tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44705663617189358392024-03-14T10:39:03.168-07:00Chris Paton's BlogA mixture of history, politics and contemporary opinion on a range of Scottish and Irish matters from North Ayrshire based family historian Chris PatonChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-45833442252054841962018-10-22T13:50:00.002-07:002018-10-22T15:14:04.168-07:00Rally for Remain - Northern Ireland said Yes to the EUOn Saturday 20th October 2018 I took a ferry from Scotland for a day trip to Belfast, in order that I could attend the Rally For Remain at City Hall. This was the first time that I had ever attended a political rally in Northern Ireland, but in the current shenanigans over Brexit I felt it was important to show solidarity with the many folk in my native country who, like me, had also voted to Remain in the European Union, and who are about to be well and truly shafted.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cz6FKslJHkB8eY_yd7RU113bHWp8Hc-dmvJy0s2hy1Lncs1hOW9BL9FhR1oJ_IB_waiGv_DF7_9po4ccnbymMcmtRMsefrfUVYU_9bRVIUGzHH4TL1tiYvt0rhVbzbyZfybRoeq96OG3/s1600/Brexit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cz6FKslJHkB8eY_yd7RU113bHWp8Hc-dmvJy0s2hy1Lncs1hOW9BL9FhR1oJ_IB_waiGv_DF7_9po4ccnbymMcmtRMsefrfUVYU_9bRVIUGzHH4TL1tiYvt0rhVbzbyZfybRoeq96OG3/s400/Brexit+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
What the Brexiteers in Britain do not get, and certainly would not care about if they did, is that in Northern Ireland, and indeed in Ireland as a whole, Brexit will come at a price. When the Tories achieve their 'hard Brexit', a border will be introduced in Ireland between the European Union and Little Britain's last colony, Northern Ireland. It will be physical infrastructure of a sort, but much worse, there is the very real danger of a 'hard border' becoming reintroduced into the minds of those who can never be reconciled to peace and prosperity.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidflzUJfa1acFdW4k5z6giQJZ47MSKWxwTA27BiIdEy7waCl918OsdOfi_suwjATHeOoHV4EJCcV1HGqiQ2OWnpgOCNhOXOBwVNAVqIQ6HcyjXfXh5nooQgaWEzYz1DpY6uQ-W_N0bVb7l/s1600/Brexit+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidflzUJfa1acFdW4k5z6giQJZ47MSKWxwTA27BiIdEy7waCl918OsdOfi_suwjATHeOoHV4EJCcV1HGqiQ2OWnpgOCNhOXOBwVNAVqIQ6HcyjXfXh5nooQgaWEzYz1DpY6uQ-W_N0bVb7l/s400/Brexit+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Northern Ireland, like Scotland, voted against Brexit. The DUP, which only currently has influence because Theresa May screwed up her Conservative majority through an unnecessary general election in 2017, want to see this hard border, but they do not speak for the majority of people in Northern Ireland. For the DUP, Brexit will recreate a 'them and us' scenario from which they see future electoral advantage, something the deeply tribal Northern Ireland and Ireland was previously trapped in for decades and centuries, and which everyone finally learned to escape from through the Good Friday Agreement - except the DUP, who did not sign it. There is an entire generation of people in the north now who can vote who were not even alive during the Troubles, and the DUP is willing to put them on a sacrificial altar. It is disgusting. It is wrong. It is undemocratic. And it is not about orange versus green.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUqxCl_9m8RCs0s9pkRz3pm_C5BWDUHRBXmUFfkzz59Couf-r7oMiXMRpgAl17MZsWVJjvODuPfJPkM2L6ZaQThoVupIdulHo1zsZHIOlJreudz3pGTTNuWz-WOsrAhliEBk3iaberKLj/s1600/Brexit+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="438" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUqxCl_9m8RCs0s9pkRz3pm_C5BWDUHRBXmUFfkzz59Couf-r7oMiXMRpgAl17MZsWVJjvODuPfJPkM2L6ZaQThoVupIdulHo1zsZHIOlJreudz3pGTTNuWz-WOsrAhliEBk3iaberKLj/s320/Brexit+3.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
I am not religious. I originally come from a mainly Protestant background in Northern Ireland, but Brexit is the one disaster that has convinced me that the UK will forever be our undoing, whether in Scotland, where I now live, or back home. I now have dual nationality between Ireland and the UK, and when Scotland becomes independent in the very near future, I will be giving up my UK passport, and taking a Scottish one instead. Britain is permanently broken, the tragedy is that on their final swansong, the Brexiteers want to break Ireland and take it down with them.<br />
<br />
The following is a video filmed by Independence Live of the Rally for Remain, with contribitions from the following people, representing the MAJORITY of public opinion in Northern Ireland, on a cross-community basis - Séamas de Faoite (SDLP); Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance); Gerry Carlisle (business leader); John Barry (Greens); Glenn Bradley (Northern Ireland Business and Human Rights Forum); Claire Hanna MLA (SDLP); Naomi Long MLA (Leader, Alliance); Olivia Potter-Hughes (President, NUS USI); Deirdre Hargey (Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sinn Féin); Damien McGenity (Border Communities Against Brexit). <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" id="ls_embed_1540236203" scrolling="no" src="https://livestream.com/accounts/6163639/events/8417673/videos/182156767/player?width=560&height=315&enableInfo=true&defaultDrawer=&autoPlay=true&mute=false" width="560"> </iframe>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
(The video is also online at <a href="https://livestream.com/IndependenceLive/belfast-remain-rally/videos/182156767">https://livestream.com/IndependenceLive/belfast-remain-rally/videos/182156767</a>).<br />
<br />
These people spoke for me, these people spoke for the majority of people in Northern Ireland. If you are a Brexiteer intent on jeopardising Northern Ireland's future, and refusing a People's Vote, please at least have the decency to first listen to the voices of the people you're about to sell out.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Sorcha and Seamas for organising the event. And to hell with Brexit - it is not in my name...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-62146651741883367512017-10-09T11:50:00.000-07:002017-10-09T11:55:31.969-07:00The Australian Parliament and Aboriginal Tent EmbassyWhilst on a genealogy talks tour of Australia in August, I was able to take time out to visit the <b>Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia </b>(<a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/">www.aph.gov.au</a>), located in the city of Canberra, within the Australian Capital Territory. Similar to Westminster, the federal parliament has a two chamber system, with a House of Representatives and a Senate, although neither was in session when I visited.<br />
<br />
Whilst I was in Canberra the main political story happening at the time was a crisis concerning the rights of some elected members to be able to hold onto their seats, as incredibly several had been revealed to hold dual nationality, which is forbidden under the country's constitution - there's a summary of all those affected at <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-19/who-is-who-dual-citizenship-scandal/8819510">http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-19/who-is-who-dual-citizenship-scandal/8819510</a>!<br />
<br />
The exterior, and the main entrance lobby:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAnT67YMdPoTacC13FzyNyGpmfu2F4_4a-FvykY6c2AUeUvWC6W5wAxEqNyVKS_AVfsJQ1W47snSQ9ak79Ls04AwODQOzmbf-0BiRP_PaFJ4ch1sK_FQFk8Ck2m5aY_i_gg0tcK2Nvs8l/s1600/DSCN6527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAnT67YMdPoTacC13FzyNyGpmfu2F4_4a-FvykY6c2AUeUvWC6W5wAxEqNyVKS_AVfsJQ1W47snSQ9ak79Ls04AwODQOzmbf-0BiRP_PaFJ4ch1sK_FQFk8Ck2m5aY_i_gg0tcK2Nvs8l/s400/DSCN6527.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5ht4g-IBzSPemyC88KakLgJjrmlpWqbYeSy2wnWX4gTdn_qEL2kPVGtCB7hdM3hXMYqpVvbfnIer2g2ua0Q-L7OBivcJ0eAZQrpoQ5OhwVg2DEhY_lYgAXUEn5FNQ3Pbn9TZSVGs5wof/s1600/DSCN6494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5ht4g-IBzSPemyC88KakLgJjrmlpWqbYeSy2wnWX4gTdn_qEL2kPVGtCB7hdM3hXMYqpVvbfnIer2g2ua0Q-L7OBivcJ0eAZQrpoQ5OhwVg2DEhY_lYgAXUEn5FNQ3Pbn9TZSVGs5wof/s400/DSCN6494.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuCzbv77iwypGILcVHjRPq13iOXt7XQUZtxdFL2jReKI4YSRzVU1HflGrn8KWfzo-E2bXrEOh3qFUtGmWQeHlted6rQ4tW5tceBlYSPsld-UyosliVK8PhNq5WyDwkdwqjFmIa3F2fJNw/s1600/DSCN6541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuCzbv77iwypGILcVHjRPq13iOXt7XQUZtxdFL2jReKI4YSRzVU1HflGrn8KWfzo-E2bXrEOh3qFUtGmWQeHlted6rQ4tW5tceBlYSPsld-UyosliVK8PhNq5WyDwkdwqjFmIa3F2fJNw/s400/DSCN6541.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnJ2DMrnxx8CKY2rN5zSHhtMh1BDx5o87WuqQGUGcF7-KXotGw7SvEbyEYrguShVQQiptY_newEYA6cXnFAIvdBU3wZYNL_zUka-TxMKEejnT3SiE9Ykb-xdc0yk95_XD_HXGiHfijuZx/s1600/DSCN6535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnJ2DMrnxx8CKY2rN5zSHhtMh1BDx5o87WuqQGUGcF7-KXotGw7SvEbyEYrguShVQQiptY_newEYA6cXnFAIvdBU3wZYNL_zUka-TxMKEejnT3SiE9Ykb-xdc0yk95_XD_HXGiHfijuZx/s400/DSCN6535.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQOJt06h7ghzU7Nzv_3M18CE6S8piIhYVtlzI6-A6gApl6OvP9N_NvKJEpgqAqtJv8IQ9c0Q3e1v7w8QO44Zh-K9_PcNBbpCvKgW0Q3eC6YisKATO67UpI3yglcf757BNF9KTp7exZGjq/s1600/DSCN6442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQOJt06h7ghzU7Nzv_3M18CE6S8piIhYVtlzI6-A6gApl6OvP9N_NvKJEpgqAqtJv8IQ9c0Q3e1v7w8QO44Zh-K9_PcNBbpCvKgW0Q3eC6YisKATO67UpI3yglcf757BNF9KTp7exZGjq/s400/DSCN6442.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The House of Representatives chamber:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQUqBlIbfMryZ2WLCBFxZGcD0V1LibbMFf4Fgl3Jrq_ejnK3OGZEFDtfk7L6XrZPDyMScVovgcGdWsuoQguFehYQVbn6Q-vAwk5W3TXsPBVA0oAfXfiIunLxaPSAOpHMNYPZMwZZ3bocc/s1600/DSCN6476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQUqBlIbfMryZ2WLCBFxZGcD0V1LibbMFf4Fgl3Jrq_ejnK3OGZEFDtfk7L6XrZPDyMScVovgcGdWsuoQguFehYQVbn6Q-vAwk5W3TXsPBVA0oAfXfiIunLxaPSAOpHMNYPZMwZZ3bocc/s400/DSCN6476.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7X_lw2WhHSFgYs1Ru-a9rM2XUH__FWDX_HNafjt_dZnbtDmBxzZ8ZBjaXziqFJluEf3zoOPX7wrujt71fNzLg2vjRvo1BadxixXfpY9nO9RTS6RWSS1N84sv5ctbGqTOxar8fh5yzRAm/s1600/DSCN6478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7X_lw2WhHSFgYs1Ru-a9rM2XUH__FWDX_HNafjt_dZnbtDmBxzZ8ZBjaXziqFJluEf3zoOPX7wrujt71fNzLg2vjRvo1BadxixXfpY9nO9RTS6RWSS1N84sv5ctbGqTOxar8fh5yzRAm/s400/DSCN6478.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGBf2NN21Q6pj7jgcaVD75ZWuk-pbOAlhirV9Nm3X-_rIqQLldp4ie2x39DNHzwQPJYllWbrRPT8UUhAFPKqKsnWe3Fs_4iie7egri8dCU3vYO7b6agfCVDVpF6G_1GNSwzgIU3OTx_Ts/s1600/DSCN6483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGBf2NN21Q6pj7jgcaVD75ZWuk-pbOAlhirV9Nm3X-_rIqQLldp4ie2x39DNHzwQPJYllWbrRPT8UUhAFPKqKsnWe3Fs_4iie7egri8dCU3vYO7b6agfCVDVpF6G_1GNSwzgIU3OTx_Ts/s400/DSCN6483.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The Senate:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bxe54JlNnl9N4IowVdSExq6hwsuJr_nlH17n_8kzJN65xhUSKNJOzk8TAVNaf0o7zeTZ0Mlj4l34Ry30XkmQ4cK3ivmVv2hKtvgmaBJJ5Ir_HtcmL-jcIG0yqOlRO8j07ujbBn0RtZG-/s1600/DSCN6518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bxe54JlNnl9N4IowVdSExq6hwsuJr_nlH17n_8kzJN65xhUSKNJOzk8TAVNaf0o7zeTZ0Mlj4l34Ry30XkmQ4cK3ivmVv2hKtvgmaBJJ5Ir_HtcmL-jcIG0yqOlRO8j07ujbBn0RtZG-/s400/DSCN6518.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1pfLOEGrYxVOW14UvB8lAKCTTZRXzEyz2pmjFtV2rmdy2hmnU0sorHVf22Ru6DifMhyNGbAjH4o0m91G4W4Gsi2iUD3w5c0i2M7L8CVY0al_6QD_hmT-801Kbrxy-1SVaP7uZpanKAaJ/s1600/DSCN6516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1pfLOEGrYxVOW14UvB8lAKCTTZRXzEyz2pmjFtV2rmdy2hmnU0sorHVf22Ru6DifMhyNGbAjH4o0m91G4W4Gsi2iUD3w5c0i2M7L8CVY0al_6QD_hmT-801Kbrxy-1SVaP7uZpanKAaJ/s400/DSCN6516.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgaOO59nMuJ5PMRHgdv_OBeBscZeQLB014bSkhRLQrFNTFNwXwfnO1H_LQhwW6lUV01Q9PSbBUUykSlLDO6L8mhGrVYS-Lyz4JR8eaSV-4aBJBVEs8PmLG6EyNJ8Qxveho1HJIafrygIC/s1600/DSCN6515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgaOO59nMuJ5PMRHgdv_OBeBscZeQLB014bSkhRLQrFNTFNwXwfnO1H_LQhwW6lUV01Q9PSbBUUykSlLDO6L8mhGrVYS-Lyz4JR8eaSV-4aBJBVEs8PmLG6EyNJ8Qxveho1HJIafrygIC/s400/DSCN6515.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
There was a museum display between the chambers, with several interesting documents, including a copy of England's Magna Carta, an Apology to Australia's Indignous Peoples, and an Apology to Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08guzZv0_QHyTR7oDZmqSO8M1fAzJU4OHkbNYxIAmJ4yeQwpc31QhyphenhyphenohYKwffX4SyUTbP5_RIq8xfTXJSKjss3lLzrhqoZZSDzE-Km3Ujn-SVGaBl4p-YU1u0bbeAEkKEEPynCVEIF9xq/s1600/DSCN6521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08guzZv0_QHyTR7oDZmqSO8M1fAzJU4OHkbNYxIAmJ4yeQwpc31QhyphenhyphenohYKwffX4SyUTbP5_RIq8xfTXJSKjss3lLzrhqoZZSDzE-Km3Ujn-SVGaBl4p-YU1u0bbeAEkKEEPynCVEIF9xq/s400/DSCN6521.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNgmKm9zPomddoSdGZZ0KbN5g14AFNyLDof4CE5Kv7n5gfnQmVvM5p9U_fgZnTeK5A454zxNtGKfegs_o1nzwL_AuWr63UKrHeb7JmcPtWqgOyS4BExvQsjwHKpyo1ckABSsABzn7g0Cq/s1600/DSCN6466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNgmKm9zPomddoSdGZZ0KbN5g14AFNyLDof4CE5Kv7n5gfnQmVvM5p9U_fgZnTeK5A454zxNtGKfegs_o1nzwL_AuWr63UKrHeb7JmcPtWqgOyS4BExvQsjwHKpyo1ckABSsABzn7g0Cq/s400/DSCN6466.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzXEnjj7zAdOuFla3MYXQeSOS1cAs98ygebD3dfmihFQiYILpqwBipY9F7A4MhMohu_JvyUsO_ioPLjArnHGJNJL1GHUdlv7KpXkZjV_dUgf9yZDXdIc1rwZiNhFPQV3aZxspM2Tp0yu8/s1600/DSCN6453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzXEnjj7zAdOuFla3MYXQeSOS1cAs98ygebD3dfmihFQiYILpqwBipY9F7A4MhMohu_JvyUsO_ioPLjArnHGJNJL1GHUdlv7KpXkZjV_dUgf9yZDXdIc1rwZiNhFPQV3aZxspM2Tp0yu8/s400/DSCN6453.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Just down the road from the current parliament is the site of Old Parliament House, which was the institution's original home for some 61 years, and which now hosts the Museum of Australian Democracy (<a href="https://www.moadoph.gov.au/">https://www.moadoph.gov.au</a>). Outside the museum is the Aboriginal Tent Embassy (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_Tent_Embassy">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_Tent_Embassy</a>), founded in 1972 to originally protest about land rights for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Amusingly, upon approaching the camp, I was asked by one of the folk in the embassy where I was from. When I mentioned Scotland, he yelled out "Yes!", fully aware of our efforts to secure independence here, so I had to get a selfie! Some pictures from the embassy...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFp4BAwg4cArE0pVFb1pUuY6VNd-zUXlRU9JXxyOFsFefwbeYgu2dva05Q4J9uXIcEgGw5dMA8IHBpWJDY-s5hYd-vuj5hDLBNI8QRXuJQscuJPxXzxBImIqzcLZ4iqrl721kWDRapZ7t/s1600/DSCN6383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFp4BAwg4cArE0pVFb1pUuY6VNd-zUXlRU9JXxyOFsFefwbeYgu2dva05Q4J9uXIcEgGw5dMA8IHBpWJDY-s5hYd-vuj5hDLBNI8QRXuJQscuJPxXzxBImIqzcLZ4iqrl721kWDRapZ7t/s400/DSCN6383.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi62_p3hAB3kNVXEaxhUtrVWdHHREKQztOVgjFBN9mez_mDirIt1KL64kldKei99CCKYLjW34fAmetysCV0J4RWIASHuhZBayi_S1oxtFOgOL9G3Fhz6tJknTz-UW6T-w9SCWpye9dbRbJ/s1600/DSCN6369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi62_p3hAB3kNVXEaxhUtrVWdHHREKQztOVgjFBN9mez_mDirIt1KL64kldKei99CCKYLjW34fAmetysCV0J4RWIASHuhZBayi_S1oxtFOgOL9G3Fhz6tJknTz-UW6T-w9SCWpye9dbRbJ/s400/DSCN6369.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDR7PcHCAFi_T0XWWWP7sgC0rqjky599iB3XdmMWn8cDrDjCkh4_2cWThD7K7msyu6P1WLcBE00vMcIsP2q_UONdhawoTwyVPONnGQe5QVsmFqQ3PXGrBc6ISDbPwSyXCu7DiGpUHVMP_/s1600/DSCN6366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDR7PcHCAFi_T0XWWWP7sgC0rqjky599iB3XdmMWn8cDrDjCkh4_2cWThD7K7msyu6P1WLcBE00vMcIsP2q_UONdhawoTwyVPONnGQe5QVsmFqQ3PXGrBc6ISDbPwSyXCu7DiGpUHVMP_/s400/DSCN6366.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2Hm3ZjIgjgUTb9KFIb68BIO0d_qIvaB7zT8KnPXY64rcclqihgAx68PA9aHzvDPBHoyANNOUg7EYKgUKdkVSQTwZ9DyvLBcUZloDqFWskQ5zEMHY6zB_xH0NwQtVE8MLWxkFAe-Z46Un/s1600/DSCN6371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2Hm3ZjIgjgUTb9KFIb68BIO0d_qIvaB7zT8KnPXY64rcclqihgAx68PA9aHzvDPBHoyANNOUg7EYKgUKdkVSQTwZ9DyvLBcUZloDqFWskQ5zEMHY6zB_xH0NwQtVE8MLWxkFAe-Z46Un/s400/DSCN6371.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2YYHimhQShh_dox6ihu_PzvXwbdt36J5vuAAXAlApO5C5NjHewqtCZtGD9dU3JVIrQToSX4kQp8PYIo-I2Hlwe_ZYBn_RAkDiokMaPqrqUUNI_UWcrX3g4GnqWzIuN7aSqZ9-DYlgJ82/s1600/DSCN6373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2YYHimhQShh_dox6ihu_PzvXwbdt36J5vuAAXAlApO5C5NjHewqtCZtGD9dU3JVIrQToSX4kQp8PYIo-I2Hlwe_ZYBn_RAkDiokMaPqrqUUNI_UWcrX3g4GnqWzIuN7aSqZ9-DYlgJ82/s400/DSCN6373.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJF53gGKCFhKJulhDEQ6OnGCYRWu59Iqhm5inQ0ZW12yP8nLEy8aPb7VD37XutkvCiSG_xuTWSb3U_MwnTIeLTvx0NOyYgVyb1Ec6Y7aqSBGmeR7eoCPqk0RVsxUoEwhULUjNMx_z5-vi/s1600/DSCN6380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJF53gGKCFhKJulhDEQ6OnGCYRWu59Iqhm5inQ0ZW12yP8nLEy8aPb7VD37XutkvCiSG_xuTWSb3U_MwnTIeLTvx0NOyYgVyb1Ec6Y7aqSBGmeR7eoCPqk0RVsxUoEwhULUjNMx_z5-vi/s400/DSCN6380.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7ZZBWE4Nrfl1xPKnrOoq7qbfjZSn6UmXoI5rdGp6VmMl7Hhf3F2jDjxV_DUrkAt0bgLtdiO4MI_N6sgS2M_gkGZzfIdCWniHFWmF1LOm4SBaEbhFDY384rhgCnl7_dBnoZh6oMzfVRd4/s1600/DSCN6384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7ZZBWE4Nrfl1xPKnrOoq7qbfjZSn6UmXoI5rdGp6VmMl7Hhf3F2jDjxV_DUrkAt0bgLtdiO4MI_N6sgS2M_gkGZzfIdCWniHFWmF1LOm4SBaEbhFDY384rhgCnl7_dBnoZh6oMzfVRd4/s400/DSCN6384.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZeg3mxLlvGI6E94ztAHx9SsuqGj-xGa4g0L5t4fo2PWCI0NycxE8gRH0VF5b9jq_gJyyvyfNLfzqBDfPsDzYctGt-alEORK9VktQWGV_v4ZYwU2Jo1oKrjZZjeZuyjjuuhQK5gK2jWx-/s1600/DSCN6387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZeg3mxLlvGI6E94ztAHx9SsuqGj-xGa4g0L5t4fo2PWCI0NycxE8gRH0VF5b9jq_gJyyvyfNLfzqBDfPsDzYctGt-alEORK9VktQWGV_v4ZYwU2Jo1oKrjZZjeZuyjjuuhQK5gK2jWx-/s400/DSCN6387.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
ChrisChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-12575794732095154932017-06-13T16:42:00.000-07:002017-06-13T16:43:00.821-07:00The 2017 General ElectionYe see yon birkies, in a twirl,<br />
Wha struts, an' stares, an' a' that;<br />
Tho' hundreds worship at their word,<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> They're but coofs for a' that:<br /> For a' that, an' a' that,<br /> Their ribband stars, an' a' that:<br /> The Scots o' independent mind<br /> We look an' laugh at a' that. </span><br />
<br />
Keep the faith Scotland. Strong and stable is but a myth...Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-2601774520592153462017-05-10T08:34:00.001-07:002019-06-22T10:57:29.356-07:00Fighting, losing, but still winning an electionThis year I attempted to get elected to local government on behalf of the SNP (<a href="http://www.snp.org/">www.snp.org</a>) for the North Ayrshire based ward of Stevenston. Despite putting absolutely everything into it, and essentially suspending my self-employed day job activities for four months along the way, I was unfortunately unable to get past the hurdles imposed by the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system used for the election, and narrowly failed to get elected.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnWPGjQQMT5YIl9fFX-rZnXk_kIuw6HzzZgKDw3DyKCMmmsUq49vrKC-nTOSrLCtgwielzCRmvIlX0roWc2XdlEbrQ8hxETIPEFl3DFBLPIcNpHtjbZJqR9tElfY6iuxVZ2duDB9-IEYi/s1600/dug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnWPGjQQMT5YIl9fFX-rZnXk_kIuw6HzzZgKDw3DyKCMmmsUq49vrKC-nTOSrLCtgwielzCRmvIlX0roWc2XdlEbrQ8hxETIPEFl3DFBLPIcNpHtjbZJqR9tElfY6iuxVZ2duDB9-IEYi/s320/dug.jpg" width="313" /></a>In the STV system, voters are asked to list their preferences in order for as many or as few candidates as they wish, with the idea of producing a more proportionate election result than the 'first past the post' system used in the General Election. In this, candidates have to be elected by reaching a 'quota' of votes, decided on by the number of votes cast divided by the number of seats available plus one. If you reach the quota at the first stage, you are automatically elected; if not, subsequent preferences are then taken into account, and low polling candidates eliminated in stages, until the quota is reached and all the available seats are won.<br />
<br />
For those standing on behalf of a political party, this provides something of a headache if more than one party candidate is standing in the ward, in that the alphabetical order of the candidate listing on the ballot paper provides a disadvantage to those listed further down the slip. If asked to vote for your party of choice, the natural inclination is to go down the list and give preferences in the order in which you find the two candidates (unless you perhaps happen to know one of the candidates). In this case my colleague's surname began with the letter M, placing her third on the ballot of eight candidates, whilst I was placed sixth with the surname of Paton. The disadvantage can be overcome partially by canvassing and asking folk in parts of the ward to vote the other way, 2 and 1 (i.e. with my colleague second, and myself first), instead of 1 and 2 – something I spent several months doing, speaking to almost 1500 people on their doorsteps along the way. This worked to a degree in that we ended up with a difference of only 180 votes between us in the first preferences as decided on by the electorate, and with both of us in the top three places, which would have guaranteed election in a first past the post scenario. Neither of us reached the quota, however, with the first preference. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDqgdNFOpU_rGmJBGMtFEOIUKirm9FNTf6tG8hYxyaJUn0vrBDGITu0k0K4ji77OGFE42vkDL4hkiHPWW8NcUeFcAmwQBOuzRjFDwOz-q-IUPLqjW6y-B77yJlrB6BbucniztSJ4A7x87/s1600/20170415_125400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDqgdNFOpU_rGmJBGMtFEOIUKirm9FNTf6tG8hYxyaJUn0vrBDGITu0k0K4ji77OGFE42vkDL4hkiHPWW8NcUeFcAmwQBOuzRjFDwOz-q-IUPLqjW6y-B77yJlrB6BbucniztSJ4A7x87/s400/20170415_125400.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This was also not a normal election. Half way through the campaign, the UK's Prime Minister suddenly called a snap general election, to take place just a month after the local elections, which with its obsession on the issue of Brexit influenced the latter part of the campaign. The Scottish constitutional question on independence, tied in with what many of us see to be the only way to avoid the perils and obscenity of Brexit, was also at play, as it has been for the last five years, making it very difficult to stick to talking about local issues, such as sorting out schools, potholes on the roads, and getting the litter bins collected. As much as we tried to make it about local issues, the opposing parties wanted to make it about avoiding an independence referendum, which councillors actually cannot call.<br />
