Arnish Lighthouse

<![CDATA[ Last night (Thursday) I attended a concert at the Nicolson Institute which was unlike any other I have been to. As the title of the post indicates, it was billed as a Kaleidoscope concert. Music of all ages and genres was performed by secondary school age pupils, obviously with a good helping of Scottish and Gaelic culture thrown in as well. I have never been to a concert where a hardrock band rubbed shoulders with a Chopin nocturne, a ceilidh band and a jazz ensemble.

Starting off with the junior piping champion for Scotland (who hails from Lewis), there followed jazz, hard rock, a Chopin nocturne, a movement from a Haydn trumpet concierto, a Gaelic song and a junior big band. After the break, there was a similar set of pieces. The concert was put up to raise funds for new instruments for the Nicolson institute, which it will have done. Attendance was about 150.

I was heartened to see teenagers take an interest in all sorts of music, not just the usual Radio 1 type things. It reinforces my perception that culture ranks very high on the Hebrides' list of priorities, and it's important to start young. It is even more important to have a diverse interest. I noticed one young lady who played the piano as well as the clarinet. Two players were leading instrumentalists in the Scottish Youth Orchestra.

It is not my intention to turn this into a promotion for the local secondary school, although the Nicolson is doing an exceptionally good job in this field. I would rather flag this up as an example to be followed up elsewhere. Not just in Scotland or the UK - but anywhere.

After all, music is universal and transcends borders of countries, language and culture. ]]>

<![CDATA[ It's all over the news today that Caledonian MacBrayne's have decided to institute sailings between Leverburgh and Berneray on Sundays. Two Harris councillors went on air this morning, spitting fire at the ferry company for going round the backs of local opinion. One councillor stated that 2 out of 3 local people were opposed, as put down in a petition which was presented to Calmac. Nonetheless, the company weighed up pros and cons of a Sunday service. Pros include social and economic benefits, such as the possibility for Uisteachs to visit relatives in hospital in Stornoway. It would also enable Leodhsachs and Hearachs to attend events in the Uists on Saturday, making it possible to return on Sunday and return to work as normal on Monday.

North Uist, to which Berneray is linked, already has a Sunday sailing across the Minch to Skye. Although there is opposition in North Uist to a ferry on Sundays to Harris, it is nothing as compared to the ferocity of opposition across the water in Harris. The reason is that, if the Sound of Harris ferry does start to sail on Sundays, it will lead to a Sunday service on the Stornoway to Ullapool link. This would end the Lewis / Harris sabbath as we know it. Listening to a phone poll on local radio this morning, the majority (from Lewis) were opposed to Sunday sailings.

Calmac has been accused of treating the local population with contempt by ignoring the above mentioned petition. Nonetheless, the company can actually implement timetables within its remit of providing lifeline services, at frequencies that it decides on the basis of need and the physical practicalities of the waters it has to ply. It consults with the local councils on timetables as a matter of course. I should point out that Calmac decided on the Sound of Harris Sunday service following a request to do so from a North Uist councillor.

There is an unfortunate coincidence, in that the decision by Calmac appears to have been made 24 hours before Comhairle nan Eilean Siar were due to debate their policy stance on Sunday working and sailings. Oops.
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<![CDATA[ This morning, a partial solar eclipse was visible throughout Europe, the UK and the Western Isles. At Stornoway, only 15% of the sun was obscured. Nonetheless, it was still an impressive spectacle. The image below shows the sun at 11.44. It's coloured green, as I had to place a slide of welding glass in front of the camera lens.
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So the clocks have gone forward, and summer should be on its way. Well, not in a meteorological sense. Temperatures this morning are an abysmal 7C, and its drizzling heavily. A month ago, I was happily snapping away at spring pictures, and last week Stornoway looked more like a town near the Arctic circle.

That was during the worst of the blizzards, which caused travel chaos in Harris.
And this crocus was out a month ago. Oh well, everything in its own time. It's such a shame to see everything blasted by the wintery winds after this promise of an early spring. The most magical aspect of summer is the very, very long evenings. It's even more prominent in Shetland (hugging the 60th parallel, Stornoway is on the 58th), but this image of the town at midnight in June is special.
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Tonight (Sunday 26th March), BBC1 showed an edition of the Panorama programme about problems in the NHS nationally. Those with broadband access can see the program again from the link on the page.

There is also an opportunity to leave comments about your local NHS, whether as a patient or a worker. Anyone in the catchment area for Island Blogging will have stories to tell - not just here in Lewis!

I would like to encourage anyone that works in the NHS, or those that have used the service, to leave comments on the Panorama page. It is particularly important if you have experiences related to the issues discussed on Panorama tonight.

