Election of trustees
Nine valid nominations were received by yesterday’s 4pm deadline. Up to four candidates may withdraw their nominations before next Thursday’s 4pm cut off deadline. Until then I am not allowed to disclose any information on those involved.
Iain M Maciver
Factor
From moderator:
Following many requests from readers of this blog, it is very apparent that the trust is very much out of touch with the community. Many local people tell me they simply have no idea who they are or what they do apart from hold exhibitions with huge, rich power companies. As far as I can tell, because the trust management decided not to put out a press release to avoid answering awkward questions, I think this is the list of current trustees:
Murdo Murray (chairman), Calum Maclean, Donald Crichton, Zena Stewart, Norman Macleod, Jonathan Maciver, Norman Angus Maciver, Cameron Macleay, Callum Ian Macmillan, Calum Macrae.
Two current members, Norman Macleod and Zena Stewart, are stepping down and another three will be up for re-election including, I believe, the chairman.
Can someone please explain to me, why? I always believed that openness was a democratic right and as such we should know who is standing for the “esteemed charity” known as the Stornoway Trust. Mr X may one ask you is there a legal issue which stops you from naming such candidates? or have you not got a clue? Whichever of the statement alludes to the truth would it not be better for this so called charity (I say this with CONTEMPT) to divulge their candidates, or is this the Chairman acting at best unilaterally?
keep digging mr maciver and you will find at least one trust member who admits they asked no awkward questions of the factor or chairman. they suspected the system was rotten but could get no support for holding them to account. members support was taken for granted and most of the members were so happy seeing themselves on a famous landowning trust that they did nothing to rock the boat.
This makes depressing reading, Norman Macleod, the only retiring trust member worthy of re-election is not standing again, the rest should be rejected out of hand at the ballot.
How can we have faith that the election is not rigged? Even the potential candidates will be a closely guarded secret until the Factor reveals them in a weeks time.
Can you please clarify Mr X, why is there 2 deadlines, is it to allow the candidates to size each other up before it goes to ballot so that any potentially weak candidate can withdraw to save embarrasment or what ?
I have no such information.
Iain
Or is it plain and simple vote rigging by the self serving current Trustees who have to step down and are frightened that they will be rejected in a fair and open ballot?
I think we should be told.
What a novel way to run an election. I suppose in the best traditions of dictatorship the result is being worked out behind closed doors in Leverhulme House long before the tiresome task of a sham election.
Why should these smug, sneering philistines, who were born to rule over us in their omnipotence have to explain themselves and their dark deeds to a less than adoring public?
OSCR, the Scottish Charities Regulator must surely now take an interest in this dysfunctional administration.
The current election fiasco is just one of many.
The Stornoway Trust are indeed behaving like tinpot dictators, deaf to common sense and defying democracy.
Some of the ones you have named should be familiar with the Code of Standards in Public Life, produced by the Standards Commission, but they have clearly either not read, or not understood, that their behaviour as Trustees falls well short of what we would expect.
They seem to regard themselves as above the normal standards expected of the rest of us mere mortals.
What is it about Stornoway that we must have a constant crises somewhere in the town and no sooner is one over than another begins? No sooner had the civil war in the High abated than the SPA exploded and now the Trust.
My husband came back from Point on Saturday well fired up, saying the crofters were revolting and not just the Aignish ones. He was full of tall tales about how the Garrabost women dealt with the Factor in days of yore, giving rise to the local saying “mar a chaidh a Maor tro’ Garabost”, which is why to this day, the Garrabost Guerillas keep a handy stack of sizeable ollacs by the gate.
He got even more agitated when I told him the Trust were having a secret election, with the potential candidates known only to the sitting Trustees, and that a small container of the best French glass beads was on order for distribution to the crofters once every square inch of their moor is converted to a wind factory.
Looks like I will be housebound all week with the weather, confined to the occasional flitting in and out to the neighbours telling them about the Trust, they don’t care about the crofters, but they care about being knee deep in mud and fallen trees once we get over the YM bridge.
The High, the SPA and now the Trust you say Sy Gal but what about Calmac and your oft postponed trip to see your sister in Glasgow? Are you like me, slightly confused by Calmac’s timetabling? I see that for this week the 1030 sailing ex Ullapool will berth at No 1 pier to discharge vehicles and passengers but that all sailings from Stornoway to Ullapool will be from No 3 pier.A bit of a challenge for those of us with not so young memory cells. It is of course perfectly possible that due to the very windy conditions expected only the Clipper Ranger will actually sail in both directions
Glad I got down with the duff this morning Norman, before the tempest set in, just wipe the cloimh liath off it, but not with the cloth in your sink which has more growth on it than Prof Penningtons apron. As for the ferry don’t talk to me about it, himself did not get away this afternoon, and when I pointed him in the direction of what the MP said, and I quote from Heb News –
“We need to know if the reason for this disruption is weather related or an issue with the vessel. If it is weather related, CalMac should take steps to amend the timetable to avoid the bad weather.” he nearly choked on the remains of the duff.
I don’t get the joke myself and it seems to be a sensible thing the MP suggested to make all sailings before the bad weather sets in by sailing a few days before.
I am not going away myself now until it is safe next year, and I won’t fly for fear of getting trampled underfoot by the holy willies in the executive lounges, filling up before they get back to the prying eyes and condemnation of Lewis. I am content myself with filling my copious handbags with those handy packs of Walkers shortbread to fill the stockings at Christmas.
My sister is asking kindly for you but she says you looked better before you let that fungus grow on your chin, she is a lot older than me as you know and she can remember back then.
Myself? I don’t mind a few weeks growth since I always have the lights out and my eyes shut.
Is it true that you are standing for the Trust? My husband says he would vote for you even though you used to be SNP.
We will know by Friday if you don’t tell us earlier.
My sympathy is with the Factor on this occasion, and it is very significant that he says he “is not allowed to disclose any information on those involved”
Three of the furtive five Trustees represent our area, and I do hope all of them are standing down in the interests of progress and an end to secrecy.
Everyone knows that the Trust is dysfunctional, not just a employee level (no one speaks to each other in the office, and the Woodlands Centre, sawmill and nursery are all a loss making joke) but also at Trustee level, so it is little wonder that we have ended up with the present mess.
Angus Macneil has indeed given CalMac a priceless piece of advise in suggesting they amend their ferry timetable to avoid severe weather.
Though I believe they’ve managed to work that one out for themselves, as can be testified by the many passengers who’ve been stranded in Ullapool over the last 40 + years due to the ferry leaving early or being delayed so as to avoid the worst of the weather..
But why would we expect Angus Macneil to know about such maritime matters when he spends so much of his time on the wing , either sitting in a plane or constantly twittering like an excitable and self-important bird.?
I share your frustration Bacach (even though we Rudhachs are traditional rivals). I’ve been saying for years that the Trust was incompetent in every possible way, not to mention autocratic, undemocratic and totally inefficient. While most would agree, none would commit to rectifying that unacceptable situation. Well here is your chance folks to have your say at the ballot box! While I have much admiration for Bacachs (oh all right, maybe ‘admiration’ is pushing it a bit) I would argue that their Trustee Reps are about as useful as a canonball-sized hole in the head. Get rid!