<br />
Tactically, one of the other things that seemed to help my two Labour opponents (both of whom were subsequently elected) was the fact that a sitting Labour councillor had stood as an independent candidate in the campaign. Unfortunately, when he was eliminated in the fourth round, his transfers went almost exclusively to the Labour candidates, and their fellow unionist colleague in the Conservative Party, pushing me below one of the Labour men by just six votes, and the Conservative candidate by just one vote. This led to my own elimination from the contest at the fifth round, which ironically then allowed my SNP colleague to dramatically sail past the quota line – needing just 86 votes to reach the quota, I was able to secure her an additional 547 votes! But that was it for my campaign.<br />
<br />
Whilst disappointed not to get in, I have no regrets about having participated. The campaign was a lot of fun, I met some wonderful people and had some great experiences throughout. I was part of a candidates team that worked brilliantly together, with a wonderful election agent, and I was gladdened to see so many colleagues elected on the day, though saddened for those who did not get in. On the day of the election itself, my main opponents were courteous. I had a good election campaign.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7TFUjX3tDWA4kNriUjc27tHY1WirMPPpTlncZnR7-zve0DgxuADKWz8a6DCddhyphenhyphenJ13GYL8pFX1MXUEfE-9prdcZ_a5gxAI9R0B1GJLOJ9l0yMfAlTBxhgBVbgk6yRpxQo8QKAZlicNJr/s1600/ferry+a+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7TFUjX3tDWA4kNriUjc27tHY1WirMPPpTlncZnR7-zve0DgxuADKWz8a6DCddhyphenhyphenJ13GYL8pFX1MXUEfE-9prdcZ_a5gxAI9R0B1GJLOJ9l0yMfAlTBxhgBVbgk6yRpxQo8QKAZlicNJr/s320/ferry+a+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>My overall thought though is that we live in a democracy, and I'm of the mind that whilst there are plenty of informed armchair commentators out there, ready to complain about the slightest thing, there are not enough political foot-soldiers seeking to make a change within the society in which they live. If you want to see change in your society, no matter what your political conviction is, you have to get off your backside and seek to be a part of that change. At the count, a candidate (I won't say from which party!) spoke to me and said that he was glad to see that even with the effort that he knew I had put in, it had not been enough, which made him feel better about not having done so much campaigning himself (he having not also been elected). Given the chance to run the same campaign, with the benefit of hindsight, I would do it all exactly the same way again. Being elected is not an entitlement, it is an honour to be worked for - and my most cherished memory from the last few months is of the many folk who told me that I was the first candidate they had seen on their doorsteps in decades, which they appreciated. As consolation, although not elected to the ward, I did help to push our vote up by 5% higher than it had been in 2012, and that effort will help my colleagues in future elections, not least the impending General Election. Oh, and nationally, we won the election! :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
So instead of sitting around and moping, I am already back on the horse, out canvassing to help get our local MP re-elected to Westminster. I'll continue to fight for the change I want to see in our country.<br />
<br />
Why don't you also?! :)<br />
<br />
Chris <br />
<br />
UPDATE 11 MAY 2017: An interesting development in the Scottish Parliament. It turns
out that 78% of those who were elected as councillors benefitted by being top in alphabetical order, with reform of the system being
called for - see <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-39882814">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-39882814</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4530LucvV5feoO8h4zB-DLGMhECeUb55nTtvHttwSVGhjfJB94-Uq-s5fqQnHV1TBJA5u_FcQtdXhvmBNHjV4TfUKFCuDeR4mSzE5atZD2pwsISMRYbnXHfvncU0Dv6A-5_IErcflFc_/s1600/17795807_10155261656243054_9115136546198077693_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4530LucvV5feoO8h4zB-DLGMhECeUb55nTtvHttwSVGhjfJB94-Uq-s5fqQnHV1TBJA5u_FcQtdXhvmBNHjV4TfUKFCuDeR4mSzE5atZD2pwsISMRYbnXHfvncU0Dv6A-5_IErcflFc_/s400/17795807_10155261656243054_9115136546198077693_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXkDv8D6lnma7GhxRfoQpfgDTvtzYBMk4S-zqNY2ChFTDkKiEqiQ9P7rn2DWrGc2S5MwKOpap2FbDmhUUfsOi_2-d7aX1R1yI_vpTJN0U_J8bBYX3O5NkO2sCNEQ7O4nR8g7BnlD6OPhS/s1600/DSCN5486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXkDv8D6lnma7GhxRfoQpfgDTvtzYBMk4S-zqNY2ChFTDkKiEqiQ9P7rn2DWrGc2S5MwKOpap2FbDmhUUfsOi_2-d7aX1R1yI_vpTJN0U_J8bBYX3O5NkO2sCNEQ7O4nR8g7BnlD6OPhS/s400/DSCN5486.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEu8JcosZtk00Sj3KaS2NHVJLGXpQK2qqF7PjZ092aRlurO6qErJa2KiR0nwugAhdKt2SS-MkBPy71FdQ2F6RtOKRoe3xZ6CdvVngmyWhBRLtWvNnlQJ3J-ZvFGufH6UDg1_Rt6c9lHdUg/s1600/Paton+boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEu8JcosZtk00Sj3KaS2NHVJLGXpQK2qqF7PjZ092aRlurO6qErJa2KiR0nwugAhdKt2SS-MkBPy71FdQ2F6RtOKRoe3xZ6CdvVngmyWhBRLtWvNnlQJ3J-ZvFGufH6UDg1_Rt6c9lHdUg/s400/Paton+boys.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULhveQsPH4MtZLwHXJpW04OOX7ERPxSnAD4Q2pSkXHrasJ5rzSnVa4R345n7WwFY5lpoLwE2xD6sc-P1LNdpsxP4Y696hBWJfEQH4sbbtUHKdiHMllx8OMEPBRu1-7RWwyzRpVeadOhGN/s1600/17796784_10155261656123054_2565964315263372122_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULhveQsPH4MtZLwHXJpW04OOX7ERPxSnAD4Q2pSkXHrasJ5rzSnVa4R345n7WwFY5lpoLwE2xD6sc-P1LNdpsxP4Y696hBWJfEQH4sbbtUHKdiHMllx8OMEPBRu1-7RWwyzRpVeadOhGN/s400/17796784_10155261656123054_2565964315263372122_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5fUY0GjU0LFD_tYG3THc4Gx8JeygKzUguVNy6oVvB_ObkbPOszxMbNBe3xfr8Psn9NORPsqi3rvljiy7s4kDiUnlBJmrMeacUVsbSpEQZ2YDIgbrZ6MmqDpElIJ_mkmhEOfjW3W5rmDi/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5fUY0GjU0LFD_tYG3THc4Gx8JeygKzUguVNy6oVvB_ObkbPOszxMbNBe3xfr8Psn9NORPsqi3rvljiy7s4kDiUnlBJmrMeacUVsbSpEQZ2YDIgbrZ6MmqDpElIJ_mkmhEOfjW3W5rmDi/s400/photo+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
If interested, the full results from Stevenston (Ward 4) are available at <a href="https://north-ayrshire.cmis.uk.com/north-ayrshire/VotingElections/ElectionResults/2017ScottishLocalGovernmentResults.aspx">https://north-ayrshire.cmis.uk.com/north-ayrshire/VotingElections/ElectionResults/2017ScottishLocalGovernmentResults.aspx</a><br />
<br />Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-11141059946579053902017-02-05T10:23:00.000-08:002017-02-05T17:15:59.275-08:00An Immortal MemoryLast night I attended my first ever formal Burns supper event, hosted by the Cunninghame North constituency of the SNP, where I was asked to give the Immortal Memory to Robert Burns. A couple of folk have asked me to publish what I recited, as a bewildered Ulsterman taking it all in for the first time, so here goes!<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hello everyone,
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Q-okZUW_mskQ0f3B2rJyuhbNup1itT2e5VUDPSENQlSvng50TIaXaIjt0-FgQxLhQ72Sm764Zy9mSuyoGyWIM0Uve-p9colEhVFzoiiqgnwURK-Ym9xTLyfRqIx825-rEj9-WesJYoHk/s1600/memory+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Q-okZUW_mskQ0f3B2rJyuhbNup1itT2e5VUDPSENQlSvng50TIaXaIjt0-FgQxLhQ72Sm764Zy9mSuyoGyWIM0Uve-p9colEhVFzoiiqgnwURK-Ym9xTLyfRqIx825-rEj9-WesJYoHk/s400/memory+1.jpg" width="225" /></a>For those of you who don't know me, my
name is Chris Paton, I'm a member of the Largs branch of the SNP, and
as you can probably hear I am not originally from this parish. I come
from a wee island just off Scotland – it's called Ireland,
which at its closest is about 12 miles off the coast. In fact, I'm delighted to say that I come from the same town that
God comes from in Northern Ireland, a wee place called Carrickfergus, although I might have to have a word with him about the rugby result earlier today!
Just for good measure, this is the first time I have ever attended a
formal Burns Supper, so I'm honoured to be asked to speak to the
immortal memory of Robert Burns – this is definitely one to tick
off my bucket list later!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So, after Googling “immortal memory”
and after watching a few speeches on YouTube, what can I tell you
about Robert Burns the man? As an Ulsterman, what possible interest could I have in Robert Burns? Well I have to
tell you that until a few years ago, I had none whatsoever. In fact,
I would go so far as to say I was deeply suspicious about the man,
but for all the wrong reasons. So let me tell you where I once was on
that, how I have now come to admire and respect the world's greatest
poet, and why I as a Johnny Foreigner think he should be remembered
and celebrated.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As I mentioned, I was born in, and for
most of my childhood was raised in, Northern Ireland. Now the
province of Ulster, as you may be aware, was colonised by thousands
of Presbyterian Scots some four hundred years ago, in an event known
as the Plantations. As a child though, I didn't know any of this. In
a period when we lived through the Troubles, you were either a
Catholic or a Protestant, or Irish or British, with people often
defining themselves not by who they were, but by who they weren't. As a consequence, I had no idea that I
had a deep Scottish ancestry, despite the fact that when growing up
many of the words I used were good auld fashioned Ulster Scots words<br />
<br />
When I misbehaved as a <b>wean</b> and a bad word came from my <b>bake</b> I
was scolded for being a cheeky <b>wee hallion</b>, when the <b>pokey van</b> came
to our estate I'd buy a 99 <b>poke</b>, it was a place where my wee brother
used to be a <b>clipe</b> for squealing on me, where I could go for a walk
up the Red <b>Brae</b>, and where I could point to this table, that
wall and <b>thon</b> hill <b>thonder</b>. But I didn't know that
these were Scots words, I just thought that was how we spoke English.
We also had some Scottish traditions, but again, I didn't know that they
were Scottish. One New Years Eve, my dad asked me to take a lump of
coal up to my Granny Graham's house in our estate and to wish her a
happy new year. Terrified that my granny was somehow freezing to
death on her own, I ended up filling a carrier bag with coal and took
that up instead! I got a clout around the ear for that one! I had no
idea about my Scottishness – my Ulster Scottishness – because we
were never allowed to define ourselves in that way.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Even today I get wound up by what has
happened to Ulster's Scottish culture. I gave a talk in Largs a few
years ago about how to research Irish ancestry, and a wee man
approached me and told me he was setting up a local non-sectarian Ulster
Scots heritage group – would I be interested in
going along? He handed me a leaflet, at which point I had to ask him
– if this is a non-sectarian group, why have you printed your
leaflet on orange paper? I wanted nothing to do with them. My notions
of Ulster Scottishness tie into my Presbyterian ancestors from
Islandmagee and Antrim, who fought with the radical United Irishmen
in 1798. Now I'm not saying all my lot were successful. Never mind
the fact that the rebellion failed – as a fifteen year old lad my
four times great grandfather John Montgomery accidentally shot his
hand off with one of the rebels' rifles in the midst of it. My
family's been regularly winning the Darwin award on occasion ever
since.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So then there's Robert Burns himself.
As a child in Northern Ireland, all I knew about Robert Burns was he
was Scottish, and had written <i>that</i> Hogmanay song. Even as an
adult, I still had no idea about what half of Auld Lang Syne meant -
“we'll tak a right guid willie waught”, for example. I used to
work in television, and as a one time researcher on a BBC2 series of
short films on men's health, I could never quite understand what a
right good willy wart was – that certainly wasn't what my research
was telling me, I filmed many a grown man with tears in his eyes
complaining about how sore they were – until the time when I
twigged that it wasn't quite what it sounded like! It's actually a
hearty swig of ale or some other alcoholic drink, and I'll happily
tak one of those. Especially if it is Laphroaig, which is God's
official whisky.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And everywhere I came across Burns as a
child, it was the same image of the man on a tea towel, or a
shortbread tin, the portrait that became an icon, a bit like Bonnie
Prince Charlie. Now I was raised as a Presbyterian, and the one thing
we were taught in Ulster's Presbyterian churches was that idolatry
was a bad thing. In fact, on another TV series I once made about the
history of the Church in Scotland, I had to visit the Free Church
College on The Mound in Edinburgh, where the Scottish Parliament
first met after it was reconvened. When I got there, it amused me no
end, because when you go through the arch into its main courtyard,
the first thing you come across is a statue of John Knox on a plinth
– the very man who tore down the statues at the Reformation. I
still don't get why the Kirk doesn't see the irony of this! But the
point is I was raised not to believe in the idea of celebrity – I
can make my own mind up about whether someone should be celebrated.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So how did I first begin to develop an
understanding of Burns? Well, when I left the BBC in 2006, I started
to work professionally as a family historian. Now as a genealogical
researcher, I get a lot of folk contacting me, especially from the
States, who tell me that they are descended from William Wallace,
Robert the Bruce, the Stewarts – you name it, I've heard it,
they're usually always wrong, and they've usually bought the wrong
tartan! However, about four years ago, I had a client who claimed she
thought there was a family story of some possible connection to
Burns, could I take a look?
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In fact, it transpired that she was
spot on. I discovered that her five times great grandfather was a
merchant from Kilmarnock called John AIRD, who, with his wife Anna
CAMPBELL, had a granddaughter called Jean BRECKENRIDGE, who in 1791
married a young man by the name of Gilbert BURNS – the poet's
brother. It was through this connection that I
first looked into the story of the Burns lads, and I learned that
Robert and Gilbert had together taken on the lease of Mossgiel Farm,
near Mauchline, in 1784. Three years later, Robert withdrew from the
farm, and from the sale of his second edition of poems he granted
Gilbert a loan of £180 to pay off his debts and to invest in his
business. So this was the first time I had ever come across Robert
Burns in a guise other than as this foreign icon, not as a poet, but
as a big brother looking out for his wee brother. Fair play to you
Rabbie, I thought, and all due respect – as the eldest in my family
I've helped my own siblings out from time to time in the past, this
was something I could relate to.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And then we had the referendum. At this
point there was an argument in the sainted Scottish press about
whether Burns was a unionist or a nationalist. Well as we say back in
Northern Ireland, you can't kid a kidder, and give my head peace! To
Johnny Foreigner here this was an absolute nonsense. By now I knew
that Burns was a bit of a complex man, and that in rebellious times
such as the 1790s he had to be careful how he expressed his
loyalties. But it was obvious that he had been disgusted by the
Treaty of Union in 1707, for which he condemned the Scottish
nobility:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>What force or guile could not
subdue<br />Thro' many warlike ages<br />Is wrought now by a coward
few<br />For hireling traitor's wages.<br />The English steel we could
disdain,<br />Secure in valour's station:<br />But English gold has been
our bane<br />Such a parcel of rogues in a nation.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
His contempt for the upper class, and
his belief that all people are in fact equal very much reflected the
thinkers of the Enlightenment at that time, as expressed through
works such as<i> The Rights of Man</i> by Thomas Paine. Burns expressed his
belief in, and solidarity with, the common man when he penned <i>A Man's
a Man for a' That</i>:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Ye see yon birkie ca’d ‘a
lord’,<br />Wha struts an’ stares, an’ a’ that?<br />Tho’
hundreds worship at his word,<br />He’s but a cuif for a’ that.<br />For
a’ that, an’ a’ that,<br />His riband, star, an’ a’ that,<br />The
man o’ independent mind,<br />He looks an’ laughs at a’ that. </i><br />
<i> </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>A prince can mak a belted knight, <br />A
marquis, duke, an' a' that; <br />But an honest man's abon his might,
<br />Gude faith, he maunna fa' that! <br />For a' that, an' a' that,
<br />Their dignities an' a' that; <br />The pith o' sense, an' pride o'
worth, <br />Are higher rank than a' that. </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Then let us pray that come it may, </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>(As come it will for a' that,) </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the
earth, </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Shall bear the gree, an' a' that. </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>For a' that, an' a' that, </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>It's coming yet for a' that, </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>That Man to Man, the world o'er, </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Shall brothers be for a' that.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now you're talking! This is definitely
a man I can respect. And he wasn't just drawing inspiration from the
nonsense he was encountering in Scotland, or in Britain, he knew that
education and the revolution of the mind could unlock a strength that
no imperial power could ever thwart. In his Ode to General
Washington's Birthday he stated:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Here's freedom to them that would
read.<br />Here's freedom to them that would write!<br />There's nane
ever fear'd that the truth should be heard<br />But they wham the truth
would indite!</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A short and sweet quote there. Robert
Burns would have been great on Twitter!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So I began to pick up on a lot of this
throughout the Referendum, and in its aftermath. Now I struggle with
poetry, and am not a great one for songs and lyrics. When I sing, it
sounds like a chicken farting, and I don't do romance awfully well –
I proposed to my wife by waking up one morning and saying “should
we get married then?!” Romantic songs, and love poems – was Burns
really someone I should be trying to come to grips with? But last
year, having by now grasped that there really was something to engage
with when it came to Robert Burns, I decided to challenge my final
prejudices about him. I visited the Burns Birthplace Museum in
Alloway, thinking I was a going to be accosted by people dressed in
18<sup>th</sup> century outfits looking for wee sleekit mousies and
hunting haggis. In fact, I was – but I don't think I've ever been
to better museum in my life. It wasn't about Burns the industry, it
was about Burns the man. The excise man, the farmer, the nationalist,
the poet. The interpretative panels were all written in Scots,
written as a real living language.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So it turned out from this exhibition
that Burns was a great poet, but rather endearingly, he wasn't a
perfect man – who amongst us is? He loved his words, and he also
loved his women. My God, did Burns love his women! My wee brother,
who was actually born in Scotland and now lives in Dubai, is now with his third wife, but I haven't the heart to tell him
about Burns' tally with women, in case he gets competitive. As a
genealogist, one of the things I regularly come across in old kirk
session records are cases of what was referred to as 'antenuptial
fornication', basically doing the dirty deed before a wedding ring was put on – well I think in the 18<sup>th</sup> century the Kirk
must have had an entire department working on Robert Burns. I can
imagine all these ministers of the cloth having minor heart
palpitations every time he walked into a room which had a woman
someone near within a five mile radius! One article I read noted that
Burns was a 'philanderer, fornicator and a father of bastart bairns'. Actually, it could be argued
that if he wasn't, he might not have written so many of his great
love songs. But Burns also believed in the <b>equality</b> of women,
and in 1792 wrote:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>While Europe's eye is fix'd on
mighty things, <br />The fate of Empires and the fall of Kings; <br />While
quacks of State must each produce his plan, <br />And even children
lisp the Rights of Man; <br />Amid this mighty fuss just let me
mention, <br />The Rights of Woman merit some attention. </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Even with the things he didn't agree
with, he did try to see the opposing view and to understand why
others held their views, for example, with religion. Now again, being
Irish and being raised on an island that makes religion still seem
like a growth industry, the one thing I can tell you for a fact that
is that I am not in anyway religious, because whilst Northern Ireland tried to knock religion into me, it also knocked it right back out of me. But I will absolutely to my dying
breath defend the right of folk to have religious beliefs, and to
continue to argue that we need to keep fighting against the likes of Donald Trump and his disgusting Muslim ban. Well Burns held very
similar views. In a letter to a Mrs Dunlop in December 1794, just
eighteen months before he died, he commented on the delight that he
gained from seeing people gain comfort from something he himself
could not be reconciled to. This is what he wrote:
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>What a transient business is life!
