Council Leader Jonathan McColl and Cllr Marie McNair with some of the road teams that will try to keep West Dunbartonshire moving this winter.
Stay safe out there. There are reports of people slipping all over the place early morning and night. Margo Sharp, Dumbarton
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The biggest unanswered question from the Salmond Inquiry is why there have been no resignations.
It’s a position that some might well come to regret, as the conflagration widens and more are burned, along with some existing but already tarnished reputations. Time will tell but things ain’t looking good as further evidence sessions are due to begin and some witnesses even face recall.
Meetings so far have seen episode upon episode of forgetfulness, incompetence or even downright deceit. Ricky Gervais couldn’t have written it. Yet this stellar cast has forgotten their lines, required to clarify their evidence, or set the record straight more like.
Even their ever-erudite star law officer has been reduced to mumbling obfuscation. Worse could follow, as it may even be shown that some have either failed to tell the truth or adhere to a court order.
Giving evidence before a committee can be stressful. But when you’re a senior officer or a post holder then it’s expected. It’s part of the job and senior civil servants have done it all before, whether appearing individually or in briefing and supporting ministers. Party officials likewise are used to being held to account, and grilled even, by elected members or other organisations that they account to.
These are also not stupid people, all have abilities that got them there. Some may have been promoted beyond their capabilities or have remained in situ long past their sell-by date. But this farce isn’t coming about because of who they are. Rather, it’s the result of the script they’re trying to remember.
But in this show nothing, no resignations, no one has fallen on their sword, been suspended or even just pushed surreptitiously out of the door. On the contrary, to paraphrase the Permanent Secretary, the battle may have been lost but the war continued. Even that’s now all but over and it’s a complete rout.
After the debacle of the civil case, she could have resigned quietly and much would have been forgotten or not gone much further. Likewise the SNP CEO could have called it quits and allowed others to take over. But no, so now we face many more being drawn into the mire. Hell mend them I say.
Kenny MacAskill is the SNP MP for East Lothian
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CHILDCARE ADVICE FOR EMPLOYEES If you are unable to work due to lack of childcare then your employer can and should be using the Job Retention Scheme to furlough you on at least 80% wages. Neil Findlay MSP, Holyrood.
Neil Findlay MSP, Holyrood, Edinburgh
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Twenty four hours ago the SNP SG told us all that their proposed delay of up to 12 weeks for the second dose was perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about etc. Now the WHO are telling us the Pfizer vaccine MUST be administered as originally intended in a two-stage process with a 3-4 week delay between both. Where’s Sturgeon, Freeman and Leitch to apologise for talking rubbish once again? And how do they now intend sorting out this latest cock-up of their own making. This puts a huge question mark over the efficacy of ANY vaccine to tackle this virus. And our trust in them. Gerard Keegan, Cambuslang
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Remembering the three Renton brothers who fought in Spain.
I’ve asked for further info from the IBMT in London concerning the commemorative bench on Hampstead Heath to the three Gibbons brothers who fought in Spain. As folk will know, the brothers all had roots in the Vale of Leven, but enlisted from Canada, London and Renton to go to Spain. A fourth brother tried to go but was rejected as too young. The IBMT has been informed by the Ranger service at Hampstead that the bench is beyond repair and will need replaced at an approximate cost of £2.7K. There is a descendant of the family in London who is interested and I’ve said that many in Scotland would be delighted to assist in whatever way we can. I’m awaiting further info (possible fundraising page etc) and will post it here when I get it. Louise Robertson and Mike Arnott, Balloch
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The Royal Canadian Air Force graves at Dumbarton Cemetery.
This is Peter Hughes – I added a comment on your article about the graves of the four Royal Canadian Air Forcemembers in the cemetery In Dumbarton. Thank you for the reply to that comment. I apologise if the comment seemed a bit brusque. I was trying to provide that information concisely, and not take up too much space. If I’d looked further at the time and found your e-mail address, I’d have done it this way instead. My sister-in-law was correct – I did find the article very interesting. I understand the confusion over the first name of the pilot. I can think of several names that can be used for men and women, sometimes even without any change in spelling – Hilary, Lindsay, Vivian etc. But I was fairly sure that there were no women RCAF pilots in WW2. There were certainly quite a few women ‘ferry’ pilots who flew planes on delivery to active squadrons, but they were not in the RCAF, and would not have flown these aircraft with full crews. I was born in Glasgow and grew up in Gourock, but I’ve lived in Canada for nearly 40 years, so consider myself mostly Canadian now. It affects me to see graves of Canadian servicemen in the UK and Europe, so far from their homes. (I would feel the same seeing UK Servicemens’ graves in somewhere like India.) As you say in that article, these people did not ‘pass’ or ‘fall’ – they died or were killed. We should remember them, and be very grateful to them (and to those who survived) for what they did. My sister-in-law knows of those graves, she lives close to the cemetery. If we’re ever allowed to travel again, and we get back to Dumbarton, I’ll get her to take me to visit them. If you are interested, there’s a good book about the RCAF in the UK during WW2, written by a bomber pilot. It’s “Boys, Bombs and Brussels Sprouts” by J. Douglas Harvey – a very personal and honest account. Regards, Peter Hughes, Canada
Conic Hill near Balmaha and wreckage from the fatal crash involving an RCAF aircraft.
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NHS guys in you come. Still lots left! Franco Palombo, Palombo’s of Balloch.
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We’re Back! But with a few changes………
To help keep our staff team safe we have switched up our rotas so that only 1 staff member will be in the shop at one time. We also need to ensure that we can stick to our daily cleaning checklist and since there will only be one of us in each day we’ll be closing slightly earlier.
Our temporary hours during this lockdown will be:
Monday – closed
Tuesday – 11am – 4pm
Wednesday – 11am – 2pm
(Click and Collect 2pm – 3pm)
Thursday – 11am – 4pm
Friday – 11am – 4pm
(Neighbourfood Collection 3.30pm – 5.30pm
Click and Deliver and Neighbourfood Deliveries from 3pm)
Saturday – 11am – 4pm
Sunday – Closed
Neighbourfood will open for orders this Thursday for collection on Friday 15th January.
If you know what you need from our usual stock and you can can’t make it out you/would rather do a drive by shop you can message us for a click and collect or delivery. Fingers crossed we will have most things available to order on our website by the weekend too. Bear with us – we’ll get there! Made Guid, 4 Park Street, Newtown, Dumbarton
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Keep in touch with someone,
We can all help each other through this
There is support available if you need it
Karen McGroarty, Balloch
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Folks we recently learned that Scottish Enterprise (Scot Ent) have signed a 3 year ‘conditional missive’ with Flamingo Land (FL). This is an excerpt taken from an email from Scottish Enterprise. The current arrangement is not an extension of an exclusivity agreement it is instead a conditional missive that will, when finalised, oblige Scottish Enterprise to selling the land to the company upon the successful completion of the planning process. Scot Ent intend to sell the public land at Balloch to FL for, as yet, an undisclosed sum. Once sold this public land at the Gateway to our National Park will be lost forever and we will no longer have a say in its use. Don’t be mistaken the land is our most valuable asset and should never be sold for private profit.
With the Scottish Government’s recent updated commitments to climate change and community empowerment is it not time to stop pouring public funds into a private enterprise and sit round the table with Save Loch Lomond to look at a publicly owned, sustainable development for Balloch or as these commitments from Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government nothing but hot air? Can I ask that you all start emailing your local MSP and the minister who has responsibility for Scottish Enterprise Fiona Hyslop (Fiona.Hyslop.msp@parliament.Scot) Contact details can be found here. Alannah Maurer, Save Loch Lomond.
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