, two wheels took us there
And many a good time did both of us share
Like all things in life, they must come to an end
Goodbye, rest in peace, dear Billy my friend.

Donnie (Torris)
(contributed)

What kind of place is Stornoway to bring up kids in?

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A lady from the central belt wrote to me asking if the town of Stornoway is a good place to bring up a child. I have replied to her with my own views, as my wife and I have done just that, and she has also agreed that I may reprint her note to see what other blog readers think.

Hi,
I found your blog online and would like some advice.
I have been thinking of moving to stornoway from central Scotland with my 9 year old daughter for a while and have been looking into it a lot lately. The thing is that by googling it I have discovered people saying a lot of negative things. Mainly about incomers not being accepted etc. And it can appear very off putting. But I also know that people can turn into keyboard warriors behind a computer. So I would really like the opinion of someone educated and resident in the island. Is it the great place to bring up a child like I hope it is?

Name and address withheld

Statement from the SNP Group on the budget choices facing the comhairle

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As the second round of Comhairle Budget Choices Public Meetings nears to a close the Comhairle’s SNP Group has reaffirmed its pledge to put forward amendments which would maintain essential front line public services.

Councillor Rae Mackenzie stated: “We’ve listened to the concerns raised by the public at the various meetings and in correspondence received and so, as previously stated in our earlier press statement back in November. we would amongst other things maintain funding for itinerant specialist teachers, community transport, Penumbra, Action for Children, and Union representation – and we would also maintain the air service to Barra.

Cllr Philip McLean commented: “It’s interesting to note that the cuts required to be made have dropped from £6.15 million in November to £4.885 million in January. If that can happen in a matter of weeks a lot more work can be done to reduce the cuts further. As stated last November, we would do this by spending the BCCI dividend over the next two years rather than over the five years lifetime of the Comhairle proposed by the administration, and we would also dig deeper into the Comhairle’s contingency fund.”

On the matter of itinerant specialist teachers, Cllr Gordon Murray added: “Having listened to the public in both sets of consultations, the SNP Group welcome the fact that the public are in agreement with their bid to retain the specialist teacher provision. We have been consistently against the withdrawal of the specialist teachers since the cut was offered to us by the Education department.
“Specialist teachers are pivotal, not only in the schools but also in the community and withdrawing their expertise from the schools would be detrimental to the education of our young. We agree with the strength of feeling from the community particularly when head teachers and teaching staff, parents, and children are all united in their concerns about the future of education in the islands.”

What have elected representatives done to help lower isles fuel prices?

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What have elected representatives done to lower isles fuel prices? from Maciver Media on Vimeo.
As the OFT announces a formal investigation into claims of skullduggery in local fuel distribution, Callum Ian Macmillan shares his thoughts on who has helped take the campaign this far.

Sweeteners and brown envelopes – OFT to investigate the shady world of Western Isles fuel dstribution

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An investigation announced today (FRI) by the Office of Fair Trading will look at claims of sweeteners and secret rebates paid to filling stations in the Western Isles by the main distributor.

The investigation, being carried out under Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998, was prompted by many complaints of what is termed “suspected exclusionary abuse of a dominant position in the relevant market”.

The OFT confirmed its probe concerns the contractual arrangements for wholesale supply of road fuels in the Western Isles offered by GB Oils, parent company of Scottish Fuels (or other group companies).

In particular, it mentions, the allegedly secret rebates paid to filling station customers in the Western Isles and any other payments that may have been made to keep them from using other distributors.

The OFT stressed: “The current investigation does not relate to excessive pricing and has not been prompted by the OFT’s previous review of pricing, Petrol and Diesel Pricing in the Scottish Islands. This case is at an early stage and no assumption should be made that there has been an infringement of competition law.”