Very lately I was a boy; but t'other day I was a young man; and I
already begin to feel the rigid fibre and stiffening joints of Old
Age coming fast o'er my frame. With all my follies of youth, and I
fear, a few vices of manhood, still I congratulate myself on having
had in early days religion strongly impressed on my mind. I have
nothing to say to any body, as, to which Sect they belong, or what
Creed they believe; but I look on the Man who is firmly persuaded of
Infinite Wisdom and Goodness superintending and directing every
circumstance that can happen in his lot - I felicitate such a man as
having a solid foundation for his mental enjoyment; a firm prop and
sure stay, in the hour of difficulty, trouble and distress: and a
never-failing anchor of hope, when he looks beyond the grave.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Unlike most of you in this room, Robert
Burns to me has become an acquired taste worth acquiring. I was not
raised to revere the man, I did not take to him because I was taught
about him at school, I wasn't raised to eat haggis, neeps and tatties
on Burns nights, I instead took the scenic route to come to terms
with the Bard. When I read Burns now – and believe me, I am reading
Burns now – I see a reflection in many of the things that he
writes that I believe in, and that I have believed in my whole life.
His words on equality, on national identity, on internationalism, on
all the things he has celebrated and railed against, these are words
that are easily understood - whether written in Scots or in English -
because at their heart lies a truth about who we are and what we
aspire to be. They are the same things that Burns believed over two
hundred years ago, they are the wisdom of ages immortalised in verse.
When we gather and quote his thoughts and share his stories, we
celebrate the fact that we remain wed to those words and that
ideology<span style="font-style: normal;">. On a personal level,
whilst I have spent years trying to uncover and reclaim my Ulster
Scottishness, through the words of one
man here in Scotland I have been able to find the words that help
to define my values as a civic Scot. They are the values I share with
each and every one of you here tonight.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Ladies and
gentlemen, you'll be delighted to know that I have come to the end,
but that also, when it comes to appreciating Robert Burns, I finally
got there in the end! So I'd like you all, if you would be so good,
to stand now as I raise a glass - a right guid willie waught - to the immortal memory of the one and
only Robert Burns.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
COMMENT: I should add that it was a great event, at which the guest speaker was Joanna Cherry QC MP who gave the toast to Scotland, and with many other great speakers and entertainment. I'll definitely be going to another Burns supper at some point!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxZU8vujV32JNhZKRa-C8nm-KaWZ-k0q8Y0NDKHu1m82T3c8QVDL1yxWYt3BChcL0BoW88v_CK3KP8ChK84c_mEixAFG4ZsdaMGlQ3qT3S2ZLtKmLSxjRe6xWAqgG0meZfGzVPztqNYng/s1600/DSCN5017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxZU8vujV32JNhZKRa-C8nm-KaWZ-k0q8Y0NDKHu1m82T3c8QVDL1yxWYt3BChcL0BoW88v_CK3KP8ChK84c_mEixAFG4ZsdaMGlQ3qT3S2ZLtKmLSxjRe6xWAqgG0meZfGzVPztqNYng/s400/DSCN5017.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Chris</div>
Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-66219723656964148042016-11-07T11:13:00.001-08:002016-11-23T12:28:59.663-08:00Save the Ardrossan ferry routeAs an Ulsterman I regularly take the ferry back 'home' across the Irish Sea, although to do so I need to drive an hour and half south from Largs to Cairnryan. Not too long ago there was in fact a closer option to my North Ayrshire home, a ferry service from the town of Troon, just forty minutes away. Despite the fact that it sailed to my birth town of Larne in County Antrim, it was a route that I never used. The reason was simple - it was far too expensive. As a ferry port, Troon just didn't work economically, either for me as a customer or anyone else, and eventually the Northern Irish ferry service ceased to be. Today the port in Troon remains all dressed up, but with nowhere to go.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrL70lN_E91Gx6XAdsbJdaphD-od9pT6ZZ5LgXKSfWaTXo7iMPEDtJUgRbBKvWN0RfRj2wLOJ1JaT2JfN5kkS4IZfgQ0jOBUR6r5_5gcB0PYcbP1pWNZXgFFAJjgtYLoCACM2f_h2LyHx/s1600/DSCN4658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrL70lN_E91Gx6XAdsbJdaphD-od9pT6ZZ5LgXKSfWaTXo7iMPEDtJUgRbBKvWN0RfRj2wLOJ1JaT2JfN5kkS4IZfgQ0jOBUR6r5_5gcB0PYcbP1pWNZXgFFAJjgtYLoCACM2f_h2LyHx/s400/DSCN4658.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Troon has raised its head again, however, in its desire to become an active ferry port once more. ABP Ports, the owner of the town's port is bidding to take the ferry route from Ardrossan which currently serves Brodick on the Isle of Arran. It's an astonishing bid, one that has raised a lot of controversy locally with accusations that the company is trying to bribe the island's inhabitants through a community fund of £50,000 (see <a href="http://www.ardrossanherald.com/news/14841835.Save_Our_Ferry____50_000_promise_for_Arran_community_branded_a__pitiful_bribe_/">www.ardrossanherald.com/news/14841835.Save_Our_Ferry____50_000_promise_for_Arran_community_branded_a__pitiful_bribe_/</a>). Whatever it might be trying to dish out from its corporate candy jar to sweeten its attempted take over, however, there are some key facts that just make the whole idea of Troon a useful port for Arran a complete non-starter.<br />
<br />
The current sailing time from Brodick to Ardrossan is 55 minutes. The route to Troon would be one and a half times longer by way of distance and time, and almost certainly in the cost of each trip as a consequence. And if you have longer sailing times, you will therefore need to have fewer services each day. Then take for instance the fact that in Troon, the railway station is a mile away from the port. Is it realistic that in the busy summer season, when many folk are trying to visit the island that the ferry operators will have anything like enough buses to run a shuttle service to take folk across the town? By contrast, in Ardrossan there is a train stop at the harbour itself - should an islander need to travel to the mainland, perhaps to have a hospital appointment, it is a very straightforward onward journey from the port. As public transport solutions go, you could not ask for better.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVdWarN3kDoG3iGgn9W5h7bT3CkDItmzFkC1IQhBdk8mPAFrB2mZdIz8V9RCP4ekd1AuI8XHndlVIruXjX-fgNnzQ7-ci-cVYdYuwE7uMEFnw6hf_STYOHqwqaqb9l_cci84LlasKzbAs/s1600/map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVdWarN3kDoG3iGgn9W5h7bT3CkDItmzFkC1IQhBdk8mPAFrB2mZdIz8V9RCP4ekd1AuI8XHndlVIruXjX-fgNnzQ7-ci-cVYdYuwE7uMEFnw6hf_STYOHqwqaqb9l_cci84LlasKzbAs/s400/map.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Don't get me wrong. Troon is a wonderful town - a place I have visited several times in the past with my kids, and also to give various talks to the local family history society. But Troon is not a convenient place to go to as a transport hub. It never worked for the Northern Ireland trade, it will work equally as ineffectually for the Arran trade. The Scottish Government's Transport Minister Humza Yousaf has announced that he will be considering the case for both Ardrossan and Troon, and that may well be the right and proper thing to do. But can anyone be in any doubt that once both options have been examined, that Ardrossan does not win the business case hands down?<br />
<br />
Well, to help make the case, a Save Our Ferry campaign has been launched today in Ardrossan by North Ayrshire Council. Along with local councillors from across the political divide, local businesses, members of the local community, and our parliamentary representatives Kenneth Gibson MSP and Patricia Gibson MP, I attended a gathering at Ardrossan ferry terminal to show support to those in Arran who rely on the service, and to those in Ardrossan whose livelihoods depend on the retention of the service.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLjB_B1PUbQhYB7W1TfQKHM094HG_iOJhtcEhGrLhLwnbsrF1j9bf8DMJVw9tUW4QBDQttB03rSCAWlW4hhksbHwz7rftgd8L7ni-uKkSikM1wemFCliICwXNtznjigdAIvnSnamD9Kx5/s1600/Chris+and+Patricia+Gibson2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLjB_B1PUbQhYB7W1TfQKHM094HG_iOJhtcEhGrLhLwnbsrF1j9bf8DMJVw9tUW4QBDQttB03rSCAWlW4hhksbHwz7rftgd8L7ni-uKkSikM1wemFCliICwXNtznjigdAIvnSnamD9Kx5/s400/Chris+and+Patricia+Gibson2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSC5mbsvVnXrMLE6gcDbpIY9UWa88GNZcjge5vDEuzyPiEfAQkPrkl6D-v30LLCW7DySSJk121HjM9ezSpbpufOqCCxrqHRfC5kBIs7wZDiuj8Z9cMyu8LOB5pxBW_hNPTiEdc1SzgjbW/s1600/logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSC5mbsvVnXrMLE6gcDbpIY9UWa88GNZcjge5vDEuzyPiEfAQkPrkl6D-v30LLCW7DySSJk121HjM9ezSpbpufOqCCxrqHRfC5kBIs7wZDiuj8Z9cMyu8LOB5pxBW_hNPTiEdc1SzgjbW/s400/logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We are as surprised as anyone that we have to make the case to retain the service in Ardrossan, but despite it being such an obvious case, we are only too happy to restate it. Whilst in Ardrossan I took the opportunity to ask my local MSP Kenneth Gibson to summarise why he believes the ferry service should be retained:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d5kzVJN3wBM" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
An online petition is available at <b><a href="https://www.change.org/p/north-ayrshire-council-keep-the-brodick-to-ardrossan-route">https://www.change.org/p/north-ayrshire-council-keep-the-brodick-to-ardrossan-route</a></b>, which will be presented to both North Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Government. Please take the time to sign - let's save the Ardrossan ferry, let's Keep it A to B!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSXyEbPdWsBM09-NFg-ukgr4C_d1jlS8kXyf7URFoSW9sXD3c-9lKuoBlO0Iytms0HLS6pYtw3VFa9KY9aNkhQzf_Ikti_RtDU9gx919OOSwczyW7JNEh6Z2FMgxIrQsT8GIqgS7Pfxi3/s1600/DSCN4654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSXyEbPdWsBM09-NFg-ukgr4C_d1jlS8kXyf7URFoSW9sXD3c-9lKuoBlO0Iytms0HLS6pYtw3VFa9KY9aNkhQzf_Ikti_RtDU9gx919OOSwczyW7JNEh6Z2FMgxIrQsT8GIqgS7Pfxi3/s400/DSCN4654.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
UPDATE 23 NOV: I was out last Saturday 19th November gathering signatures for the petition at both Saltcoats and Ardrossan, as part of the SNP. Whilst there I recorded my own take on the possible move, which you can view below:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JHFRiPWg66Q" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
(Also available at <a href="https://youtu.be/JHFRiPWg66Q">https://youtu.be/JHFRiPWg66Q</a>) <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRlkXI9IrwI4GsKued8pGyYvuJA1EvemOruxhqQcrMga92iJKawoLQ6SDijfBTHCcQbsYoofqBU51HbdBFUAltVh7cKVfm41nUXrWofJ3mV0l1nNzyGm1OVBpPuAbj_RpE7k8gbysq2zA/s1600/ferry1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRlkXI9IrwI4GsKued8pGyYvuJA1EvemOruxhqQcrMga92iJKawoLQ6SDijfBTHCcQbsYoofqBU51HbdBFUAltVh7cKVfm41nUXrWofJ3mV0l1nNzyGm1OVBpPuAbj_RpE7k8gbysq2zA/s400/ferry1a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SWiZOz64zGvwgvYi6dk7p1mzADAjI-d0bzo40BMME8J-H1E_-y3wcGQ0TLymSXwjmlRrfLMBNiayITYONvsjOwhoNrnp7NZuzdTIzikAcrsldY7Gsx9IH4NGj4vfUZq7Wu_NmjHCwdY1/s1600/ferry3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SWiZOz64zGvwgvYi6dk7p1mzADAjI-d0bzo40BMME8J-H1E_-y3wcGQ0TLymSXwjmlRrfLMBNiayITYONvsjOwhoNrnp7NZuzdTIzikAcrsldY7Gsx9IH4NGj4vfUZq7Wu_NmjHCwdY1/s400/ferry3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A new campaign site from <b>North Ayrshire Council</b> with another petition is at <a href="http://www.saveourferry.co.uk/">http://www.saveourferry.co.uk</a> - please take time to sign this also. There is also a Save Our Ferry event at Ardrossan Civic Centre on Thurs 24th November at 7pm - further details at <a href="http://www.ardrossanherald.com/news/14909039.Council_to_hold_special_event_in_support_of_the__Save_Our_Ferry__campaign/">http://www.ardrossanherald.com/news/14909039.Council_to_hold_special_event_in_support_of_the__Save_Our_Ferry__campaign/</a><br />
<br />
Thanks, <br />
<br />
ChrisChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-84020241660384155382016-10-17T03:26:00.001-07:002016-10-17T12:27:35.367-07:00Say No to xenophobic Tory rhetoricA letter I've had published in this week's Largs and Millport Weekly...<br />
<br />
Dear Editor,
<br />
<br />
I don't think I have ever been as shocked by a newspaper headline as that presented in The Times on the morning of October 5th : “Firms must list foreign workers".<br />
<br />
Now we're getting an idea of what Brexit really means. Theresa May is planning to impose some of the most right-wing policies on the UK that a Conservative government has ever sought to implement. It does not matter that businesses and organisations such as the NHS rely on immigrant workers to help provide the services we need, because it would seem that now we apparently intend to demonise them, make them register as migrants, and attack the NHS for hiring them in the first place, along with anyone else offering jobs to those not from Britain. Theresa May also stated elsewhere to the BBC that she will 'allow' foreign doctors to stay until indigenous doctors can be trained up – I am sure they are truly grateful for her magnanimous offer.<br />
<br />
I have been ideologically opposed to the Conservatives my whole life, ever since the days of Thatcher. Despite our political differences, I always thought at least we had some core ambitions in common – a desire to achieve the best for our respective communities and our families, no matter how we differed utterly in our attempts to realise those ambitions. But now I am reading headlines advocating registration schemes for those deemed to be the 'other'. What next? No blacks? No Irish? Yellow stars on our sleeves? Are we really heading towards all of this as British national policy?
<br />
<br />
Do the Scottish Conservatives really support this new xenophobic right-wing direction that Theresa May is taking us down? Instead of asking them to check their rhetoric, Ruth Davidson, a former EU Remain campaigner, spent the conference in England cosying up to this new regime, even belittling Scots in one of her speeches to gain a cheap laugh: “Usually they put the Scots in a place where nothing can be broken. Or stolen for that matter”. Really Ruth? Really?
<br />
<br />
On October 4th our local MSP Kenneth Gibson led a debate in Holyrood condemning hate attacks against Poles. It received cross-party support, with the exception of the Tories. They abdicated their responsibility at a time when the national rhetoric their London bosses are sewing needs firmly to be challenged. So are the Scottish Conservatives truly Conservative any more? Or like their southern colleagues, have they simply abandoned their principles for the darker, inward looking, backward facing, narrow-minded, Brexit-ready British nationalism of UKIP? Increasingly by the day, it would seem to be the case.
<br />
<br />
Chris Paton,
Largs<br />
<br />
UPDATE: A Tory councillor down south has just been suspended for starting a petition calling for opposition to Brexit to be made a treasonable offence. You can't write this stuff - see <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/tory-councillor-christian-holliday-suspended-brexit-treason_uk_5804e8b8e4b0ee335212c68c?">http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/tory-councillor-christian-holliday-suspended-brexit-treason_uk_5804e8b8e4b0ee335212c68c?</a> Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-18220064718040064582016-08-02T05:57:00.005-07:002016-08-03T04:45:18.311-07:00Last chance to Save the GretasI've just submitted a personal response to the Forestry Commission Scotland consultation over the <b>Halkshill and Blair Park forestry proposal</b> for the hills behind and facing onto Largs. Whilst I am generally supportive of the idea of a forest, I have a few issues with the proposals as they currently stand in terms of its intrusion onto the Largs landscape, its affect on our community, and the lack of meaningful consulation with local stakeholders, including the community at large. On this basis I have objected to the project in its current form. The objections are summarised as follows:<br />
<br />
1) The visual impact of the project on the landscape directly facing onto the tourist town of Largs - including the intrusion of commerical conifer based woodland (Sitka Spruce and Scots Pine) onto the hill facing the town, and the galvanised steel fence to keep deer out. When the forest is initially sown the view from my house, and from the town, Cumbrae, and boats at sea, will look onto a scarred and ploughed landscape; and when harvested the commercial part will just look a mess. They need to push the project back over the ridge of the hill, and remove the conifer plantation from sight.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHnTLvZV2_jl5lDPa1330mln3lkhAxr9lQpavUfJbjDSBYTYoRko5l37L8Fr-_IoO9CwFla8AafYF-BTAfcBu932yQ30AoHmVdpUztpoFAFaF62fOD738zkiqO-c1nyz3-blzjaiaOVbjc/s1600/DSCN4088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHnTLvZV2_jl5lDPa1330mln3lkhAxr9lQpavUfJbjDSBYTYoRko5l37L8Fr-_IoO9CwFla8AafYF-BTAfcBu932yQ30AoHmVdpUztpoFAFaF62fOD738zkiqO-c1nyz3-blzjaiaOVbjc/s320/DSCN4088.JPG" width="240" /></a>2) The devastating transformation of the much loved Gogo Glen leading up to the Greeto Bridge area (see my previous post at <a href="http://chrispatonsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/damage-to-greeto-falls-walk-and-beauty.html">http://chrispatonsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/damage-to-greeto-falls-walk-and-beauty.html</a>), including the inherent dangers of accessing the new Core Path 'forest capable' road (i.e. the old track to the Gretas) from the town as a forestry route, with safety concerns for Bellesdale Avenue and Flatt Road (especially in light of the new super-school being built), not to mention wear and tear on Largs roads.<br />
<br />
The environmental statement also shows that the west end of the proposed planting area, which includes the Gogo Glen, is not optimally suitable, with threats from windthrow and even pests. If the project fails, who clears up the mess?<br />
<br />
3) A serious lack of information on any proposed community benefit to help mitigate for what will be a substantial change in the use of the landscape behind the town. Two pages as an afterthought in a 800 page statement, comprised of nothing but vague promises, does not instil any confidence for community support - particularly when no community benefit has as yet been identified from the hydro projects already being built in the glen by Stakis. Public money will be involved - it is not enough to just make vague promises. This is our environment, our landscape, and it will be fundamentally affected.<br />
<br />
4) A lack of consultation with businesses in the town about the potential impact of the whole endeavour. Pretending that a previous consultation a few years back for a windfarm a few miles up the road can provide relevant data for the impact of a commercial forestry project on local businesses in Largs is thoroughly misleading.<br />
<br />
5) A blatant conflict of interest between FCS, which will grant permission, and Tilhill Forestry, the developer - in that the Forestry Commissioner is also the Managing Director of Tilhill.<br />
<br />
If you have any comments to make to the FCS you have until August 14th. See <a href="http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/supporting/grants-and-regulations/environmental-impact-assessment/eia-projects/halkshill">http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/supporting/grants-and-regulations/environmental-impact-assessment/eia-projects/halkshill</a> for the Environmental Impact Statement containg details of what is proposed.<br />
<br />
<br />
Let's keep trying to <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/savethegretas/?fref=ts">Save the Gretas</a></b>...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6r5g7lXw9pLlYuTrnl_JRDUVgTL8J7A7bsz4Dfs5zeib9t5g-8KxRKDND1f1AYN1ALrUkZLssDhYOrDQrW0dpKVwlAMKmLoXca9dUqoFyqZyVeTCMabTd6hTQzgKvwaDvPJ5whuwj1jhJ/s1600/DSCN4080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6r5g7lXw9pLlYuTrnl_JRDUVgTL8J7A7bsz4Dfs5zeib9t5g-8KxRKDND1f1AYN1ALrUkZLssDhYOrDQrW0dpKVwlAMKmLoXca9dUqoFyqZyVeTCMabTd6hTQzgKvwaDvPJ5whuwj1jhJ/s400/DSCN4080.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
ChrisChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-29894551595571520572016-07-09T12:30:00.000-07:002016-07-09T12:30:13.765-07:00A Little Britain now in free fallOn June 23rd Scotland voted to remain within the European Union, in contrast to the result from the rest of the United Kingdom (with the notable exceptions of London and Northern Ireland). Despite our vote, we now find ourselves potentially on the point of being dragged out of the EU against our will. In the last two weeks, I have watched with horror as the value of the pound has plummeted to its lowest level in almost half a century, and as billions have been wiped off the value of stocks. In England the two major political parties are now in the midst of civil war, providing no leadership whatsoever in what can arguably be described as the greatest crisis faced by the UK since the Second World War. Elsewhere, in the aftermath of their lies and deceit to the nation, the arch-villains of the piece, Boris Johnston and Nigel Farage have simply run away to hide, rather than accept responsibility, whilst racist attacks have escalated dramatically towards many immigrant residents.<br />
<br />
By contrast in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has stood up to the task at hand, reassuring our European citizens of their value and continued welcome in our land, whilst at the same time taking our case to Brussels, to preserve our position within the EU. The First Minister, with the backing of Parliament has a mandate to try to preserve our relationship with Europe. What forms this might involve have yet to be worked through, but independence is now once again another serious prospect as a means to achieve this. When asked if another referendum was on the cards, the First Minister replied that it was 'highly likely'.<br />
<br />
Incredibly, much of the former Better Together side from the previous independence campaign have also now agreed that this is a serious and desirable possibility in the current circumstances. Sir Nicholas MacPherson, who only last year Alex Salmond was demanding resign from the Treasury, has written in the Financial Times of the very serious potential that independence now offers Scotland, a dramatic change to his stance in 2014. Author J. K. Rowling, who raised the ire of many in the Yes campaign two years ago, has also now conceded that independence is now likely, adding that her previous support for the union was never unconditional. Even within the Scottish Labour party, many MSPs are now seriously giving support to the consideration of independence as the likeliest means forward. Was I the only one stunned on the recent BBC debate to see Jackie Baillie so warmly supportive to the SNP's Fiona Hyslop in discussing the way forward?<br />