With reference to the local situation (which I have been blogging about for the duration of Island Blogging for this area), it would appear that the financial problems faced by NHS Western Isles have some of their roots in Westminster government policies. By agreeing to big increases in pay for consultants, GP's, as well as an extra layer (NHS Direct, also known as NHS 24) of access to the service, costs were mounting. The Panorama story focused heavily on the situation in England. Whether this can be transposed letter for letter into the Scottish situation I cannot judge. It would appear to have a heavy impact on it, at the very least.

Next week's program (April 2nd) is likely to focus on the postcode lottery that is used in allocating expensive treatments. Putting it crudely, if you have the wrong postcode, you're denied treatment for certain cancers.
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<![CDATA[ Having looked into the procession of industries that have come and gone from these shores, I'm sitting here wondering what goes wrong all the time. Incidentally, I don't claim to possess a comprehensive knowledge on the subject. I am merely taking the broad view, and I'd like to add that those in authority could do worse than doing likewise. Let's have a look.

Until about 10 years ago, there was a flourishing industry in Lewis and Harris, in the shape of Harris Tweed. A large number of mills were operating, in Stornoway, Shawbost and Carloway. Raw wool was taken in by the mills and processed into yarn. The bobbins with yarn would be taken out to the weavers (mainly crofters), who would turn it into raw Harris Tweed. The mill lorry would go round to pick up the finished lengths, and this would be processed into a finished garment or other product. A perfect industry for the islands, according to a source within the industry. Unfortunately, a dose of competition drove the majority of the mills to bankruptcy, and there are only 3 or 4 of them left. I believe that up to 10 used to operate in the past.
The point I'd like to make is that rather than encourage competition to the point that jobs are lost and industries closed down, those in authority (Comhairle, Enterprise at the Edge, Highlands & Islands Enterprise) should have steered the industry to greater success, with the existing workforce and plant. It didn't happen, and the mills are now reduced to making pretty handbags, Nike products (shoes with bits of tweed in them) and snapping at each other over alleged breaches of quality regulations under the Orb Trademark. For reference: no tweed can be called Harris Tweed unless it conforms to certain requirements.

Another industry, which appears to be going down, is fish farming. Again, it would appear to have been a perfect industry for the islands. Competition once again seems to be its undoing, with Norway being accused of dumping salmon on the market. Norwegian salmon producers appear to be in control of the industry, and this has already led to job losses. The Stolt salmon processing factory on Scalpay (off Harris) closed down in 2005, with the loss of 60 jobs. That is a heavy blow for the area, which has a population of only a few thousand. Unfortunately, straight geography would dictate that the Outer Hebrides are at an automatic disadvantage. Anything produced here needs to be carted over the sea. Therefore, if it can be produced on the mainland or closer to the consumer, than such would cut out the costs of transportation. The problem with the Norwegian connection is that Norway is (as yet) outside the European Union, and different rules apply with regards to trade and take-over of industries. .
The problems with the salmon production in the islands have been there for some time, and I'm rather concerned that a more pro-active if not aggressive approach is not taken by those in positions of power.

It is, generally speaking, something that besets the highlands and islands of Scotland. Because the area is very sparsely populated, it lacks political clout. The Western Isles are represented by one Member of Parliament for the UK parliament in London and one for the Scottish Parliament. The Westminster MP is currently of SNP hue, which is very much a minority party on the national forum, and although pro-active, is not taken serious enough.
The Scottish Executive is in a better position to support the islands, but it seems to be very slow in taking action. Fourteen months ago, a hurricane battered the islands, leaving damage estimated at 15 million pounds. There are still arguments raging about the level of payments towards repairs of (e.g.) infrastructure. Bear in mind that upgrades in the roads here has been funded mainly out of EU funds.

The Western Isles are a very vulnerable area, with a population of just 26,000.
I wish there was more aggressive support for our area, from both Edinburgh and Westminster. Why can't the British authorities do for the Hebrides what the Norwegians did for the Lofoden islands in their far northwest? ]]>

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I think the first arrivals for the Fank are here. This morning at 11 o'clock, the good old Isle of Arran could be seen sneaking into port at an unexpected hour. She trailed vapours of Toilet Duck and Savlon shandies, so I think the Northerners must have hailed her from the shores of Loch Seaforth.

Now, as in all fanks, blond is best, so the local chemist shops have been stocking up on hydrogen peroxide for bleaching. Toilet Duck won't have a quack of an effect on your hair colour, you need the strong stuff for that. The beads that Calumannabel advised me to get for US contestants have turned up in the Ness emporium, probably for use at the fank.

I went down to the pier to assist with the circular conveyor belt that is coming from Unst, to be used in the caber tossing contest. Whether it's actually cabers that are going to be tossed or rejects at the fank, I dread to think. I'll have to get on to Galson Tractors to advise them to park well away from the fank. I'd hate one of their smart vehicles to get hit by a blond bombshell. ]]>