<br />
Despite having voted Yes in 2014, I've never seen the point in blaming No voters for the result back then. However people might have voted then is actually irrelevant in the context of today's current political situation. The United Kingdom that existed in 2014, the one which we were told was a safer bet to remain within to keep us in the EU also, simply no longer exists. With Ian Paisley's son in Northern Ireland, of all people, now telling folk to obtain an Irish passport if they can, you know that something truly seismic has happened in the history of the UK.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1n49HAdud8PjnXNoG3Xz0JHirJ_azckU9_feDBjANXfQq9CARjwGr26c9XfZ3Tgn0C-hnMauY5wY0tV30chpqSfTlNLx0TICIUvTYnezHwUBgeXCXuP_5Dmm2nyvCrzMVma-GT0YqQdY/s1600/YesScotEU.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1n49HAdud8PjnXNoG3Xz0JHirJ_azckU9_feDBjANXfQq9CARjwGr26c9XfZ3Tgn0C-hnMauY5wY0tV30chpqSfTlNLx0TICIUvTYnezHwUBgeXCXuP_5Dmm2nyvCrzMVma-GT0YqQdY/s1600/YesScotEU.JPG" /></a>If Nicola is unable to find another means to preserve our EU status – whether through some form of 'reverse Greenland' scenario, or whether through some form of federal UK structure as proposed by Kezia Dugdale (albeit, something that was actually promised and never delivered through Gordon Brown's infamous 'Vow') – and an independence referendum proves to be our final recourse, the good folk of Scotland will need to seriously consider the question in light of the increasingly worrying circumstances we now find ourselves, namely a Little Britain now seemingly in free fall.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-57881755813138163902016-06-19T07:08:00.000-07:002016-06-21T04:49:48.787-07:00This sorry EU referendumFor the last ten years I have worked on a daily basis as a family historian, working out who my clients are descended from and how they connect to past events. But whilst I work in the past, surrounding myself with old documents and even older stories, the one thing I absolutely don't do is live in the past.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiReqpPYc3MCLHxX8nvIp-XnnJnlpjXSp7bsFXx4yzrhxSBMc6qChcNKo4JCcAhgiFgA5C_tYzeTdpMhukmAswVD-leUpuR7qxhH3EfDUevvxB9cf3zrdxqBKFI3eoeAlNh3kONtvXnYs2t/s1600/DSCN4847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiReqpPYc3MCLHxX8nvIp-XnnJnlpjXSp7bsFXx4yzrhxSBMc6qChcNKo4JCcAhgiFgA5C_tYzeTdpMhukmAswVD-leUpuR7qxhH3EfDUevvxB9cf3zrdxqBKFI3eoeAlNh3kONtvXnYs2t/s320/DSCN4847.JPG" width="320" /></a>In 2014 I became heavily involved in the YES campaign for Scottish independence. As an Ulsterman I found the whole notion of 'civic nationalism', embraced by the YES cause, to be a Godsend, a key to finally resolving a crisis of identity that I had endured for decades. For years I had not felt comfortable being labelled as British, Irish or Northern Irish, and was furious at those who kept trying to put me into one category or the other for their own convenience - to make me conform to a particular cultural baggage as a consequence of a pre-determined identity that I did not have a hand in determining. But in 2014 I could finally claim my identity as a 'civic Scot' - a person who irrespective of where he or she came from could claim and feel an equality in this country. This was not as a consequence of who we were born to, or where, but as the result of the society to which we wished to contribute, and for the betterment of all. I campaigned for YES alongside people born in Scotland, from England, from Ireland, from Africa, and from all religions and persuasions, who like me, were enthused by the energy and sheer potential of what lay before us, and in a campaign that we almost won.<br />
<br />
One of the greatest moments for me personally was to attend a debate attended by Northern Irish born surgeon Philippa Whitford in Largs. To this day I give major credit to Philippa, who I personally think was a game changer when she declared for the YES campaign, warning us about the consequences of privatisation of the English NHS which would affect us subsequently with a cut to Barnett consequentials for the Scottish NHS. It opened up a completely new front that the No campaign could not defend against. But more than that, here was someone with <i>my accent</i>, as passionate about Scottish independence as I had become. But it wasn't just Philippa - there was Tommy Shephard, equally versatile with his Derry brogue, and even Lesley Riddoch, a journalist born in England to Scottish parents and raised in Ulster and equally fluent with my lingo. This all confirmed to me that this form of nationalism was not based on 'Scotland for the Scots', but a new and dynamic force that sent William Wallace and the Bruce back to the history books, to be replaced with something even more inspiring. Independence was sadly not to be in 2014, but in the aftermath of that campaign, I remain proud, damned proud, of what we achieved in such a short time through peaceful campaigning and with an unrelentingly positive message. We had creativity, energy and inspiration unlocked around us through the referendum campaign on a daily basis, and both this nation and I were changed forever, and for much the better.<br />
<br />
Two years on, a few days away from another referendum, and my feelings could not be more different.<br />
<br />
I have watched for months with horror as both sides of the EU referendum debate have argued to either remain in the EU or to leave. Every single aspect of this campaign, from the Project Fear tactics being employed by both sides in a relentless Groundhog Day style campaign, replaying all the greatest hits from the 2014 Better Together school of dirty tricks, to the horrendous execution of an English MP by a far right supporter from Scotland who shouted 'Britain first' as he murdered her in cold blood on a Yorkshire street, have shocked me and filled me both with contempt and fear. In 2014 I campaigned for Scotland not to become some 'little Scotland' that wanted to retreat from the world, but to become a newly energised and vibrant nation that wanted a seat at the EU alongside our good friends in England and rUK. But whilst the Remain campaign for the EU in its many forms has made a pig's ear of a lot of its efforts over the last few weeks, the rhetoric from the Leave campaign has become increasingly truly terrifying. "Take back control" they say, as they demonise migrants, refugees, 'unelected EU officials', and more - perverting what Europe actually is, how it is run, and why it is so important for us to stay in.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEtpLixSXHbWdnxkE0v3p0QfE6GU8R0JNL-XLG5nIsGM2q-ftKHvMOmiholberjXkcsWqTDPKhy1KGVbTRM0gdCjtpk6yc0kbb3-b4TMHBUFg_IhX2YKLWviLtdZX7BaG7N446NKh6_3C/s1600/pas.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEtpLixSXHbWdnxkE0v3p0QfE6GU8R0JNL-XLG5nIsGM2q-ftKHvMOmiholberjXkcsWqTDPKhy1KGVbTRM0gdCjtpk6yc0kbb3-b4TMHBUFg_IhX2YKLWviLtdZX7BaG7N446NKh6_3C/s320/pas.gif" width="320" /></a>I desperately value my EU membership - my wife is from the Republic of Ireland, whilst my sons and I currently hold British passports. Whenever we travel to the continent for holidays we all go down the same aisle at passport control. My youngest son asked me the other night if the UK left the EU would we have to go through separate aisles at border controls? At that point it really hit me just how unnecessary all of this campaign has been, for a referendum that was only called to keep the right wing of the Conservative party at bay during a UKIP advance. I've now obtained application forms for Irish passports for myself and my sons, so that we can obtain dual citizenship, irrespective of the result, and in particular retain our European status. I have no desire to be solely subject to a xenophobic United Kingdom of Little Britain and Northern Ireland, should the Brexit vote win the day.<br />
<br />
But my greatest fear just now is not actually for Scotland, but for England itself. Whatever the UK media tried to paint us as in 2014, it was certainly not anti-English, an allegation that deeply offended many of us during the YES campaign, not least some of my English friends campaigning alongside me. Our campaign in 2014 railed against Westminster's treatment of Scotland, not the English nation, in a post-imperial world. I spent four years as a child in England, and attended my first primary school there. I have a brother who was born there, I went to university there, I met my wife there, and I had my first real job there. England is a fine nation, with a proud history and much to celebrate. But just as I don't live in the past, neither should a nation - yet that is what is what is being offered as a mirage by the Leave campaign. Let's 'take back control' they say, and let's put the 'great' back into 'Great Britain'. But the xenophobia behind much of the Leave campaign's rhetoric, which has been fuelled mercilessly by much of the London based press, is about creating a new political reality. One where right wing Etonians rule the day, as bankers sit in their counting houses, counting all their money, while the Queen sits in her parlour, eating bread and cake and honey, in perhaps the longest birthday celebrations known to man. England has many serious problems not being addressed by this right wing agenda, and to paraphrase actor Brian Cox, 'the issues will not be resolved' by a Brexit. London is not England. England is not Britain.<br />
<br />
So I emplore folk... Much of what makes the EU work is a complete basket case, I could not agree more. But it's our basket case, one we need to work to get a seat at in Scotland, and one we need to try to improve when there. Just as we will need England to be a good friend and neighbour when we become independent, we also need England to remain at the table of the EU, alongside the rest of the UK. So on June 23rd please vote to remain in the EU, not just to save Scotland's future prospects, but to help save much of England from itself. Scottish independence will come - it is inevitable - but it will be a much uglier and darker journey getting there with a xenophobic, right wing Tory government in control in London, if the UK votes to leave the EU.<br />
<br />
Let's work towards becoming equal partners and friends with England and rUK in the European Union, the largest trading block in the world - not a nation that makes a tactical error at this stage and in so doing becomes subjugated to the will of Johnston, Farage, Gove, and all the other Little Englanders who haven't yet twigged that the empire has gone. Johnny Foreigner is not the problem here - Tory boy Johnny Westminster is. Let's keep our eye on the ball.<br />
<br />
But let's first get this horrid, sorry, unwanted referendum out of the way - which has inspired no-one and just about disgusted everyone - and then concentrate on reshaping this island into nations of equals that want to play together on the European and world stage.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjYVEcbAtVXUCFDkAmJA2WyGCIlqb3tm3gzgoaGX_YccnAncvh5l7gzrp1ajnmYv8olKHtvaL0AbDPVuPSCuz4N7BjQ3zeC54fXa0TIJwyMf3i9m4KKDNF3LOYOJGbsVok7cQjjPK784P/s1600/Yes+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjYVEcbAtVXUCFDkAmJA2WyGCIlqb3tm3gzgoaGX_YccnAncvh5l7gzrp1ajnmYv8olKHtvaL0AbDPVuPSCuz4N7BjQ3zeC54fXa0TIJwyMf3i9m4KKDNF3LOYOJGbsVok7cQjjPK784P/s400/Yes+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-27343336109306506962016-05-07T09:11:00.000-07:002016-05-08T06:46:02.888-07:00The election count in North AyrshireOn Thursday evening, May 5th, I had the privilege to attend the count at Saint Matthew's Academy in Saltcoats for the 2016 Scottish election, as one of three representatives from the Largs branch of the Scottish National Party (<a href="http://www.snp.org/">www.snp.org</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SNPLargs">www.facebook.com/SNPLargs</a>), with my colleagues Linda Nicholson and Davina McTiernan. This was my third election count (my previous visits being to the 2014 independence referendum count, and last year's General Election count, both at the same venue). The following is a brief overview of what happened on that night, but more generally, I hope it provides a glimpse of what actually happens at such counts in general.<br />
<br />
Although the count starts at 10pm, it usually takes a while for things to pick up, with one of the first duties being to bring in the votes from the polling stations (as well as those already cast by post) to the centre, and so I arrived at 11pm. After receiving a security band for my wrist at the main entrance, I made my way into the hall to find that the votes were still being verified, before the main count and allocation of votes to each party began.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPz2JkEPWaDkT7OdkIEpE-qEvZ5f717PXHoeGnMUgOLVp6wAHkBwnjR5UExjHu1KiKk9d02k-SzoHkQp7mVFLczDQDrTVX2232LTs2FomyuH0XIcCyjpWIC96Ssgp6_W5TS7yQFV-TJEY0/s1600/Debating_chamber%252C_Scottish_Parliament_%252831-05-2006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPz2JkEPWaDkT7OdkIEpE-qEvZ5f717PXHoeGnMUgOLVp6wAHkBwnjR5UExjHu1KiKk9d02k-SzoHkQp7mVFLczDQDrTVX2232LTs2FomyuH0XIcCyjpWIC96Ssgp6_W5TS7yQFV-TJEY0/s320/Debating_chamber%252C_Scottish_Parliament_%252831-05-2006%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scottish Parliament (Wikimedia Commons)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the Scottish Holyrood elections, there are two votes - the 'constituency vote', and the 'list vote'. The first sees 73 candidates elected to become MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament) through a simple 'first past the post' system, as with the Westminster elections (for the UK wide parliament based in the south of England). The remaining 56 seats for the parliament are decided by the 'list' vote, with 7 seats allocated in each of 8 separate regions across the country. The way that these seats are decided is much more complicated, but essentially uses proportional representation, employing what is known as the <b>D'Hondt system</b> to work out who should get what and where. It is very complicated, but in essence the list vote compensates parties who have lost out in the constituency vote, by rebalancing the make up of the parliament closer to the lines of how people have caste their votes proportionately on a national basis.<br />
<br />
In this venue, two constituency votes in Ayrshire were up for grabs - <b>Cunninghame South</b> and <b>Cunninghame North</b>, the latter being the one I was particularly interested in, hoping to see our candidate Kenneth Gibson returned for another term. To cater for the two votes, the main sports hall was essentially divided into two halves, with the Cunninghame North count taking place at the end where the declarations would eventually be made, and Cunninghame South at the other end. In each half there were several tables with groups of counters seated on both sides. As attendees we were allowed to walk around both ends of the hall, and in between the two constituency halves, as the process took place in full transparency. The first part of the process doesn't allow you to see who is winning quite yet, although several members of each party in attendance were standing by various counting stations trying to gain a glimpse of votes cast, which they recorded on rough notes in statistical tallies - the odd glimpse of an X beside SNP on a ballot here, another beside the Conservatives there, another for Labour, etc. It is a crude way to gain a rough statistical sample, but from our perspective gave us an early confidence boost as it looked as if we were doing quite well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk29OmmqFxRLMrWztbZrTTCSSNmu9Y4wCKk2ctdnoIVqK0a5eU-aWPucitY6HKaRgmb3w-vL32rviR99vowtj92OuER4yhJu68QwwpMZmPOpthd-6E5giktFmFnem1SE887imBs4cDKYXd/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk29OmmqFxRLMrWztbZrTTCSSNmu9Y4wCKk2ctdnoIVqK0a5eU-aWPucitY6HKaRgmb3w-vL32rviR99vowtj92OuER4yhJu68QwwpMZmPOpthd-6E5giktFmFnem1SE887imBs4cDKYXd/s400/photo+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">SNP group in the hospitality room</span></div>
<br />
The process takes some time, and so a separate room was available for all attending to grab a coffee or a bite to eat, and to watch the results coming in nationwide across Scotland on three large televisions. Although TV coverage had started at 10.30pm, there was not a lot that could be said by the commentators until the declarations were made, and the first of these was not expected until 1am. In this room members of the parties talk to one another in their own core groups, mingle with the press, and even chat with their opponents - whilst the daily barrage of campaigning can be quite brutal, with the polls closed conversations between parties can be quite light-hearted (at this point we were all there for one purpose). In here I managed to speak to Dr Philippa Whitford of the SNP for the first time, to whom I joked that there weren't enough Northern Irish folk in the party (I'm also from NI!), and managed to catch up with a few councillors, including a quick chat with several from the SNP, and the sole North Ayrshire Conservative councillor Tom Marshall. There were very few Labour folk there, but it was notable that a few folk from the Green Party were present. I also spoke to Calum Corral from the local Largs newspaper, who had set up a live blog feed for his readers (<a href="http://www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/14474763.Scottish_Parliament_election_LIVE/">www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/14474763.Scottish_Parliament_election_LIVE/</a>). Calum had recently returned from a great trip to Chicago, and I had also just been away for a couple of weeks to Canada on a lecture tour - the conversation ended up with us both lamenting the fact we missed the appearance of a whale in the waters between Largs and Cumbrae in recent days (he showed me the video clip on his phone!)!<br />
<br />
With the verification completed (Cunninghame South ahead of Cunninghame North), the tables for the counters were rejigged with the addition of boxes designed to place the votes for each party into dedicated slots, in preparation for the main count. This kicked off at about 1am, at which point some of the national results were beginning to come in. It is initially frustrating to get a sense of how each party is doing, as it takes a time before the bundles in each slot are large enough to see who might be ahead, but it soon became clear that our man Kenny looked to be doing well, as did our colleague Ruth Maguire, standing for the SNP in Cunninghame South.<br />
<br />
After observing the process for half an hour or so, I returned to the waiting area, and bumped into Jamie Greene, our Conservative opponent in Cunninghame North, with whom I had a quick chat. Jamie had just learned that his Conservative colleague Jackson Carlaw had taken a constituency seat in Eastwood. This had a major impact on his own situation, in that with Carlaw having previously been number one on the Tory list, he was now off it - meaning that Jamie was now pushed up to first place on the list, having previously been second. This dramatically improved his chances of being elected to Holyrood as a list MSP - even if he lost the constituency vote - which was beginning to look likely from the count. The complexities of our electoral system!<br />
<br />
Our own candidate Kenny Gibson was of course present, as was his wife, our local MP Patricia Gibson, and we all chatted in the waiting area as we watched what was turning out to be another great night for the SNP, albeit one with a few surprises. As we were watching the TV, our party leader Nicola Sturgeon was shown making her way to the Glasgow count, of particular interest to her mother Joan, who was watching with us, she being a local councillor in North Ayrshire, as well as our current Provost.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFw-__ipmo3B0YRFrXo_Rr7R7HJAIcvHRmHqhyphenhyphenmXYqyPHGv8X3e94xJnrvL2DMFflRPVJ_4CKaIw5jKnGFvbKAQNGtefs-1DykR98H67srKun6JB5ftZGtSweyfzqa6FMwdejmEYpvup2/s1600/photo+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFw-__ipmo3B0YRFrXo_Rr7R7HJAIcvHRmHqhyphenhyphenmXYqyPHGv8X3e94xJnrvL2DMFflRPVJ_4CKaIw5jKnGFvbKAQNGtefs-1DykR98H67srKun6JB5ftZGtSweyfzqa6FMwdejmEYpvup2/s400/photo+6.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Joan Sturgeon watches as Nicola arrives in Glasgow</span></div>
<br />
Just after 3am, Kenny gave us the heads up that the declaration was likely to be in about half an hour. I went into the hall just as we were invited to view the decisions as to the validity of some of the ballots which had been spoiled. Although you must put an X in the box of choice, there are some exceptions as to what can and cannot be allowed. If an X is not completely within a box, for example, and overlaps the boundaries, it can still be valid if the two intersecting lines of the X are located within the box. Ballots with nothing marked on them are rejected, whilst others that are deliberately spoiled (occasionally humorously, occasionally obscenely) are usually rejected. However, the decision on each is done in full public gaze of observers from all parties, and objections can be noted to the decisions made by the election officers, although I didn't see anyone do so.<br />
<br />
The declarations were finally made just prior to 4am, by Elma Murray, the returning officer and chief executive of North Ayrshire Council. First up was Ruth Maguire, who was well-deservedly voted in as the SNP MSP for Cunninghame South, to great cheers from the party. (The full result is at <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/scotland-constituencies/S16000095">www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/scotland-constituencies/S16000095</a>). <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4asX_pTTab1exFSTq233AASnh-seD2kb1gTwEZ28chX3uDA9yT12fd97ffjOi9zmOiwPP4BipaFrObdy5vQa4weDGat9O-4OLsGaDYDp5gqtCLrLity5iHYi1G73HQV8jH6O9B_a4O1gs/s1600/photo+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4asX_pTTab1exFSTq233AASnh-seD2kb1gTwEZ28chX3uDA9yT12fd97ffjOi9zmOiwPP4BipaFrObdy5vQa4weDGat9O-4OLsGaDYDp5gqtCLrLity5iHYi1G73HQV8jH6O9B_a4O1gs/s400/photo+8.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ruth Maguire making her acceptance speech</span></div>
<br />
After hearing Ruth's acceptance speech, and that of her defeated opponents, it was time for the Cunninghame North declaration. Once again, our man Kenny Gibson was returned as the SNP MSP for the region, and gave a short acceptance speech, thanking his electoral agent Linda Nicholson, his campaign co-ordinator Alan Dickson, his wife Patricia, and all the constituency volunteers who had helped to get him re-elected. Job done! (The full result is at <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/scotland-constituencies/S16000094">www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/scotland-constituencies/S16000094</a>)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0TMrKYmgbCI" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
<br />
Following the defeated opponent's speeches, we then all posed for press photographs with our victor, and of course, I grabbed a couple of pics for the moment also! By now it was passed 4am - but the night was young! We said our goodbyes to each other, then made our way to our respective homes to watch the unfurling drama.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYY03_aM-15Kg2ntLmyydJrJ-QHJ-IyZ0BEHU-xq9MPTYGIm65sckvRDFyR9CevXErPmc3mrYQ-whaveri1jUiCc9b8bkKhyphenhyphenuyJoAqnqfvNlOzfj-J7pcGxqHZjT-Y3Efn77MTyt9dK7D/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYY03_aM-15Kg2ntLmyydJrJ-QHJ-IyZ0BEHU-xq9MPTYGIm65sckvRDFyR9CevXErPmc3mrYQ-whaveri1jUiCc9b8bkKhyphenhyphenuyJoAqnqfvNlOzfj-J7pcGxqHZjT-Y3Efn77MTyt9dK7D/s400/photo+4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Kenny with his electoral agent Linda Nicholson</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWB4dy0HScpmx_cRIy0_1_c5HIDp5upmy7QO8lz7a4ctrRZ-uxsm_MIjQgIPRH-jc61YUQ8uq9fT1hyLOroNUlWNu_QYkRknKd7FR3u82bzB9gDbNGGwjNyLBa9DZUx_Zd2HrQFmn58pKy/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWB4dy0HScpmx_cRIy0_1_c5HIDp5upmy7QO8lz7a4ctrRZ-uxsm_MIjQgIPRH-jc61YUQ8uq9fT1hyLOroNUlWNu_QYkRknKd7FR3u82bzB9gDbNGGwjNyLBa9DZUx_Zd2HrQFmn58pKy/s400/photo+5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Kenny with his wife Patricia Gibson MP</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
The constituency votes sorted, the ballots for the list vote, which had to include results from several regions in the west of Scotland, were subsequently worked on at a counting centre in Braehead to decide the remaining 'list MSPs'. Our Conservative opponent Jamie Greene was duly elected at this stage, but not our Labour or LibDem candidates, who did not garner anything like enough support. Overall, the SNP was returned for a historic third successive term as the government, and became the first party since devolution to amass more than one million votes for a Holyrood election - not bad for a night's work! The Tories also historically overtook Labour to become the official opposition. The next five years will be fascinating to watch - as will the local council elections next year!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRFkW5mmIvR8U330V1I38ySS2aslz8_Yh4J0azJt4hnPJdfoM9XM7908P8evYojMZz8ODvekNakHWIqS5yyUxm5ROia1Jp9Yl4fBqlrElzWvgHkIptU6NFFupH5OiGM8d9hfCQSZ45I2h/s1600/IMG_1805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRFkW5mmIvR8U330V1I38ySS2aslz8_Yh4J0azJt4hnPJdfoM9XM7908P8evYojMZz8ODvekNakHWIqS5yyUxm5ROia1Jp9Yl4fBqlrElzWvgHkIptU6NFFupH5OiGM8d9hfCQSZ45I2h/s400/IMG_1805.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
ChrisChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-23733861271009753632016-03-23T18:27:00.001-07:002016-04-07T01:44:40.781-07:00Happy Independence Day!<b>Happy Independence Day</b> to my fellow progressive Scots - not for the Scottish independence that we dared to hope for, but for the achievement of weaning ourselves off the unionist media and the UK Government's propaganda, and the freedom of thought beyond the previously accepted status quo. In the week where the Social Attitude Survey notes the highest ever support for Scottish independence since 1999 (when it began), and the highest level of trust given in Europe to a national parliament (for Scotland at 73%), we remain steadfastly in the earliest days of a better nation.<br />
<br />
On a personal note, the highlights of my last 2 years include helping Scotland reach 45% in an independence referendum for which we were told by yesterday's men that we never had a chance (and a week after we took the lead in the polls - albeit a week too early); the election of Grace McLean as a councillor locally in Largs for the SNP in October 2014; the election of Patricia Gibson as MP for North Ayrshire and Arran in May 2015, again for the SNP; meeting former First Minister Alex Salmond, whose vision for Scotland and vision for what we might be as a nation transformed my life; and meetings with Nicola Sturgeon, current First Minister, who being the same age as myself has inspired me to up my game and to continue to believe in, and work for, the 'beautiful dream' of Scottish independence.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="256" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pZgu0KichKE" width="420"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Scotland - we're only getting started. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Independence Day!!!!</b><br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></b>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Update: <b>The Wee Black Book</b> was published today, sequel to <b>The Wee Blue Book</b> - well worth a read online at <a href="http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/WeeBlackBookWebEdition.pdf">http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/WeeBlackBookWebEdition.pdf</a>)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOsZ7rduRABaxCf2l_Ct7Ah1Nw4543rLCewDJYm4KLAp2iGWc82tGiF-qbybCH6u1stOoRmCUady9OE8gqZ5TF9KqubyWuMoMPeDyfyvYPU_HFikDxq0oNi_jzUdaXE1r7zOf5WwF7vqA/s1600/DSCN4847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOsZ7rduRABaxCf2l_Ct7Ah1Nw4543rLCewDJYm4KLAp2iGWc82tGiF-qbybCH6u1stOoRmCUady9OE8gqZ5TF9KqubyWuMoMPeDyfyvYPU_HFikDxq0oNi_jzUdaXE1r7zOf5WwF7vqA/s400/DSCN4847.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxaaCys3VIIpaYXUXtrmJFO4dorrLhMopiGNWOMN9syaiOtuoYX1snlevsw5ydzR1pIJACR5o8RjiiJHpns22pcmTemCsbXs7CYRfYYl8Q5uURmWWJQFrLmFrnWAuIzG3IqnbQK16GS8X/s1600/Largs+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxaaCys3VIIpaYXUXtrmJFO4dorrLhMopiGNWOMN9syaiOtuoYX1snlevsw5ydzR1pIJACR5o8RjiiJHpns22pcmTemCsbXs7CYRfYYl8Q5uURmWWJQFrLmFrnWAuIzG3IqnbQK16GS8X/s400/Largs+14.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyi6OCTUDCFLKEndtVRoZ7DgYuJ7x5ocTBOWfYV2ykqZpTF-zKBIqIgmtVLmTDYqLuJQGE5VhpkoX_j9zyclmyGwsRj1K33_r12id1Nh0di4ATQsjtLFVYBgafCtSlOzE968wqczB5F7YC/s1600/Grace+election+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyi6OCTUDCFLKEndtVRoZ7DgYuJ7x5ocTBOWfYV2ykqZpTF-zKBIqIgmtVLmTDYqLuJQGE5VhpkoX_j9zyclmyGwsRj1K33_r12id1Nh0di4ATQsjtLFVYBgafCtSlOzE968wqczB5F7YC/s400/Grace+election+2014.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaysijdBoZiJsaexhqgS88D2v93DJ2Kj4R671F33Aw8giX4xeDPSsWpUIQvflQw4vvmXDzm_xV_TGCgOAHoQcDZaMVEx51zCiIgK3kAnKl7Uqz9RhSDDMZnBMnkG-prJQmsqs5BPeD_Of/s1600/DSCN0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaysijdBoZiJsaexhqgS88D2v93DJ2Kj4R671F33Aw8giX4xeDPSsWpUIQvflQw4vvmXDzm_xV_TGCgOAHoQcDZaMVEx51zCiIgK3kAnKl7Uqz9RhSDDMZnBMnkG-prJQmsqs5BPeD_Of/s400/DSCN0126.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVVgmE6iRemSBWlo8gBfclxhXLxrE6hs9UVyDrWGKXh7itW3GFvP_rIwukS3XYUJ_u_0fK4uq_gX6K6hyphenhyphen1y8aqCwZg88c_GH-CnXVSlipo3-OEANETZnlZgAd01axuK2s_eBwfxHxaMzh/s1600/DSCN0110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVVgmE6iRemSBWlo8gBfclxhXLxrE6hs9UVyDrWGKXh7itW3GFvP_rIwukS3XYUJ_u_0fK4uq_gX6K6hyphenhyphen1y8aqCwZg88c_GH-CnXVSlipo3-OEANETZnlZgAd01axuK2s_eBwfxHxaMzh/s400/DSCN0110.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWMrrje5D4g2odi_mDajlypB1avEiDSVZEGvj3CWAmQYI989pk6nNYYaH_4nJSd50pcxIxxssKAl_cOd0_PqROd_xTYBS89ZfDzJcCh702QDZQsY3LzJrA5PBaljHBZiyMEyL92O5SP7R/s1600/Claire+and+Nicola.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWMrrje5D4g2odi_mDajlypB1avEiDSVZEGvj3CWAmQYI989pk6nNYYaH_4nJSd50pcxIxxssKAl_cOd0_PqROd_xTYBS89ZfDzJcCh702QDZQsY3LzJrA5PBaljHBZiyMEyL92O5SP7R/s400/Claire+and+Nicola.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedjWAIgWHOKl_3YdNapukpXS5-Wjp0t0I61qiol39dUPZ2JDsWz6i0DGdthiFUEaI4N1bWuRGC8pEARJZHOkWUC8X9MQfc0LQVDeAHMVpTUPgPI796rtlCiJte5KCulDCXuBbLkmjeMm7/s1600/Patricia+Yes+shop+farewell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedjWAIgWHOKl_3YdNapukpXS5-Wjp0t0I61qiol39dUPZ2JDsWz6i0DGdthiFUEaI4N1bWuRGC8pEARJZHOkWUC8X9MQfc0LQVDeAHMVpTUPgPI796rtlCiJte5KCulDCXuBbLkmjeMm7/s400/Patricia+Yes+shop+farewell.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCsrSNT7rIfXoSC6fEJiHi6JO1tz1fH1KWrTqZUNnjieq9GzZa0WxI83u9zjv14BCi9Zvztcg1PSPEgCF2CFA94Tho6C4JCJsUoGDxFq_ThYpkTbDZsx0b6b39arEL062vFMvoe9av-2Y/s1600/Kenny+and+Patricia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCsrSNT7rIfXoSC6fEJiHi6JO1tz1fH1KWrTqZUNnjieq9GzZa0WxI83u9zjv14BCi9Zvztcg1PSPEgCF2CFA94Tho6C4JCJsUoGDxFq_ThYpkTbDZsx0b6b39arEL062vFMvoe9av-2Y/s400/Kenny+and+Patricia.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiC_qFrCghduVb6UQDrf491a0Wqrre1F909SVMlsLA6oDStxSeK2b0wQHOEL2vJW9rTx2PU22zQ4VqjTCMoqpD1iaYyFx_lp8F_kMjJxs4vHS46A5Y1UiDmAG3WZ6ATQ-KLlTGodtj9juN/s1600/Nicola+and+the+Patons+-+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiC_qFrCghduVb6UQDrf491a0Wqrre1F909SVMlsLA6oDStxSeK2b0wQHOEL2vJW9rTx2PU22zQ4VqjTCMoqpD1iaYyFx_lp8F_kMjJxs4vHS46A5Y1UiDmAG3WZ6ATQ-KLlTGodtj9juN/s400/Nicola+and+the+Patons+-+2015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMzMBzCpXvyxwcMZ0btmz_EatGhbACZ25-y_wx57U8EQRdg6mec99VO0TBtJDpVxW-hpTO6R07skMB_MMKyHGqtQx6yNCqN0_xvZxhy6-3RsIhtKycRzfAAgvVHBK4MMc63lgUyAvm4b0/s1600/stall+10+OCT+2015+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMzMBzCpXvyxwcMZ0btmz_EatGhbACZ25-y_wx57U8EQRdg6mec99VO0TBtJDpVxW-hpTO6R07skMB_MMKyHGqtQx6yNCqN0_xvZxhy6-3RsIhtKycRzfAAgvVHBK4MMc63lgUyAvm4b0/s400/stall+10+OCT+2015+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvw_szWcFlb-Vwooje9VUXuSY0S8aJFmvRoAIVnkfvkKCkeVQiSfyEufgePckEKqODrQHRWyqAzqDd-eorVuWSDw1U6n0aVGmqnm5NffR06Ux9OA8nRnG3fgBDDMlvYeeAqtGxoripHLFU/s1600/Canvassing+3+APR+2015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvw_szWcFlb-Vwooje9VUXuSY0S8aJFmvRoAIVnkfvkKCkeVQiSfyEufgePckEKqODrQHRWyqAzqDd-eorVuWSDw1U6n0aVGmqnm5NffR06Ux9OA8nRnG3fgBDDMlvYeeAqtGxoripHLFU/s400/Canvassing+3+APR+2015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV83xsAivwF_GvylvNMpS_h0yF8bVPYJiWohsrjhmtLMN6l5_m-UDCR_iyF5bZlSRuBuXMKZZ2e8gpgIIDNLxiFVPi4Ybk-89Mbu8fRoIC7RQo9ydJ_8b4i1Eb7s-SpJX_2QzBGChe2U8q/s1600/Patricia+canvassing+28+FEB+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV83xsAivwF_GvylvNMpS_h0yF8bVPYJiWohsrjhmtLMN6l5_m-UDCR_iyF5bZlSRuBuXMKZZ2e8gpgIIDNLxiFVPi4Ybk-89Mbu8fRoIC7RQo9ydJ_8b4i1Eb7s-SpJX_2QzBGChe2U8q/s400/Patricia+canvassing+28+FEB+2015.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7pbcrg6kb9pcSSFpwE7phYo9Eiciqr33KEnGLrTKRa4iGmgW412Vh4ZTT0mbLHBvnDCIlyNypeL34xr5-S_nUogV0yT-oEy9LX-e4IEaXgc4tXIVYwDu8ghtHu0TbKxDI85Va51xn3y-/s1600/Carmichael+must+go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7pbcrg6kb9pcSSFpwE7phYo9Eiciqr33KEnGLrTKRa4iGmgW412Vh4ZTT0mbLHBvnDCIlyNypeL34xr5-S_nUogV0yT-oEy9LX-e4IEaXgc4tXIVYwDu8ghtHu0TbKxDI85Va51xn3y-/s400/Carmichael+must+go.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hASuxRCJYi33_T2sjsvYxL1AKdamqEGVf6VNZ5sKmg24JSfEG5kAFg-UOk_1euJuzu8_gLwUTHAg43CHJBpWSqilG7FV0y9f7ckl1I4EX9S21jvGmLlPpNoEtmUe9jYvFNzDUt5bmrOc/s1600/SP+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hASuxRCJYi33_T2sjsvYxL1AKdamqEGVf6VNZ5sKmg24JSfEG5kAFg-UOk_1euJuzu8_gLwUTHAg43CHJBpWSqilG7FV0y9f7ckl1I4EX9S21jvGmLlPpNoEtmUe9jYvFNzDUt5bmrOc/s400/SP+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNktcDQKkULv80iUdfbll1a1Zh82ZEfvwrktCgkGA8ibP7EXb96xhAylewqqLz_l33aMtAIHv31QYrQgo8G5wyETlqVnDFeDXtos0U48HP8SLBLEKmCrFkK_Gx1aGP9YJCyWjEoNlI-bu/s1600/SP+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNktcDQKkULv80iUdfbll1a1Zh82ZEfvwrktCgkGA8ibP7EXb96xhAylewqqLz_l33aMtAIHv31QYrQgo8G5wyETlqVnDFeDXtos0U48HP8SLBLEKmCrFkK_Gx1aGP9YJCyWjEoNlI-bu/s400/SP+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMf9KWjF-PYdk1_WuMQjhLxyF_a3BfAnT1ysrhxsHkp8PiqZ9LwfwBRuTOpgpNh7_JxT1LtIaaE50hfx5zjj7DKtRsw2WnH100u3h7MvL5G3N8qGt-tlkKhLavCD9exBcOUFZDD40RKUpO/s1600/SP+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMf9KWjF-PYdk1_WuMQjhLxyF_a3BfAnT1ysrhxsHkp8PiqZ9LwfwBRuTOpgpNh7_JxT1LtIaaE50hfx5zjj7DKtRsw2WnH100u3h7MvL5G3N8qGt-tlkKhLavCD9exBcOUFZDD40RKUpO/s400/SP+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclH8QOCLUrUxGrFV-BWzb5JcLCkZlOFUD70fGg0cZE0ZoR6Zz89U_0eHWu8YuULYNzLp4FM_kyo8PvSULywh9D8b0Nq0zHnFsFQWSGf0Hz4-IqQkUz5YFslXwrNILvcyGTGjKIP7_GWfT/s1600/SP+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclH8QOCLUrUxGrFV-BWzb5JcLCkZlOFUD70fGg0cZE0ZoR6Zz89U_0eHWu8YuULYNzLp4FM_kyo8PvSULywh9D8b0Nq0zHnFsFQWSGf0Hz4-IqQkUz5YFslXwrNILvcyGTGjKIP7_GWfT/s400/SP+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiy_rJhzHYtrNxhbAfu4lXle6G0OncBKbZEwwK2ecCjTKk3Y0Gm8j3OYmOO9M86NpsxLKYB-slfEiJdN65SnYwKmkUdyk4xpWCiGVGl7wkr5y_yLIXN668_a5bkWQClLmC3jAZMJO7s-S/s1600/DSCN3532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiy_rJhzHYtrNxhbAfu4lXle6G0OncBKbZEwwK2ecCjTKk3Y0Gm8j3OYmOO9M86NpsxLKYB-slfEiJdN65SnYwKmkUdyk4xpWCiGVGl7wkr5y_yLIXN668_a5bkWQClLmC3jAZMJO7s-S/s400/DSCN3532.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyGB4wla4SPychMwxkCv74ul5th_l4zoIBdtMHKDRxRDJPcm-_GaSDY79ci4hCeJcoF9ufRpB9WXOy7gQRgjbzC0_NotC8OUP6Hvvflu6Zw-9WA05YhW8Ded_pBhgR3v8qEQzWufQSfBh/s1600/Canvassing+20+MAR+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyGB4wla4SPychMwxkCv74ul5th_l4zoIBdtMHKDRxRDJPcm-_GaSDY79ci4hCeJcoF9ufRpB9WXOy7gQRgjbzC0_NotC8OUP6Hvvflu6Zw-9WA05YhW8Ded_pBhgR3v8qEQzWufQSfBh/s400/Canvassing+20+MAR+2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-TyFEpfaNKNlNwuZRwmvfXoQdvSSIpsUWke4jqd0fAz2pyB78TuZI1IXkZHFQ0NL7OF2-RBwbpof2ARRib0ucPlrXAwfM-dP0eyS822mC0A2Drf6f97z2EJHR2HYnJ5YU7JOabyA2Ag1/s1600/Yes+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-TyFEpfaNKNlNwuZRwmvfXoQdvSSIpsUWke4jqd0fAz2pyB78TuZI1IXkZHFQ0NL7OF2-RBwbpof2ARRib0ucPlrXAwfM-dP0eyS822mC0A2Drf6f97z2EJHR2HYnJ5YU7JOabyA2Ag1/s400/Yes+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
ChrisChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-78507761537966867222016-02-18T05:39:00.002-08:002016-12-07T07:38:49.592-08:00Scotland needs an organ donor opt out schemeI've had a letter published in the Largs paper this week about presumed consent with organ donation, lamenting the Scottish Parliament not voting it through last week, as recently done in Wales:<br />
<br />
Dear Sir,<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiYDUkFwTeBsYnxjRroZfshChyHhZKvcEfr40OOsN4CI-6n9T8kxqMgxUrttVo-S03XTzomvhjmct-MJXuwHPX8st_GuqV_zy4MWYrvfiXSDUJkpG42bDhremh_ERqLsz77AT8IwXB6AM/s1600/donors.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiYDUkFwTeBsYnxjRroZfshChyHhZKvcEfr40OOsN4CI-6n9T8kxqMgxUrttVo-S03XTzomvhjmct-MJXuwHPX8st_GuqV_zy4MWYrvfiXSDUJkpG42bDhremh_ERqLsz77AT8IwXB6AM/s1600/donors.png" /></a>About 12 years ago I made a BBC television documentary in which I followed the transplant unit of the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh for several months, where I had the great privilege to not only get to know the staff and surgical teams at the unit, but also many of those waiting on the organ donor list. One of those I was fortunate to follow over a period of five months was a young 18 year old student from Linlithgow, who was in need of a functioning kidney. He had been on the list for so long because of the severe shortage of donor organs that in the end his own mother decided to donate one of her two healthy kidneys in a live transplant operation. I followed the family on their emotional journey throughout the process, including the transplant procedure itself, but tragedy soon followed its aftermath, when the young lad's immune system rejected his mother's donor organ. At the start of the programme I interviewed the young lad whilst he was hooked up to a dialysis machine, and heard his hopes for a free and normal life ahead of him; at the end of the film, following the failed organ's removal from his body, he was back on the same machine again, thoroughly dejected, with no idea where his salvation would come from the dialysis routine within which he was once again trapped.<br />
<br />
Last Tuesday 9th February I watched with interest the Holyrood debate on the organ transplant presumed consent bill, created by Anne McTaggart, and supported passionately by many members across party lines, including our local MSP Kenneth Gibson. Whilst on this occasion the bill was rejected, although sympathetically received, it is a goal that I believe is still worth pursuing, and one which I hope our elected representatives will continue to push hard for. Having seen first hand just how difficult it is to secure suitable donor material for those waiting on the list, something certainly needs to be done.<br />
<br />
In Wales, a system of presumed consent for the use of donor organs after death was put into operation from December last year, with a two year campaign there currently educating the public on how the system works, and how they can opt out should they choose to do so. The notion of presumed consent is one which it is hoped will significantly increase the numbers of potential donors available. Many of the lives that may be saved from this will be in Scotland, as the organs sourced from Wales will be available for use across the UK.
I have heard sincere arguments from individuals against the notion of presumed consent, but it seems to me that many of these ignore the fact that consent still lies at the heart of the system, which can be freely removed as much as it can be given.<br />
<br />
Until if and when such changes can be brought in, however, I would urge anyone who has not signed up to the current donor register to seriously consider doing so, via <a href="http://www.organdonationscotland.org/">www.organdonationscotland.org</a>.<br />
<br />
Chris Paton<br />
<br />UPDATE 3 DEC 2016: One year on from the introduction of presumed consent in Wales, there have been some incredibly encouraging developments and tangible results as a result of the initiative, with the consent rate up from 49% to 59%, and an increase in the living donor rate of 20%. A summary of the findings is available at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/04/wales-deemed-consent-organ-donation-system-promising-results">https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/04/wales-deemed-consent-organ-donation-system-promising-results</a>. Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-21903536646140612942016-02-14T08:41:00.001-08:002016-02-15T09:55:14.285-08:00Damage to the Greeto Falls walk and beauty spot near LargsIn anticipation of a meeting happening on Tuesday 16th February at Largs Library, to discuss the new <b>Halkshill Commercial Forestry Project</b> happening in the hills behind Largs, my wife, youngest son and I all took a walk up to the Greeto Falls today. This aims to create a new forestry enterprise in the vicinity, with over a million trees and two hydro schemes to create power, although any community benefit to Largs has as yet to be defined.<br />
<br />
As a part of this project we had heard that one of our favourite spots in behind the town had been damaged, and so wanted to see this for ourselves prior to the meeting, having only had a glimpse of a couple of pictures. I've documented what we found to better inform anyone who may wish to come to the meeting.<br />
<br />
Having walked up Bellesdale Avenue, we noted the details of the construction company on the gate that covers the gate of the track leading up to the hillside walk to the Greeto Falls.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGgKTYEphEfj6AE-k54535uVxnVebbsQFHLIb3mGPRt-LHARay_cIf0aGiZND7UGSIjOdWvFb5tY6KiSZ0VIjVyFU3Qe2RmqixbjQRCF-NA0crAvFG4HZZSABWFvUI2xxtw9RtIsEoTyK/s1600/DSCN4041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGgKTYEphEfj6AE-k54535uVxnVebbsQFHLIb3mGPRt-LHARay_cIf0aGiZND7UGSIjOdWvFb5tY6KiSZ0VIjVyFU3Qe2RmqixbjQRCF-NA0crAvFG4HZZSABWFvUI2xxtw9RtIsEoTyK/s400/DSCN4041.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QCv21CKK-NpOxdO7q136Utl_2P7imtP_1U7Te0e9v5pdez3jh1if8KstzkgGrah3HZJCeuiP3zDYsKlPPwf6pC6LqBw7iLoXxcshm_t01NMN4ozwdklSZHRsD0tGWstRyqheli34SDOc/s1600/DSCN4042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QCv21CKK-NpOxdO7q136Utl_2P7imtP_1U7Te0e9v5pdez3jh1if8KstzkgGrah3HZJCeuiP3zDYsKlPPwf6pC6LqBw7iLoXxcshm_t01NMN4ozwdklSZHRsD0tGWstRyqheli34SDOc/s400/DSCN4042.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
No sooner had we arrived at the top of this short, steep bit of track than we then came to our first surprise - the track we normally walk up is now blocked off, with signs telling pedestrians to divert to an alternative track up the hill.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYIiKCU_B5_cnY_IL1xbCVhxafFYQC-CmsbVsYzlWtLrVKLi0WRPb6yj40C7KPB-FQvfYzYtDV18w8TzZo742MR-C_UZC7EZ4Fhb5aS1m6xVBN6W7e8Z8kFUWB4S2huqeuA9adRV5NPke/s1600/DSCN4043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYIiKCU_B5_cnY_IL1xbCVhxafFYQC-CmsbVsYzlWtLrVKLi0WRPb6yj40C7KPB-FQvfYzYtDV18w8TzZo742MR-C_UZC7EZ4Fhb5aS1m6xVBN6W7e8Z8kFUWB4S2huqeuA9adRV5NPke/s400/DSCN4043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijInLT0CD4b4TnoxexVqHHambdV6sb34w7ZRBM61_PRyXdxbummaIbJtwnKthwZIIQxA-AzJfxuIKOZSjQbf6OOziEwoh2AaNO0vxpCpp7PMVf2wjbAs-063tSg8edq9okz0VrTCfMp6AX/s1600/DSCN4044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijInLT0CD4b4TnoxexVqHHambdV6sb34w7ZRBM61_PRyXdxbummaIbJtwnKthwZIIQxA-AzJfxuIKOZSjQbf6OOziEwoh2AaNO0vxpCpp7PMVf2wjbAs-063tSg8edq9okz0VrTCfMp6AX/s400/DSCN4044.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIN0yjebw7vBLu-cjiycZ0yAAaIX8luXpopGGkXPRwCl3I02FN6cTglJymLFFLFldQEdxu1m4XQ0K18u9_l4wfgdRdB85Vh-wInsMsK7LL3erUqSUcq7TTbupqxQMSUPwAilMiV6TPj0Jt/s1600/DSCN4045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIN0yjebw7vBLu-cjiycZ0yAAaIX8luXpopGGkXPRwCl3I02FN6cTglJymLFFLFldQEdxu1m4XQ0K18u9_l4wfgdRdB85Vh-wInsMsK7LL3erUqSUcq7TTbupqxQMSUPwAilMiV6TPj0Jt/s400/DSCN4045.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGxx1Uj0_GfIBcUgm7rNQ8X_5b3vLjwSSOwM0KPojL8P-1yPSQi-7DmPv3gx8M9xOei_5qUbNJLShqZurfC2QAsLG-jigQtFctXFAt_bPlSFV3YqKPANjjCknTgbPowwhUGAy2lTBTUCA/s1600/DSCN4046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGxx1Uj0_GfIBcUgm7rNQ8X_5b3vLjwSSOwM0KPojL8P-1yPSQi-7DmPv3gx8M9xOei_5qUbNJLShqZurfC2QAsLG-jigQtFctXFAt_bPlSFV3YqKPANjjCknTgbPowwhUGAy2lTBTUCA/s400/DSCN4046.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
A gate has been pulled down for folk to cross over, and there is then a smaller gate, which still has a thick wire strewn across it, which I narrowly missed, thanks to my wife warning me as I approached it. This is actually quite dangerous, and could easily catch someone across the neck if not paying attention.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fthGNvKTA-wUe-YMcGYTKwwgPU7vus96b-eJK2whByJCwqVoLxsuKAoLz-gvpNIyQiqo_pKfXzBmmnEWFn0Fh3Cq73iHBZ-3T4B5rsqb6eMghCvXlwvPdSg5Ux4Aluu2GZjxxsBuHegK/s1600/DSCN4053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fthGNvKTA-wUe-YMcGYTKwwgPU7vus96b-eJK2whByJCwqVoLxsuKAoLz-gvpNIyQiqo_pKfXzBmmnEWFn0Fh3Cq73iHBZ-3T4B5rsqb6eMghCvXlwvPdSg5Ux4Aluu2GZjxxsBuHegK/s400/DSCN4053.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We then walked up the hill partway, but there is no trackway identified for walkers to climb up. We quickly realised we had actually overshot the track we had seen on our way up the hill, so soon found our way back. This took us through another gateway, with yet again, two wires across the gap waiting to garrote somebody.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjVdGOJW8G4ASV7zNpXvrPCUNVc_f1k-Qrj6ZjLdi1-DZQbj5mmQguj83Tohw9YZg8OtRlBef6SDX4pOSd9-VrEfM4SBadP6zHaooQifdYttpeH3eM5SZzH5bliYzYsgBYuHRyoKP2hHN/s1600/DSCN4061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjVdGOJW8G4ASV7zNpXvrPCUNVc_f1k-Qrj6ZjLdi1-DZQbj5mmQguj83Tohw9YZg8OtRlBef6SDX4pOSd9-VrEfM4SBadP6zHaooQifdYttpeH3eM5SZzH5bliYzYsgBYuHRyoKP2hHN/s400/DSCN4061.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
With the track suddenly veering off to the top of the hill - not where we wanted to go - we decided to cut back down onto the original track that we usually walk up to get to the Greeto Falls. The track is now gone - it has been dug up to create an access road for heavy plant vehicles.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mRMiBB9Hetp_85-WCFxVhjbCcC2c4qH64gzYXLJCl_EusjtJdtuRtqOWMg-QZlcwzsvCPxGmI2SxY2LZkl76GZd4u0yBgLCDc8xjI41uY84RdzrKrNhyphenhypheneYvzKnQPZT_V2AGPEe-Oh9rK/s1600/DSCN4062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mRMiBB9Hetp_85-WCFxVhjbCcC2c4qH64gzYXLJCl_EusjtJdtuRtqOWMg-QZlcwzsvCPxGmI2SxY2LZkl76GZd4u0yBgLCDc8xjI41uY84RdzrKrNhyphenhypheneYvzKnQPZT_V2AGPEe-Oh9rK/s400/DSCN4062.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZb5WhS8cRqu9aORPAOnemOP-mCWrCpGxURCiIdrs81fK4erzEikjJVHyALnsoh1Qpu07e7HQ4xFr39hgTcSd1haGxBFZlu4HwOz4AHqe3EAbNutAVtSQ-SY6QS5ItQ307MXrJLBEvHe2/s1600/DSCN4066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZb5WhS8cRqu9aORPAOnemOP-mCWrCpGxURCiIdrs81fK4erzEikjJVHyALnsoh1Qpu07e7HQ4xFr39hgTcSd1haGxBFZlu4HwOz4AHqe3EAbNutAVtSQ-SY6QS5ItQ307MXrJLBEvHe2/s400/DSCN4066.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSPRm6sQlu32RitC_1yOGJE_Z0fUZodmfk0mEoIY0kPNZ6ezzmb-5RK0iaOGSMaTs9O8rmt2EBTMdJVARFm_KavFWRyz17cayE2WzfMNnqCaGqIKJ_5I3P9gbCI4YgvDT642qUC6Q8SEQ/s1600/DSCN4067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSPRm6sQlu32RitC_1yOGJE_Z0fUZodmfk0mEoIY0kPNZ6ezzmb-5RK0iaOGSMaTs9O8rmt2EBTMdJVARFm_KavFWRyz17cayE2WzfMNnqCaGqIKJ_5I3P9gbCI4YgvDT642qUC6Q8SEQ/s400/DSCN4067.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
With the weather as good as it was, there were several other folk taking a look for themselves. One of them had warned us that there was a 'Dalek' up ahead waiting to shout at us - we carried on and soon came across it...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZurcpUsp8gMRRv9J9uaOt6U59yrIXJ2LM524UIDgomwlt5IAIRv3vgbUY1xkuTWBbcU0sKK6KZOjKWvd0eeRsM1EWIWdLvyynSUzB_a_tLmPXH0Jsr0rRWdRtmCUK61XA9izd6ZaJ6wrv/s1600/DSCN4069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZurcpUsp8gMRRv9J9uaOt6U59yrIXJ2LM524UIDgomwlt5IAIRv3vgbUY1xkuTWBbcU0sKK6KZOjKWvd0eeRsM1EWIWdLvyynSUzB_a_tLmPXH0Jsr0rRWdRtmCUK61XA9izd6ZaJ6wrv/s400/DSCN4069.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I was easily able to understand its warnings, because it had the same friendly Northern Irish tones that I was used to hearing when growing up back in Norn Iron! After sounding a red alert klaxon straight out of a Star Trek film, it then informed me that the police and others were coming to get me...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HjJI5oLNxTM" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
<br />
It soon transpired that the police and others weren't in fact coming to get me, or anyone else that it was shouting at, so we carried on a bit further. The entire track to the Greeto Falls is now a dirt track, a very muddy one at present due to recent weather, and a large scar now following the hills towards our eventual goal.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTB7VgjHSMnZhfZplcIhLZGe3T6d_6o_PaH97PAuhgBErs8BIdwpD_r1QfDFbtKSCHyzFFct-GLdpZK08uHGdfwHUdLkyYa80b1BTfUWV5w3fqETF7pi_owgohHjJ_OYnhUbYjMek1xtI/s1600/DSCN4072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTB7VgjHSMnZhfZplcIhLZGe3T6d_6o_PaH97PAuhgBErs8BIdwpD_r1QfDFbtKSCHyzFFct-GLdpZK08uHGdfwHUdLkyYa80b1BTfUWV5w3fqETF7pi_owgohHjJ_OYnhUbYjMek1xtI/s400/DSCN4072.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuqvytNX-irtAVxXjjheqNPV03X00quQ9eVownYzW5LmJxJi0Ev4pqNzQr1QTelA0JY91i_22t0zPDFfaliY7RtWFZTDtRkiy71gq2WuBIkhKzTovSI-aNQiifFZwS48k88U__CjbFjY_/s1600/DSCN4065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuqvytNX-irtAVxXjjheqNPV03X00quQ9eVownYzW5LmJxJi0Ev4pqNzQr1QTelA0JY91i_22t0zPDFfaliY7RtWFZTDtRkiy71gq2WuBIkhKzTovSI-aNQiifFZwS48k88U__CjbFjY_/s400/DSCN4065.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aXPhf0aLe9YiWtZRdJQ9DYVtSqLux6RlYNXKIg12NL9hiv0M1lGeepLktNYgB3JEbdZ1G8YYQ45odBe7O_Wu1d2J4MO8V1mfvfp4-cfWP0zDQ4GwDhjnnDbY46R_DmE0NGAqcYtTiRUz/s1600/DSCN4081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aXPhf0aLe9YiWtZRdJQ9DYVtSqLux6RlYNXKIg12NL9hiv0M1lGeepLktNYgB3JEbdZ1G8YYQ45odBe7O_Wu1d2J4MO8V1mfvfp4-cfWP0zDQ4GwDhjnnDbY46R_DmE0NGAqcYtTiRUz/s400/DSCN4081.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBkbklQwC09vB4RqEE71zDOsNVEWDcrx-TyhtiZYbJXBIdCRjs7kLlVvWaRNKS-j42M-hVS1JZtiMPF2z_NfnfHzoV1Y0bbC4isSc8Orbs9Pvere353TkkZ_GNK44Syw_Zkgh-uquP02T/s1600/DSCN4070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBkbklQwC09vB4RqEE71zDOsNVEWDcrx-TyhtiZYbJXBIdCRjs7kLlVvWaRNKS-j42M-hVS1JZtiMPF2z_NfnfHzoV1Y0bbC4isSc8Orbs9Pvere353TkkZ_GNK44Syw_Zkgh-uquP02T/s400/DSCN4070.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXYGqI3aX7TBVTgFsfwg1t-qSVqg2t7V8DqOknadxVVYwtspP080P-9eKi-ccViCKScxG2jAbDSR9N7JetnxvMUNW77ZKd9ozUVFnAIZISkRJNP5Y3EyYdWTOmZACVOlosUfLSEPEuzcc/s1600/DSCN4071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXYGqI3aX7TBVTgFsfwg1t-qSVqg2t7V8DqOknadxVVYwtspP080P-9eKi-ccViCKScxG2jAbDSR9N7JetnxvMUNW77ZKd9ozUVFnAIZISkRJNP5Y3EyYdWTOmZACVOlosUfLSEPEuzcc/s400/DSCN4071.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And then we reached the Greeto Falls - only to have our hearts broken...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0dKBosu_FQ2-UI_WNj-UUnbOzdEy1wK7YzEuChJwMh0qsxDtUMHsn-w-wURAIY4-kEkUlZoijDy_EFl2Qo4kalJu1j0bD7XQcBMmaiNkaN2yMCCKWDw9j_jer562Cy-KDMLQssYoLC-M/s1600/DSCN4077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0dKBosu_FQ2-UI_WNj-UUnbOzdEy1wK7YzEuChJwMh0qsxDtUMHsn-w-wURAIY4-kEkUlZoijDy_EFl2Qo4kalJu1j0bD7XQcBMmaiNkaN2yMCCKWDw9j_jer562Cy-KDMLQssYoLC-M/s400/DSCN4077.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQPF7V0HWRPLeSihfLxDwmflRYeirmY1BP-fqrBeOig58egYq_9Q1enmIoMqsqI9rce3TdE4SS3RpEnnzPrgNaBYUNsS2E6_jcz5Wc1kq2NNzAUgbxJwZtpQjCCfPTJf__wnxm9IBOVkh/s1600/DSCN4080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQPF7V0HWRPLeSihfLxDwmflRYeirmY1BP-fqrBeOig58egYq_9Q1enmIoMqsqI9rce3TdE4SS3RpEnnzPrgNaBYUNsS2E6_jcz5Wc1kq2NNzAUgbxJwZtpQjCCfPTJf__wnxm9IBOVkh/s400/DSCN4080.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszBemQ21t_Qoc0xTlF74WDJNHp2B-xxngsTs7QzlNcrun5xMulTSVl41PKi4PXxaVBJAYmN_PCBveMQcscdKthdhS_DHx_Ava0KFpmgEaoH0snoTJsO5ruvTETmG2f5q6C5yVJ25nHitx/s1600/DSCN4075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszBemQ21t_Qoc0xTlF74WDJNHp2B-xxngsTs7QzlNcrun5xMulTSVl41PKi4PXxaVBJAYmN_PCBveMQcscdKthdhS_DHx_Ava0KFpmgEaoH0snoTJsO5ruvTETmG2f5q6C5yVJ25nHitx/s400/DSCN4075.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvSyq_EH-xpp-VMJtq7fNZTlUF_XmQTKfPNmqZ3is-qh5odEjsxCPv-Hsc4eAeVVDmvZOiU9sIZ9R1jP0vnIA2Dw-YrFTNfmBKAzhQI4NaVApVwjmC5svRUcCUhzyLqBwYEcuHVvfuFJL/s1600/DSCN4078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvSyq_EH-xpp-VMJtq7fNZTlUF_XmQTKfPNmqZ3is-qh5odEjsxCPv-Hsc4eAeVVDmvZOiU9sIZ9R1jP0vnIA2Dw-YrFTNfmBKAzhQI4NaVApVwjmC5svRUcCUhzyLqBwYEcuHVvfuFJL/s400/DSCN4078.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Thankfully they have yet to destroy the view in the other direction...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvqh1ZXITsjCkrKW_zYW8sU0fhT9CCKoVI9GS1Vb4dknyiQXg5PuoM6PseWGx3UfFSQBa3YioqfQbi4Wtm161yHfbsuPlzPqdObY0MMCPRYhbE7eyldTurfp0WpSdc_2XVRU9r3gQ_vaj/s1600/DSCN4090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvqh1ZXITsjCkrKW_zYW8sU0fhT9CCKoVI9GS1Vb4dknyiQXg5PuoM6PseWGx3UfFSQBa3YioqfQbi4Wtm161yHfbsuPlzPqdObY0MMCPRYhbE7eyldTurfp0WpSdc_2XVRU9r3gQ_vaj/s400/DSCN4090.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The meeting takes place at Largs Library on Tuesday at 7pm. This all happened over the winter when fewer folk were up the hills; how it happened, why it happened, what the community benefit will be, how it will be repaired and landscaped after the creation of the hydro scheme on Greeto Water, and indeed, if it will be repaired or landscaped, and when, is something I hope we'll hear some serious answers about on Tuesday.<br />
<br />
UPDATE: Douglas Blair from the Community Council has indicated the following:<br />
<br />
<i>"...the drop in session regarding the proposed Commercial Forest Project will take place tomorrow beginning at 7pm in Largs Library led by Patricia Perman Environment Chair of Largs Community Council.
It is one means by which we can discuss with you the pros and cons of the proposal as we understand it and at least we will be better prepared once the Public Consultaion and the EIA is issued.
I know that there has been much conversation over the works at the hydro scheme but issues surrounding this will be discussed at our community council meeting under planning. Our monthly meeting takes place this Thursday at 7pm, Largs Library."</i><br />
<br />
(With thanks to Douglas Blair)<br />
<br />
ChrisChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-51112768178914833302015-12-09T06:53:00.000-08:002018-05-15T11:14:30.263-07:00The legal land ownership limbo of 'in hereditas jacens'In a previous post on this blog (see <a href="http://chrispatonsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/land-inheritance-in-scotland.html">http://chrispatonsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/land-inheritance-in-scotland.html</a>) I discussed how prior to 1868 land and property was inherited in Scotland through a very separate process to that of moveable estate (the records for which are on ScotlandsPeople). This involved processes such as the Services of Heirs or the granting of a precept of clare constat, depending on who the feudal superior was in the arrangement. So whilst these processes were going on to confirm the right of the apparent heir to inherit, who actually owned the land or had responsibility for it?<br />
<br />
The short answer is that from the moment of the previous holder's death until the moment when the apparent heir's identity is formally recognised by his or her superior, the ownership of the land went into a legal limbo, known in Latin as <b>in hereditas jacens</b>. The apparent heir had a year and a day to decide first of all whether he or she wished to inherit the property - after all, if it was saddled with debts, what would be the point?! This period of time was known as the <b>tempus deliberandi</b> or <b>annus deliberandi</b> - the time or year of decision.<br />
<br />
If the apparent heir now wished to proceed, there were a couple of options available. The first was to just push on quickly and complete the inheritance process, by going through the Services of Heirs procedure (if the land was held of the Crown), or obtaining the precept of clare constat (if held of a subject superior, or middle man on the feudal chain).<br />
<br />
However, an alternative was to take up partial possession of it with some protection against creditors, before the inheritance process was even commenced or completed. To do so, the apparent heir could take up what was known as <b>entry cum beneficio inventarii</b> - entry with the benefit of an inventory.<br />
<br />
Within the first year after the predecessor’s death an inventory of the estate’s value could be drawn up and recorded by the local sheriff-clerk within the sheriff court books, which allowed the apparent heir to restrict the value of any debts owed by the estate to that stated in the inventory. After the annus deliberandi expired, the inventory could also be subsequently recorded in the Books of Council
and Session (the Register of Deeds) within the next forty days.<br />
<br />
Having taken up informal possession, the apparent heir was still an apparent heir, as the title had yet to be completed. As such, he or she could not sell off parts of the land or property, and only had limited rights to its assets. Nevertheless, for some, that was enough, and it would only be many years later when they did decide that they wanted to carve off parts of their estate that they perhaps decided then to complete the inheritance process.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU47IyOInBFcQgt2lhp3s4EUqgSqoFAxWCWy9pYg3o4sNpHxdtrKQrQtlZplv7zWd_-u5_YQmumoUz9qMJGNg0EMe6jo1rXtgzkHgsAncWZagCgvE7KeHgusUqTNC9ObJjxiEMU-w6T_wa/s1600/Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU47IyOInBFcQgt2lhp3s4EUqgSqoFAxWCWy9pYg3o4sNpHxdtrKQrQtlZplv7zWd_-u5_YQmumoUz9qMJGNg0EMe6jo1rXtgzkHgsAncWZagCgvE7KeHgusUqTNC9ObJjxiEMU-w6T_wa/s320/Books.jpg" width="320" /></a>So what's the bottom line? In some cases, this means that you may find that an heir is not recorded in the Services of Heirs indexes, or indeed in the sasines registers, until many, many years later after first gaining entry - and in some cases, not at all, if they left it too late and went off to meet their maker before their time was supposed to be up.<br />
<br />
For more on the various methods of land holding, inheritance and other related topics, don't forget my book <b>Discover Scottish Land Records (2nd edition)</b>, which might help. Details on how to buy the book from various worldwide outlets is available at <a href="http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html">http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
I hope it helps!<br />
<br />
ChrisChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-91824574026304105782015-12-06T13:20:00.000-08:002019-06-22T10:58:58.971-07:00A visit to the Scottish Parliament<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIiZmF_5voNoTofXFUkYaAUYYSQ9p7Vj7N0t-f0iUPd_NU0rOtp-DsOD0V6vnz1EK-4QcSLxp-262rprczSK1B-FUYUo0MUqMp8U8q5phN2uj-FY6pcWj7hsxourgnXm9rzqqeA5rZW1l/s1600/DSCN3574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIiZmF_5voNoTofXFUkYaAUYYSQ9p7Vj7N0t-f0iUPd_NU0rOtp-DsOD0V6vnz1EK-4QcSLxp-262rprczSK1B-FUYUo0MUqMp8U8q5phN2uj-FY6pcWj7hsxourgnXm9rzqqeA5rZW1l/s320/DSCN3574.JPG" width="320" /></a>On Thursday 4th December my wife Claire and I had the pleasure to visit the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, Edinburgh, with our local SNP branch (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/snplargs">www.facebook.com/snplargs</a>). We left Largs at 8.15am, and after picking up some members at nearby Skelmorlie, made our way east, with lots of good cheer. This was to be my fourth visit to the Parliament, but the first visit by which I would get a better understanding of how our democracy itself works in Scotland. (I had previously visited briefly with an Australian cousin a few years back, whilst in 2014 I spent two days helping with an exhibition in the Members Lobby for the Scottish Council of Archives, which included an evening reception where I had had a chance to talk to the Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop on issues relating to the archive sector).<br />
<br />
We arrived at 11.00am, and after a security check and receiving our passes we were then greeted by our local MSP, Kenneth Gibson, who led us to the main chamber. We did not have a lot of time in here as Parliament was due to start from 11.20, but Kenny gave us a quick overview of the working week at Holyrood, and explained the work of our MSPs, the process by which parliamentary legislation was drawn up and enacted, and more. We were given a copy of the day's Business Bulletin, which is drawn up each day to outline the questions to be asked of ministers, and the various debates and committee meetings in the building, and obviously took a few photos! After a quick look at one of the committee rooms, where Kenny discussed how much of the real work of the parliament was carried out, we then bid him a temporary farewell as we made our way to the visitors gallery, and he to the chamber.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLpZe1eH8SR9e4nN3Ya5ornC-Q7IBoaoJPMnPsDODTjwFTJq-BXHZNd3hmsIxmHLt8ZVeP4t5H6QYvFldN6p3hG4hGXysVI0IqppD5u91ps7jLPzX2zV04OM4V6hZu5b_P6iBivxabtpT/s1600/DSCN3550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLpZe1eH8SR9e4nN3Ya5ornC-Q7IBoaoJPMnPsDODTjwFTJq-BXHZNd3hmsIxmHLt8ZVeP4t5H6QYvFldN6p3hG4hGXysVI0IqppD5u91ps7jLPzX2zV04OM4V6hZu5b_P6iBivxabtpT/s400/DSCN3550.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFILvXcmQc-FSlt2usKAx4ChWOFu7Qwba5KJdP1jDSbPhdALL8H4rHc4XnhwKMwkp6AlG3u35pRERhTu5uas1C9_HsfT37xwipAl27_YxBG-iDfuUnuKW6Mso8ww8oP_-wyheYmj1HXs5/s1600/DSCN3561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFILvXcmQc-FSlt2usKAx4ChWOFu7Qwba5KJdP1jDSbPhdALL8H4rHc4XnhwKMwkp6AlG3u35pRERhTu5uas1C9_HsfT37xwipAl27_YxBG-iDfuUnuKW6Mso8ww8oP_-wyheYmj1HXs5/s400/DSCN3561.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Being a Thursday, the regular session of questions to ministers commenced at 11.40, where various Scottish Government ministers were asked to comment on a variety of questions, ranging from questions on the uptake of grants from the Centenary Memorials Restoration Fund and what discussions had been had with First Group over the closure of a bus depot at Parkhead, to whether the forthcoming Lobbying Bill was fit for purpose, and what measures were being put into place for the protection of a growing elderly population in Scotland for the winter. It was a business like meeting without controversy. The real event, however, was First Minister's Questions, at 12pm. We watched for half an hour as Nicola Sturgeon managed to deal effectively with a range of issues asked by Kezia Dugdale, the leader of the Scottish branch of the Labour Party, and Ruth Davidson, the Tory equivalent. Whilst a huge shadow hung over the proceedings, in that the night before the UK's parliament in England had voted to bomb Syria (against the wishes of the majority of the people in Scotland), this was not dwelt on too much at this session.<br />
<br />
With the session over we then caught up with Kenny again and made our way around the building to see various areas, including the main lobby area, the back room areas where the parties are based (they each have different floors), and areas such as the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICE). It was slightly surreal to see folk like Annabel Goldie and other MSPs walking past, it is an extraordinarily open and democratic building. In fact, one of the things that Kenny mentioned was that it is very much a people's parliament, so much so that anybody in Scotland can book the function areas - after all, we paid for it! We then relocated to the member's restaurant, and had an enjoyable lunch, where we discussed much of what we had experienced with Kenny as our MSP.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
As if to emphasise how open everything is, we were stunned when the First Minister walked into the restaurant with a small party to have a lunch meeting on the table next to ours. It was surreal, in that we were the only two parties dining, and so we did what any self-respecting parties would do in such circumstances - we bagged her! Specifically, we politely asked if she wouldn't mind us grabbing a quick photo opportunity with our group and with one of our local councillors, and she wonderfully obliged.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_1ZonfrRFJnY0zGHhscOAjrFwqX1wtl4ZsCIduvu0SadWT7IMNzpsEVXjwoIkJX6AwsUfSk_Z05HOFn0dThlyA1ERJRHyPmvFa-I4pfdmEtXYY2hfYFwi3EXHAyAiMPtPkHPPBWAlnvi/s1600/DSCN3569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_1ZonfrRFJnY0zGHhscOAjrFwqX1wtl4ZsCIduvu0SadWT7IMNzpsEVXjwoIkJX6AwsUfSk_Z05HOFn0dThlyA1ERJRHyPmvFa-I4pfdmEtXYY2hfYFwi3EXHAyAiMPtPkHPPBWAlnvi/s400/DSCN3569.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpT9CvhtF7-1I-7QGLGn95tpd0RPZTMJ6YX9jSV4HcFz0mYBeZQ0EMGJ4lazFQ8RsiEM6jxbYCCQQz0jvW0-EvdNjxsfw5eq04O_99PZqed_1ulytf7bKOpXWf20gvW5hqTUH9KNP5-Io/s1600/DSCN3572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpT9CvhtF7-1I-7QGLGn95tpd0RPZTMJ6YX9jSV4HcFz0mYBeZQ0EMGJ4lazFQ8RsiEM6jxbYCCQQz0jvW0-EvdNjxsfw5eq04O_99PZqed_1ulytf7bKOpXWf20gvW5hqTUH9KNP5-Io/s400/DSCN3572.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
With lunch over, we had a final opportunity to have a look around, at which point Kenny had to leave us to get on with some work, but this gave us a chance to see the exhibition area in the main entrance foyer, recounting the history of Scotland's parliaments going back to the 13th century. It was an exceptional day, and although the rain was torrential by the time we had finished, our spirits were not dampened. A raffle on the bus back saw Claire win a bottle of mulled wine, but our friend Dougie failed to win the whisky (which may have upset the balance of the space-time continuum, because he usually does!).<br />
<br />
A great day, great company, and a great democratic institution to be proud of!<br />
<br />
<i>(With thanks to Davina McTiernan, Kenneth Gibson MSP, and the First Minister) </i><br />
<br />
ChrisChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-86719821116448701962015-11-14T08:58:00.002-08:002015-11-14T08:58:23.409-08:00Vive la France<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Liberté </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">egalité </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">fraternité</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjCMVVZMc_LTgT6wo8_BPQsDrI7Q_pUg-zkvm0_MHd7Tm2V8qtXDmcHksfIz17fj6rAROWfXXhyheH8gQ_jh0SCmNfSxaktrQXcUHeTYMxHn2nAK_YMfLxOUDWpAzCRW44qSe0jpSPm8T/s1600/france%252Bflag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjCMVVZMc_LTgT6wo8_BPQsDrI7Q_pUg-zkvm0_MHd7Tm2V8qtXDmcHksfIz17fj6rAROWfXXhyheH8gQ_jh0SCmNfSxaktrQXcUHeTYMxHn2nAK_YMfLxOUDWpAzCRW44qSe0jpSPm8T/s400/france%252Bflag.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Vive la France</span></div>
Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-14180514197884459622015-10-18T07:36:00.001-07:002015-10-18T07:38:43.700-07:00Dunadd, ancient capital of DalriadaOver the weekend I managed to make a visit at long last to Dunadd (Dùn Ad), the ancient Iron Age hill fort near Kilmartin in Argyll which was once the capital of the historic kingdom of Dalriada (Dál Riata). This long forgotten kingdom by many once straddled the Irish Sea and encompassed County Antrim in the north of Ireland, and Argyll and Lochaber in the west of Scotland. It was the Gaelic clans of this region who were said to have given Scotland its name - the word 'Scot' coming from <i>Scoti</i>, the Latin name used by the Romans to denote the Gaelic inhabitants of Ireland.<br />
<br />
Traditionally it is said that the Irish settlers colonised the west of Scotland via three sons of Erc - Fergus Mór, Loarn and Óengus. Fergus Mór is one I am certainly well familiar with, as it was he who died off the coast of Antrim whilst trying to reach a well on a rock said to cure leprosy. That rock became known as Carraig Fheargais - Carrickfergus - my home town in Antrim. The three sons of Erc were said to have brought Christianity and Gaelic with them, but this traditional view is one that is currently being challenged by some archaeologists who believe that there is no evidence of an invasion as such, but rather a people long resident on both sides who were linked by the Irish Sea rather than divided by it. For more on the importance of Dalriada and Dunadd visit <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A1l_Riata">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A1l_Riata</a>.<br />
<br />
The images below show the various sites on the hill fort, which can be climbed, including the ancient well, some of the defensive ramparts, and the stone on which the coronation of the ancient Scottish kings occurred, including the small footprint basin into which the rulers placed their foot during the ceremony. If you fancy a visit, see <a href="http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertydetail.htm?PropID=PL_174">www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertydetail.htm?PropID=PL_174</a> for further details.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVZkM574vcljiCsOkMuBHs4m0CZ1KbSsDmvAGMDtC1vfxHZ5lHlHD34ALKyOTeJjCG6aHpF-SWAE4pZh0SwbO8jPI0YTN5onf1Szm7WY9hlcBZ8erwqBqjaqFpRp4N6Bh-92H966I_RGf/s1600/DSCN3350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVZkM574vcljiCsOkMuBHs4m0CZ1KbSsDmvAGMDtC1vfxHZ5lHlHD34ALKyOTeJjCG6aHpF-SWAE4pZh0SwbO8jPI0YTN5onf1Szm7WY9hlcBZ8erwqBqjaqFpRp4N6Bh-92H966I_RGf/s400/DSCN3350.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjwRgoyrBiNCyS7uGFwwXU4SgbISfqhWnx_wf_xrFDyWgCzVZWxKXteQJ7jRKfCue8YiWMiXvEt9RvkJ2aIP9A7j33-EgiMGfvV5r9eDMfB-cK29WqDkE8O1C462NxALCqaztFx717K75/s1600/DSCN3353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjwRgoyrBiNCyS7uGFwwXU4SgbISfqhWnx_wf_xrFDyWgCzVZWxKXteQJ7jRKfCue8YiWMiXvEt9RvkJ2aIP9A7j33-EgiMGfvV5r9eDMfB-cK29WqDkE8O1C462NxALCqaztFx717K75/s400/DSCN3353.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVWZJ5-socNR47wAsJxr9KBIyA6-YzXLnFbAgDlhPI0fou6o9aQjecIHNRyUdAXoS-oyWt02TYTHLXwOmhgZs_bbU8m_icX43j1QoXXH4W13bs92MODYWr0009BcSQs45d2eNW-hG-SFr/s1600/DSCN3354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVWZJ5-socNR47wAsJxr9KBIyA6-YzXLnFbAgDlhPI0fou6o9aQjecIHNRyUdAXoS-oyWt02TYTHLXwOmhgZs_bbU8m_icX43j1QoXXH4W13bs92MODYWr0009BcSQs45d2eNW-hG-SFr/s400/DSCN3354.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJ7GHRWhp0EIxC3L2zFLbFvvr5Vc86gcdoa167ifIwLKtBkcGdck1XNBslAsuTyVZoGsRamg7t3hc3VBB0NkH5_daIwOqRnKS2V7CKUOqaFcefmGphzZd4fZTKETWmhVtYpwsSvUvYTA0/s1600/DSCN3360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJ7GHRWhp0EIxC3L2zFLbFvvr5Vc86gcdoa167ifIwLKtBkcGdck1XNBslAsuTyVZoGsRamg7t3hc3VBB0NkH5_daIwOqRnKS2V7CKUOqaFcefmGphzZd4fZTKETWmhVtYpwsSvUvYTA0/s400/DSCN3360.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6emZIPO0e-fhBvy3Wzq1yQbLQPkt53e-ic0hiF5x1deQzUM2I145Vtc3na7Ce1RQ_7OxNmKuswHlm-DOqtM6_IHa2waHx_KyjtNVqnsk_OLJPKkmgAsjw6RDpuLG8ApSULpgSmEgckpP/s1600/DSCN3358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6emZIPO0e-fhBvy3Wzq1yQbLQPkt53e-ic0hiF5x1deQzUM2I145Vtc3na7Ce1RQ_7OxNmKuswHlm-DOqtM6_IHa2waHx_KyjtNVqnsk_OLJPKkmgAsjw6RDpuLG8ApSULpgSmEgckpP/s400/DSCN3358.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_88CjMc58-Nu__knapTCCZcDMLBFKhjKSYnq8YInCc9kmheSIZViRkDD0246eTjaz9ZHHV28KeWI1OdOqchNkp00Ib6w9ikIBRiKu9mwZPYSIHbK3jQpaB8bl2zJ4AFjHfY-9e52UkAUZ/s1600/DSCN3359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_88CjMc58-Nu__knapTCCZcDMLBFKhjKSYnq8YInCc9kmheSIZViRkDD0246eTjaz9ZHHV28KeWI1OdOqchNkp00Ib6w9ikIBRiKu9mwZPYSIHbK3jQpaB8bl2zJ4AFjHfY-9e52UkAUZ/s400/DSCN3359.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8Wpz4Cm8JLVPYpZwjKN26RtCJ_5q0Z0XgqfZYt7j6D75Qei_FQBYyrF7Lsr6kidERh1PPFcOMzVlY_AIWhVNQHfcdrYmviPO-ik2A6CdrTdk4kk06ZyPLMaAIGX7XKwV5v-wubV46fEu/s1600/DSCN3372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8Wpz4Cm8JLVPYpZwjKN26RtCJ_5q0Z0XgqfZYt7j6D75Qei_FQBYyrF7Lsr6kidERh1PPFcOMzVlY_AIWhVNQHfcdrYmviPO-ik2A6CdrTdk4kk06ZyPLMaAIGX7XKwV5v-wubV46fEu/s400/DSCN3372.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaBHgmJWmxUWx8HPmy96s6Il6byFggCfGYsfgO6hdPfFP_6lrKtI-7h6rKhvP0RC-hNAw0zR9mYYoxOe16rloqA6YK_XYtq0HVSyOq3CJ-PGc3pTg45RVA8MbydfYIYBWutaPEuHMTIFM/s1600/DSCN3374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaBHgmJWmxUWx8HPmy96s6Il6byFggCfGYsfgO6hdPfFP_6lrKtI-7h6rKhvP0RC-hNAw0zR9mYYoxOe16rloqA6YK_XYtq0HVSyOq3CJ-PGc3pTg45RVA8MbydfYIYBWutaPEuHMTIFM/s400/DSCN3374.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUgT-0kuH3gZxiemp0INpGLqve1KzsGFzhzK09G-i0ab7GRZuHWn5bMC-3XkaDjEOQG-GArt-fCCZRu42OHxMFWbUV35pCW7twL0E-0SEIkJD5mN30ddP4zSBMJ_5Dp1crBf7VM-ZpoDYw/s1600/DSCN3376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUgT-0kuH3gZxiemp0INpGLqve1KzsGFzhzK09G-i0ab7GRZuHWn5bMC-3XkaDjEOQG-GArt-fCCZRu42OHxMFWbUV35pCW7twL0E-0SEIkJD5mN30ddP4zSBMJ_5Dp1crBf7VM-ZpoDYw/s400/DSCN3376.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17Civmitp7_LJhQUY95QTRPZWH8Fr_TUovLvE08_8M52i5ZkyHwvCkAWE_HuL3kdA1tCub0TdNwDepp2zK5IurEvGUyv0vSwKrkVpS9tQnT0TSvV_iZmsTbweZsYRAW22ysgG2ohBKBqw/s1600/DSCN3382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17Civmitp7_LJhQUY95QTRPZWH8Fr_TUovLvE08_8M52i5ZkyHwvCkAWE_HuL3kdA1tCub0TdNwDepp2zK5IurEvGUyv0vSwKrkVpS9tQnT0TSvV_iZmsTbweZsYRAW22ysgG2ohBKBqw/s400/DSCN3382.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDBeeRuKl-slo5rVHd-5pyVvwU1XOl0KSTFxn0y9ackX4XIxAri7NMi5ezjynjYeyW0Dvxie0DhQ9wcr9OSObMJ5_gCWFH7c56rtDA7GXU2s8y5x-6O216gJsOUlZm0e40e7YneyQPIIW/s1600/DSCN3383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDBeeRuKl-slo5rVHd-5pyVvwU1XOl0KSTFxn0y9ackX4XIxAri7NMi5ezjynjYeyW0Dvxie0DhQ9wcr9OSObMJ5_gCWFH7c56rtDA7GXU2s8y5x-6O216gJsOUlZm0e40e7YneyQPIIW/s400/DSCN3383.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkNUq4uaJQ2Zm0YFx3FGeCwtOZrD55iZ3n9FYaRJyP7VyyxIVLrQn67xFBNtJfI21br4XwqnRWeye7ZfSwkPFBpRK_fjW58c3An1mm_vd8MFY1spPFyP-TtSfpR21lJzB2TUWhadpyom5/s1600/DSCN3384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkNUq4uaJQ2Zm0YFx3FGeCwtOZrD55iZ3n9FYaRJyP7VyyxIVLrQn67xFBNtJfI21br4XwqnRWeye7ZfSwkPFBpRK_fjW58c3An1mm_vd8MFY1spPFyP-TtSfpR21lJzB2TUWhadpyom5/s400/DSCN3384.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8naJhMXmiMe_yGQ4ZNCGnRnN5uW2Q3eykImD1GjCFuTvk5WFpyBX6K9vEkrQhqrwwgAdhbvFDY-08DlvLj5bPHCGubNQV43MW0sFy7E_kSODVE_k973zyD6PFF5tu_Tsly2z73AKw4f2/s1600/DSCN3388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8naJhMXmiMe_yGQ4ZNCGnRnN5uW2Q3eykImD1GjCFuTvk5WFpyBX6K9vEkrQhqrwwgAdhbvFDY-08DlvLj5bPHCGubNQV43MW0sFy7E_kSODVE_k973zyD6PFF5tu_Tsly2z73AKw4f2/s400/DSCN3388.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg45h8FOegy6lVl2AMv1k_DapVOGgJkv6lx1PjiJIBqLPqsympRa8mEJXcXccLcOm2haYDEOak5I7UwWysIpc8x2aq1K4rJj9ppY_r-mGO-NdTlknfdjCE_mUuvq7r-oaPRCBMsuRbbkpn/s1600/DSCN3392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg45h8FOegy6lVl2AMv1k_DapVOGgJkv6lx1PjiJIBqLPqsympRa8mEJXcXccLcOm2haYDEOak5I7UwWysIpc8x2aq1K4rJj9ppY_r-mGO-NdTlknfdjCE_mUuvq7r-oaPRCBMsuRbbkpn/s400/DSCN3392.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt54Go55ydmQ870JlVsVwG5zm2u3YaiTNKIeRD2kcSfM_p50tBJXIwZNdT0xttb_CtJa9lRKUgSJ349TQhIREN2Q2cnkWZhf-PkYaK_rn8iLAmg52-kGwDgYIzGjjYaAbJmDMYwDfxDZnU/s1600/DSCN3393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt54Go55ydmQ870JlVsVwG5zm2u3YaiTNKIeRD2kcSfM_p50tBJXIwZNdT0xttb_CtJa9lRKUgSJ349TQhIREN2Q2cnkWZhf-PkYaK_rn8iLAmg52-kGwDgYIzGjjYaAbJmDMYwDfxDZnU/s400/DSCN3393.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-4897860344291595172015-02-04T12:35:00.001-08:002015-02-04T12:37:22.319-08:00Frack off to fracking...I wrote my first letter to our local newspaper this week, the Largs and Millport Weekly News, following a public meeting that I attended at the Yes Largs shop on Sunday about the issue of fracking. This is the letter which was published today:<br />
<br />
"Dear Sir,<br />
<br />
"On Saturday 31st January I attended the public meeting at the Yes Largs shop on the subject of fracking (hydraulic fracturing), at which a film entitled 'Fracking in the UK' was shown, followed by a general discussion. The film was a real eye opener in showing how the practice has been employed in parts of Australia (such as Queensland) and the United States, as well as flagging up current plans to start using the process soon across a significant portion of the north of Somerset, not far from where I used to live in Bristol.<br />
<br />
"I was truly horrified by a lot of what was shown, including the inherent risks and the problems caused that have been denied at an official level in Queensland, for example, where dangerous levels of gas are leaking to the surface from wells, and with the contamination of water supplies. The water used to 'flush out' the gas is packed with chemicals to aid the reduction of friction, many of which are toxic to human health, as was clearly shown through many case studies, and much of which will leak into our underground natural water supply. The disposal or treatment of this frack water afterwards is yet another problem, as is the amount of water that will be required for the process in the first place, which is equivalent to the content held within three Olympic sized swimming pools per each frack line run off from a central well (of which there will be many in any area where the process goes ahead). Additional issues included the scarring of the landscape where fracking has occurred, for example through the large evaporation pits used to dispose of some of the water, the degradation of house prices in areas where fracking occurs, the increase in seismic activity (which caused problems near Blackpool not too long ago), and the increased emissions from the ground of naturally occurring gases such as the carcinogenic gas radon.<br />
<br />
"The Scottish Government is to be commended in this last week for creating a moratorium on the whole process in Scotland, and it is a tragedy that the UK Government was not able to do the same. But this is quite simply a dirty process that we do not need. Scotland is the envy of the world in its efforts to create a self-sustaining energy industry based on our renewable resources, an aspiration that puts us well and truly on a course for the moral high ground in energy terms. Fracking will not provide a cheaper fuel source for us, it will simply be another asset to be stripped in the short term by energy firms for their shareholders' convenience, and one that will leave a dirty time bomb for posterity. Our government at Holyrood has both a voice and a leadership role, and having made an important first step in confronting the process with a moratorium, it should go much further by announcing that we simply just do not need this dangerous practice in the first place, and will not support it.<br />
<br />
"With kind regards, Chris Paton, (Largs)"<br />
<br />
<br />
Any government that goes ahead with this practice does not do it my name. There's a bit more about what fracking involves in the following film:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uti2niW2BRA" width="560"></iframe></div>
Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-16152398070663699992015-01-26T11:23:00.001-08:002017-04-17T05:08:37.060-07:00The Poor Had No Lawyers - Who Owns Scotland?For almost fifteen years now I have been using Scottish land records for genealogical purposes, particularly so over the last decade. In almost every Scottish guide on family history resources, there is usually a basic description of record types such as sasines, which detail every land transaction in the country from the early 17th century, and retours (aka Services of Heirs), which prove the right of an apparent heir to inherit property once the deceased has left this mortal coil. A couple of years ago I produced my own genealogical guide entitled <a href="http://www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/Discover-Scottish-Land-Records-UTP0283.html#SID=876"><b>Discover Scottish Land Records</b></a>, which tried to take a more depth look at how some of these processes worked, and to explain a bit more about the system of Scottish feudalism and the law that derived from it. The purpose, again, was for genealogical research.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVao5wIHsQCA7887gY-6X0HraWu7NAESHWSJMlZZjnzWYiHjZcxvpzSEZVlpPSkTav4nwoK4SXEdjq3o60gBJH1GqR2Bf5xbrQXEY0D7Ud-gYftFuryqmBRXPjzSZOtnLiTxIXvTrEYKY/s1600/andyw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVao5wIHsQCA7887gY-6X0HraWu7NAESHWSJMlZZjnzWYiHjZcxvpzSEZVlpPSkTav4nwoK4SXEdjq3o60gBJH1GqR2Bf5xbrQXEY0D7Ud-gYftFuryqmBRXPjzSZOtnLiTxIXvTrEYKY/s1600/andyw.JPG" width="204" /></a>Just now I am reading a remarkable book by Andy Wightman, entitled <b>The Poor Had No Lawyers - Who Owns Scotland (And How They Got It)</b>. I have the new edition, published by Birlinn Ltd in 2013 (the original was produced in 2011), and the main reason I purchased it is the fact that land reform is fast becoming a political hot potato in Scotland. In a country of just over 5 million folk, half of the privately held land mass of Scotland is owned by just 432 people, a situation that has been virtually unchanged for centuries. In November 2004, Scottish feudalism was finally abolished, marking the end of a system that endured through most of Scotland since the 12th century. There is still a lot on the reform agenda to be addressed, and fast growing concensus appearing on what those changes should be on the one side by those who think the issue of land reform is unfinished business (which includes the Scottish Government), with an equally vociferous opposition from the landowners who still own vast estates across the country, and who want nothing but the status quo to endure. Whilst I took up the book to obtain more of a political education on the subject, in actual fact, this book is one that every Scottish based genealogist should also get stuck into.<br />
<br />
Andy Wightman has long campaigned on the need for reform, but before laying out the political case for its need, he spends quite a bit of time looking at the historic background to the acquisition of land in the country. He kicks off with brilliant contempt for so-called Scottish independence heroes such as Robert the Bruce, calling him "a medieval warlord", who was "murderous, duplicitous, conniving and wholly devoid of any higher principles than his own advancement". From this point onwards, you know that he has no problem challenging the views of the establishment! But crucially, he then goes on to discuss how Scottish land was consolidated into the hands of a few landowners across the centuries in what he describes as a series of thefts.<br />
<br />
There was the theft of common land by the Crown, which used feudalism to structure its management through royal prerogative (from 1503 James IV catalysed the process with an extensive programme to feu out Crown held lands). There was the theft of land from the Church before the Reformation, with many illegitimate offspring installed into corrupt bishoprics by the so called great and the good, from whom Church land passed into the hands of their 'noble' families. There was the support of the Lords of the Congregation at the Reformation of 1560 itself, not just for religious reasons, but to help finish off the job of securing the remaining Church lands - a process that actually caused problems for the new Kirk, as the assets it needed to finance its new programmes of education and discipline were squandered by the nation's nobles. There was then the subsequent successful effort of the nobility to formally legalise their possession of property seized from Church lands through the Registration Act and Proscription Act of 1617, with 'proscription' allowing ownership to be recognised for land that had been held for at least forty years. The book therefore explains the background to why devices such as the Registers of Sasines were actually created, and later why tailzies and other forms of documents that we use for family history research came into existence. Further land grabs are also recorded, such as those of the commonties and burgh commons.<br />
<br />
There are great examples of how records developed across time also, including the development of Edinburgh New Town from 1766, and how feudal charters evolved as a consequence of its feuing plan. In older charters, burdens (conditions imposed by feudal superiors on vassals as to what they could do with land) were not detailed in the documents, but this caused problems with Edinburgh. Those who took the initial feus for the New Town agreed to design their buildings according to a plan, but the plans and conditions were not included in the charters - instead, the agreement was via contract law. When those original owners sold on their buildings, the new owners were not bound by the same contract, and as the charters did not list any obligations on what should be done with the properties in terms of their development, the new owners could do what they liked with their holdings. The addition of burdens in the charters from this point soon put paid to that. And so on.<br />
<br />
The book obviously then goes into depth on the political consequences, and the author's beliefs on what still needs to be addressed, which you may or may not agree with. But if you like a little bit of politics, and at the same time have an interest in the records of Scotland used for genealogical research, Andy Wightman's book ticks many boxes, and is thoroughly recommended! It is available from Amazon at <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poor-Had-No-Lawyers-Scotland/dp/178027114X/">www.amazon.co.uk/Poor-Had-No-Lawyers-Scotland/dp/178027114X/</a>.<br />
<br />ChrisChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-84881914245014457332015-01-18T09:32:00.003-08:002015-01-18T09:51:20.640-08:00Imprisoned twice because of his wife...I'm at work on my next Unlock the Past genealogy guide (<a href="http://www.unlockthepast.com.au/">www.unlockthepast.com.au</a>), which is provisionally entitled <b>Down and Out in Scotland</b>, but I thought I'd share the following records that I found within the Weavers Incorporation of Perth records. They are from over three hundred years ago, and I am using them as an example to describe the courts of the trade incorporations that used to rule the trades in the burghs.<br />
<br />
Patrick Smith was a Perth based handloom weaver who was married to a woman named Janet Mackie, and I have established that the couple had at least two daughters, Anna, born 13 DEC 1693, and Christian, born 3 APR 1696. History does not recall how madly in love with each other the couple may have been beyond this, but it certainly does recall how much trouble Patrick kept getting into with his trade's master court because of his wife.<br />
<br />
Here goes - transcription from the original Scots for each entry, followed by an up to date translation:<br />
<br />
<b>Pth the 10 Octr 1705</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Whilk Day the Generall meiting of the weavers of perth convened all in ane voice Unlaus and ffeynes Patrick Smith in five pounds and ordaines him to goe to prisone until payt because his wife abeused the prtt deicon yrunto he is liable conforme to act of the court</b><br />
<br />
<i>Perth the 10 October 1705 </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>On which day the general meeting of the weavers of Perth convened, who all in one voice penalise and fine Patrick Smith five pounds, and ordain him to go to prison until payment because his wife abused the present deacon, for which he is liable, as per an act of the court </i><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<b>Perth 19 February 1709</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Deacon Compleanes to the master court upon Patrick Smyth weaver bycause Jannet Mackie his spouse Intruded herself in the Deacons company and without any ground of offence Did harrass and abuse him in a publick company In respect whereof the traid unlaues and fynes the said Patrick Smyth in ffive pounds Scots conforme to Ane former Act of the traid made anent Ane freemans wife intruding herself in the Deacons company and abusing him And In respect the said Patrick Compeared and owned & Laid it was butt out of splean of the deacon agt him and his wife and ordaines him to be secured in presone till payt of the same</b><br />
<br />
<i>Perth 19th February 1709 </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The Deacon complains to the Master Court about Patrick Smyth weaver, because Jannet Mackie his spouse intruded herself in the Deacon's company and without any ground of offence did harrass and abuse him in a public company, in respect whereof the trade penalises and fines the said Patrick Smyth five pounds Scots, as per a former act of the trade made concerning a freeman's wife intruding herself in the Deacons company and abusing him, and in respect of which the said Patrick appeared as a witness and acknowledged it & suggested it was but out of splean of the deacon against him and his wife, and they ordered that he be secured in prison until payment of the same.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
There are no further mentions of the couple, but oh to be a fly on the wall in the house of Patrick Smith and Janet Mackie in the early 1700s!<br />
<br />
Chris<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-55214290372540537942014-11-12T12:35:00.004-08:002014-11-13T02:27:12.355-08:00Oh what a parish, a terrible parish! The hanged minister of Kinkell.At the weekend I bought a copy of everyone's favourite Scottish newspaper, the Sunday Herald, and was delighted to find a free CD included within, the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards Collection 2014. This contained 16 tracks from some of the best groups on the Scottish traditional music scene, but one really caught my attention, a track called The Queen of Argyll, by Silly Wizard. I'm sorry to say that I did not know who the band was, but it turns out they were a huge act on the traditional circuit a couple of decades back, and included well known accordionist Phil Cunningham, someone I regularly used to bump into during my TV days at the BBC canteen in Glasgow!<br />
<br />
So impressed was I by the track that last night I downloaded the album it had been drawn from, a remastered album called <b>Live Again</b> (<a href="http://www.sillywizard.co.uk/">www.sillywizard.co.uk</a>), which has just been re-released, and which features a concert from 1983 by the group in Cambridge Massachussetts, USA. The Queen of Argyll was a great track, but another track on the album really caught my attention, a piece called <b>The Parish of Dunkeld</b>. It told the apparent story of a minister from Dunkeld who was said to have been hanged by his parishioners, who then partied on in the kirk building and got up to all sorts of grief. The following are the lyrics, written in Scots:<br />
<br />
<i>Oh, what a parish, a terrible parish;</i><br />
<i>Oh, what a parish is that o' Dunkeld.</i><br />
<i>They hangit their minister, droon'd their precentor,</i><br />
<i>Dang doun the steeple and fuddled the bell.
</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The steeple was doun but the kirk was still staunin',</i><br />
<i>They biggit a lum whaur the bell used to hang.</i><br />
<i>A stell-pat they gat and they brewed Hielan' whisky;</i><br />
<i>On Sundays they drank it and ranted and sang.
</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>O, had you but seen how graceful it lookit,</i><br />
<i>To see the crammed pews sae socially joined.</i><br />
<i>MacDonald the piper stood up in the poopit,</i><br />
<i>He made the pipes skirl out the music divine.
</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Wi' whiskey and beer they'd curse and they'd swear;</i><br />
<i>They'd argue and fecht what ye daurna weel tell.</i><br />
<i>Bout Geordie and Charlie they bothered fu' rarely</i><br />
<i>Wi' whisky they're worse than the devil himsel'.
</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>When the hairt-cheerin' spirit had mounted their garret,</i><br />
<i>Tae a ball on the green they a' did adjourn.</i><br />
<i>The maids wi' coats kilted, they skippit and liltit,</i><br />
<i>When tired they shook hands and then hame did return.
</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>If the kirks a' owre Scotland held like social meetin's</i><br />
<i>Nae warnin' ye'd need from a far-tinklin' bell,</i><br />
<i>For true love and friends wad draw ye thegither</i><br />
<i>Far better than roarin' the horrors o' hell.
</i><br />
<br />
Not only is the song a great piece of music, it's a real cracker of a story - but was it true? I decided to have a wee look!<br />
<br />
I first searched online to see if I could find anything on the song's origins and soon found a discussion thread at <a href="http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=46429">http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=46429</a> concerning its provenance. From this it soon became apparent that the song was indeed supposed to be based on a true story, but that far from happening in Dunkeld in Perthshire, it actually happened in Kinkell, further south in the county, with the two parish names being confused in time in the song due to them sounding so similar. Originally a parish in its own right, from 1639 Kinkell was merged as part of the parish of Trinity Gask, where a couple of my ancestral lines resided, the Fenton and Leitch families in the late 1600s and early 1700s. The full story was soon uncovered in Chapter 19 of a work called <b>The Annals of Auchterarder and Memorials of Strathearn</b>, available in a transcribed version online at <a href="http://www.electricscotland.com/history/auchterarder/chapter19.htm">www.electricscotland.com/history/auchterarder/chapter19.htm</a>. Further confirmation was also found in the <i>Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae</i>, which provides a series of short biographies on Church of Scotland ministers from the Reformation to the early 20th century, and which can be found on both the Internet Archive (<a href="http://www.archive.org/">www.archive.org</a>) and Ancestry (<a href="http://www.ancestry.co.uk/">www.ancestry.co.uk</a>) in a digitised format.<br />
<br />
In 1680, during the Kirk's episcopal period, the minister, Richard Duncan, was asked to repair the kirks at both Trinity Gask and Kinkell, both having fallen into a ruinous condition. However, he and his congregation did not see eye to eye, neither did he and his heritors, the landowners from whom the Bishop instructed him to seek funds from to carry out the repairs. So poor was the relationship that one of the heritors, the Laird of Machany, engineered a complaint to his synod that Duncan had re-baptised a child in an act of gross ignorance, as well as various other offences alleged to have happened against the congregation. The charges were so severe that by February 1681 Duncan was in fact deposed as the minister, although there was worse still to come. From the annals:<br />
<br />
<i>June 6, 1682.- One Mr Duncan, a minister in Perthshire is condemned to death by the Earl of Perth, as Stewart of Crieff, for murdering an infant begotten by him with his servant maid, it being found buried under his own hearth-stone. He was convicted on very slender presumptions, which, however, they might amount to degradation and banishment, yet it was hard to extend them to death.</i><br />
<br />
Richard Duncan was duly hanged in early 1683 - tragically for him, a pardon that had been granted to him arrived just twenty minutes too late. The bell mentioned within the song was later sold to the parish of Cockpen in 1708, as recorded in the kirk session minutes of Trinity Gask, whilst the reference to the drowned precentor in fact refers to another incident where the sole precentor of the two kirks at Kinkell and Trinity Gask died whilst crossing the River Earn to get from one church to the other.<br />
<br />
But as I mentioned, as well as being a great story, with it being true it is almost certain that my ancestor had this story on their lips at the time, and may even have been dancing in the kirk and drinking the whisky! It is a brilliant wee song - here is the version of it by Silly Wizard as found on YouTube at <a href="http://youtu.be/BkgC7wiG68M">http://youtu.be/BkgC7wiG68M</a>. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BkgC7wiG68M" width="420"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKfaLgu6feksVwkaytStElEp6eehK5EW4_hdcDfRx3CoZ1tVl1z9vIDfr0upWy569lhRn3drPfoA2l4HdKpDLkcwq6T_n0SjBNpasa1lX48tgvwYm7MpCBtU62vv_opykEukEP-_3wpmT/s1600/cover+blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKfaLgu6feksVwkaytStElEp6eehK5EW4_hdcDfRx3CoZ1tVl1z9vIDfr0upWy569lhRn3drPfoA2l4HdKpDLkcwq6T_n0SjBNpasa1lX48tgvwYm7MpCBtU62vv_opykEukEP-_3wpmT/s200/cover+blog.JPG" width="141" /></a>For the history of the Scottish church, and how to find relevant records for genealogical research, my book <b>Discover Scottish Church Records</b> is available from My History in Yorkshire, England, for £7 (<a href="http://www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/Unlock-the-Past-Booklets.html">www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/Unlock-the-Past-Booklets.html</a>), from Global Genealogy in Canada at Can$19.95 (<a href="http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/scotland/resources/2590281.htm">http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/scotland/resources/2590281.htm</a>) and from Gould Genealogy in Australia at Aus$20 inc GST (<a href="http://www.gould.com.au/Discover-Scottish-Church-Records-p/utp0281.htm">www.gould.com.au/Discover-Scottish-Church-Records-p/utp0281.htm</a>). An ebook version is also available from Gen-eBooks at <a href="http://www.gen-ebooks.com/">www.gen-ebooks.com</a>.<br />
<br /></div>
Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-24477539922472977532014-10-29T13:34:00.006-07:002022-01-15T04:43:38.142-08:00The curse of Loughmourne<p>I've just been going through a pile of papers belonging to my late mother, and amongst them I found a poem about <b>Loughmourne</b>, an area comprised of many farms and a lough (loch) just a couple of miles north of my old home town Carrickfergus in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. </p><p>
There's no village at Loughmourne, but there is a lough, about 57 hectares in size and filled with brown trout. There's also a church in the area that bears the name, said to have been founded by exiled Scottish descendants of Covenanters in 1784 (see <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160327050431/www.loughmourne.org/history.html">www.loughmourne.org/history.html</a>). As for any village that may once have existed there... well that's where the poem comes in!<br />
<br />
Where the lough now stands there was certainly once a village many centuries ago - the remains of several crannogs have been found there (see <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141109135646/http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/1794/still-waters-run-deep-at-loughmourne">www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/1794/still-waters-run-deep-at-loughmourne</a>) - but it's said that a visiting peddlar, from whom nobody would buy matches, cursed the village the following morning, sending the place to a watery doom.<br />
<br />
It's almost Hallowe'en - enjoy!<br />
<br />
<b>LOUGHMOURNE</b><br />
<br />
'Twas nightfall and the clock had struck<br />
The solemn hour of rest;<br />
There lay the infant still asleep<br />
Upon its mother's breast;<br />
The weary peasant free from toil<br />
Upon his bed was laid;<br />
The lover sought the silent hour<br />
To talk love to his maid.<br />
<br />
'Twas in a village that lay law<br />
Within a valley green;<br />
Encircled round by verdant hills,<br />
This village looked serene.<br />
'Twas on that night a wanderer passed<br />
Through it with weary feet;<br />
Within its walls he shelter sought,<br />
No shelter could he meet.<br />
<br />
The poor ones there no pity showed,<br />
The wealthy scoffed with scorn,<br />
But pride and vanity were doomed<br />
To die before the morn.<br />
'Ye know not what to do, proud men,'<br />
The wanderer this did say;<br />
'Omnipotence shall avenge the just<br />
Before the break of day'.<br />
<br />
'Ye heavens give power, O God give strength,<br />
To the powers on earth below:<br />
Let the village sink with a fearful shake<br />
And o'er its waters flow.'<br />
With one fearful road and one wild convulse<br />
The hills and dales did shake;<br />
One hour more and that village lay<br />
A calm and peaceful lake.<br />
<br />
Then view it now as its waters flow<br />
To a thriving distant town,<br />
And with reverence think on the scenes below,<br />
For that spot is sacred ground.<br />
And the legend says that the curse was this<br />
'A toon the night and a Loch the morn'.<br />
It has claimed that name to the present day,<br />
It still is called Loughmourne.<br />
<br />
<b>Anon</b><br />
<br />
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIn2w5wxDNI2f3eXVpPIyDmQvKMDMW9Mdd7pW9Wt0nplD7JsR744bO7yTB5cYdiTsLN72zB_uFqGwC0BbH0boGi0ev1s9EiaViWWqrzm5CYa3Zr77Q0kHfZunt71uWbM_FMks3r5kZy5BLFeJgZY2Jtjxwx0ny75-M2hDPi05_yQsLULE_qi1yFWe9AQ=s315" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="209" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIn2w5wxDNI2f3eXVpPIyDmQvKMDMW9Mdd7pW9Wt0nplD7JsR744bO7yTB5cYdiTsLN72zB_uFqGwC0BbH0boGi0ev1s9EiaViWWqrzm5CYa3Zr77Q0kHfZunt71uWbM_FMks3r5kZy5BLFeJgZY2Jtjxwx0ny75-M2hDPi05_yQsLULE_qi1yFWe9AQ=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></div><p>If you are just starting out with your family history research, my book, <b>Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet</b> <b>(2nd ed)</b>, should help you to locate many of the key resources to help you get under way - not least of which some of the resources digitised and made available online by bodies such as PRONI, the National Archives of Ireland, the National Archives at Kew, and more. </p><p>The book is available from publisher Pen and Sword in paperback, Kindle and ebook editions. To order a copy visit <a href="https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483">https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483</a>.</p>Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-36426550173088069162014-09-20T07:41:00.002-07:002014-09-20T07:55:04.845-07:00Scotland says No. For now...This last two months has seen me do something that I have never done before - get involved with politics. Independence for Scotland is something that I have long believed in, and a few months ago I first popped into the Yes Largs shop to offer my help. However, it was not until the European elections and the recent rise of the right wing political party UKIP in England that I really decided that enough was enough. From that point on I became much more involved in the campaign, and in the last two months I have pounded the streets of Largs on many occasions to leaflet, post newspapers, and to work on Yes stalls for the idea that we should be able to govern ourselves as a sovereign nation.<br />
<br />
Largs and its surrounding villages are very Conservative in nature, and we have a very elderly population here, not great factors for a movement in our area that wanted to push the potential that independence could bring. The No campaign targeted the +65 demographic so successfully with fear stories on their pensions that when the vote took place, some 73% of this age group voted No, by far the biggest group, with those aged 54-65, approaching pensionable age, being the next largest group at 57%. No doubt on top of this the old feelings of British identity were much stronger, something which contrasted sharply with 16-17 year olds, the devolution generation, for whom 71% voted Yes. With the exception of the student age range (18-24), which showed 52% in favour of No, the pattern was that the younger the age group, the more pro-Yes they were (Source: Lord Ashcroft Polls: <a href="http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2014/09/scotland-voted/">http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2014/09/scotland-voted/</a>).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdizlhNu_7kKFe4Qo81r0wwNjxEVlJE08uaJbvL8KIPtHRaOJnq9snvOYfBINNzhVXfX_1_AKfx6bdlJvLGM8FTztsHYNMfgVwyba6a188EbTgCOkjTSwd0TdiYkXTEdMw-8St7a2Eu0Gn/s1600/table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdizlhNu_7kKFe4Qo81r0wwNjxEVlJE08uaJbvL8KIPtHRaOJnq9snvOYfBINNzhVXfX_1_AKfx6bdlJvLGM8FTztsHYNMfgVwyba6a188EbTgCOkjTSwd0TdiYkXTEdMw-8St7a2Eu0Gn/s1600/table.jpg" height="130" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
On the referendum night the final vote came in, showing Yes at 45% and No at 55%. So on this occasion, we lost - but we certainly put the fear of God into Westminster. Despite this defeat, I am very proud that our work, along with the work of other groups in North Ayrshire, saw us deliver a 49% result for our area, despite the odds. The eventual resurgence in the No campaign has been attributed by many to a last minute pledge given by the three main Westminster parties just a couple of days before the day of the vote, which vowed that Scotland would receive more powers if a No result was given. A timetable was given by the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown that he said would begin yesterday to deliver on this. Not only has that promise already been broken (yesterday came and went without the first promise fulfilled on that timetable), the three Westminster parties themselves are now disagreeing about the way forward, with the Labour Party in London even trying to kick it into the long grass at the end of next year, after the next UK general election. They never learn. So, for the Yes campaign, my feeling is that the referendum result has simply bought the union a little more time, and is merely the end of this current act. Another referendum will come, perhaps as soon as within the next 5-10 years, when the circumstances and demographic of the population have again changed, and most importantly, amidst the political circumstances in what I suspect will be a failure of Westminster to deliver on its promises - though time will tell.<br />
<br />
On a personal note, I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in the greatest democratic exercise this country has ever seen, so much so that I have now joined a political party for the first time. On the referendum day itself I worked at three poll stations as a polling agent for the Yes side, with much good humour on the day exchanged between myself and my opposite numbers on the Better Together (No campaign) side, and I also had the privilege to attend the subsequent count in Ardrossan for North Ayrshire. I've gained a lot of experience of the political process, and hope to contribute further in the years ahead. As of next week, I become a full-time family historian again - not that I stopped as one throughout, mind! I have kept a diary throughout the campaign for my kids, and have kept copies of some of the key documents and literature from both sides to show them in years to come.<br />
<br />
In addition to the great folk of the Yes Largs shop with whom I worked, perhaps the biggest highlight of the last few weeks was last Wednesday, when I unexpectedly got a chance to meet our First Minister Alex Salmond in Largs, and grabbed a chance to get a selfie with him. Sadly he has now announced that he will be standing down soon, but the selfie shows a real joie-de-vivre that to me just summarises the optimism that we all had.<br />
<br />
The Yes campaign will be back - after a short intermission - but Scotland will never be the same again. We tasted sovereignty for a few hours, and developed a liking for it. So stay tuned...!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBvNOqvN_PSKblFPAkO_TlBz2tPHadRHRd8yvI0ngS50fkWxPLUDiiH16X61cSmrTwbpKNouEkoIoChZkt1ixFrMlIEXfsZT10TvKlK1ZCM9xSAd6OuP7WgjqyfyPOa9B4cxTHn95HCT7/s1600/Largs+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBvNOqvN_PSKblFPAkO_TlBz2tPHadRHRd8yvI0ngS50fkWxPLUDiiH16X61cSmrTwbpKNouEkoIoChZkt1ixFrMlIEXfsZT10TvKlK1ZCM9xSAd6OuP7WgjqyfyPOa9B4cxTHn95HCT7/s1600/Largs+14.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
First Minister Alex Salmond hits the streets of Largs</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8TSacHlTjXYE3I3pqILOwyAe9DXOI_7r9-xY-MrRSdftou_Xi9Zk40yqCYGjHmZz-w9Wv_lBFkhNUw9LyFeJt8GMhO_e2ikOU0-DkTbJZU2l0qGHn48BfRXKmKOrXuN6eaQrAqIMyiqs/s1600/Peter+Mullan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8TSacHlTjXYE3I3pqILOwyAe9DXOI_7r9-xY-MrRSdftou_Xi9Zk40yqCYGjHmZz-w9Wv_lBFkhNUw9LyFeJt8GMhO_e2ikOU0-DkTbJZU2l0qGHn48BfRXKmKOrXuN6eaQrAqIMyiqs/s1600/Peter+Mullan.JPG" height="297" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
With actor Peter Mullan (Sunshine on Leith/Braveheart/Trainspotting)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZrAGp6ueA-Gk4G7yBb5-BMUmsIcS1MEWa9ETBP1VuQ7ioHFRSZUEAf6WiDPDRy9JCX7K-nspAtqoTORMbk8yDPZr1fAPEi921F_jGk8wvlmei2YOHBO2KPIiog5qE6FpkNHBqH_QiDVh/s1600/Nicola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZrAGp6ueA-Gk4G7yBb5-BMUmsIcS1MEWa9ETBP1VuQ7ioHFRSZUEAf6WiDPDRy9JCX7K-nspAtqoTORMbk8yDPZr1fAPEi921F_jGk8wvlmei2YOHBO2KPIiog5qE6FpkNHBqH_QiDVh/s1600/Nicola.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visits the Yes Largs shop</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWK1ok80Y_vP8wyQfHNFFZDployYdse1Byr0zFZBmSSg1A2bft45nWG8NPJfFub_gFeAUE8R9Yk_3LcxlUxez4jdTGoQazEKa5ZdB8ZsForLid7arqqpQM_OndSYLE-izuvwZYjNm2VEJ/s1600/Yes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWK1ok80Y_vP8wyQfHNFFZDployYdse1Byr0zFZBmSSg1A2bft45nWG8NPJfFub_gFeAUE8R9Yk_3LcxlUxez4jdTGoQazEKa5ZdB8ZsForLid7arqqpQM_OndSYLE-izuvwZYjNm2VEJ/s1600/Yes.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
With fellow campaigners in the Yes Largs shop</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD20j18-CwZnxh9ujeuUP0urG_-gj4DEkU8wPyrvrrMjNz_twyfU0yDV1XnDjTAXTFiyXf0qU_btYu_YpCLyNTzxcFr8gRfH28XehRvQ9_VLVjBfm6IfrNjKEuQYXrmoif4iglK81A3zjs/s1600/Yes+green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD20j18-CwZnxh9ujeuUP0urG_-gj4DEkU8wPyrvrrMjNz_twyfU0yDV1XnDjTAXTFiyXf0qU_btYu_YpCLyNTzxcFr8gRfH28XehRvQ9_VLVjBfm6IfrNjKEuQYXrmoif4iglK81A3zjs/s1600/Yes+green.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Yes will return....!</div>
Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470566361718935839.post-39225937863294395512014-08-15T05:26:00.000-07:002014-09-15T04:05:27.228-07:00The Scottish Independence Referendum<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">I've just received my Poll Card in the post for the Scottish Independence Referendum. As someone who has spent a decade living in England, over a decade in Northern Ireland (where I was born), and half of my life in Scotland (both as a child and as an adult since 1997), I have long been convinced that a Yes vote is the right vote for Scotland - the United Kingdom has for a long time not been an equal union, not just between its countries, but within its countries. Since the rise of UKIP in the recent European elections, which really put the fear of God into me, I have been actively helping out with my local Yes group to canvass and to leaflet. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">But I have to admit, that even with all this personal conviction instilled within me, when I picked up the poll card from the post, a huge shiver went down my spine. This is g</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">enuine history in the making. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The future of this country is in my hands, and the hands of everyone resident in Scotland who is entitled to vote - whether they are Scots born, a wayward paddy like me, English, Welsh, French, Polish, other European, South African, black, white, Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, gay, straight, able bodied, disabled, or from any other nation, culture, colour or creed who is resident here. This is not a referendum written as a sequel to Braveheart (no matter how much an ignorant Londoncentric media chooses to view it), this is not about the past, it is first and foremost about democracy. As a genealogist I work every day in the past, I respect so much about our shared history with the other nations of the UK in the past, but I do not live in the past. I live in the present with an eye always to the future, and most specifically, my kids' future.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">As a democratic nation - and Scotland <b>IS</b> a nation - we have a responsibility towards each other, but as a parent my first responsibility is to my kids. O</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">ur kids need a better deal than that being offered now within the United Kingdom, within which Scotland is and will continue to be the second violin in Westminster's eyes. It is not alone in that regard - Northern Ireland is treated as badly, as are parts of England and Wales, even within parts of London - but we have a chance here in Scotland to stand up and do something about it. I know that many No voters feel the complete opposite of that for their own kids, and I truly respect that - I just happen to think they are wrong. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">If we vote Yes we won't change Scotland overnight. But despite many ups and downs in the future, we will change Scotland for the better - because we have to. We can certainly do no worse than what is being offered by Westminster in the present.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">No matter which side of the fence people are on, the greatest thing about this whole process is that it has been democratic. I feel very privileged to live here, to participate in the debate, and above all, to be able to vote. Thank you Scotland. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEIXbjNIqYe3BXnH-WO1ui3gCNzkiCo95Gm3lzy5b-f7HISsODF4Gms6yPFnpy-D1_Ecsq9WsaRRu2aPpOrRnPz_Pt0z60AYJ4JB0eTylldthmvinPcSZ8NPL6h7TG10QWoR5S7hKnMSr/s1600/Yes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEIXbjNIqYe3BXnH-WO1ui3gCNzkiCo95Gm3lzy5b-f7HISsODF4Gms6yPFnpy-D1_Ecsq9WsaRRu2aPpOrRnPz_Pt0z60AYJ4JB0eTylldthmvinPcSZ8NPL6h7TG10QWoR5S7hKnMSr/s1600/Yes.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
In the Yes Largs shop</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsPmAL1p6C0xpalmd_VD66BULi_dLvslYZG0Vcm-bDp7EbX5zzHfWoHxoCZzEag1MasnwsIQczvhjRBntLjTpTTbuVkoVujmk33yXcgCa5z6mpu7g_WLmynk42HPZGE-hdCA5rSr2798u/s1600/Peter+Mullan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsPmAL1p6C0xpalmd_VD66BULi_dLvslYZG0Vcm-bDp7EbX5zzHfWoHxoCZzEag1MasnwsIQczvhjRBntLjTpTTbuVkoVujmk33yXcgCa5z6mpu7g_WLmynk42HPZGE-hdCA5rSr2798u/s1600/Peter+Mullan.JPG" height="297" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Meeting actor Peter Mullan (Sunshine on Leith)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7iZ9BuHOW2TI4npCLiDd0ultMP2LUG8caepD1vZMgHljfPKXhUThDq7k-da6sObhEwgvqK3xFPy4A0KqkQsMQekyZuhvlVOVhEwu0XEOZ8Z3oVKLmaGAOHIAQ8Feuae7LEx6f5lu97MO/s1600/DSCN4847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7iZ9BuHOW2TI4npCLiDd0ultMP2LUG8caepD1vZMgHljfPKXhUThDq7k-da6sObhEwgvqK3xFPy4A0KqkQsMQekyZuhvlVOVhEwu0XEOZ8Z3oVKLmaGAOHIAQ8Feuae7LEx6f5lu97MO/s1600/DSCN4847.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
With the team on Largs' Main Street</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pZgu0KichKE" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
Chris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.com0