YOUR VIEWS: Toilet stops on Caithness to Inverness route, election fallout continues and praise for BT
Caught short - of ideas?
“NHS Highland has acknowledged that mums and mums-to-be from the far north may require frequent toilet stops on the 200 mile round trip to Inverness - so has come up with an at-a-glance list of lavatories that are available along the route”!
Unsurprisingly, the Caithness Health Action Team seemed unimpressed with this evidence of understanding from NHS Highland of the needs of pregnant women and their families in the far north. But an initiative? Goodness!
Back in April, when the new Scottish Health Minister was announced, and it was disclosed that he is a family man with four children, I wrote to him to put to fresh ears the plight of our families. My reasoning went that here was a man of experience who would empathise with our problems, having personal knowledge of the hazards and highlights of family life.
But my letter was fobbed off to someone who wrote, weeks later, explaining all about NHS Highland’s high quality commitment which Ms Gill has trotted out once again along with her astute summing up that geographic challenges have always existed before she goes on to call the toilet map an initiative.
Well apart from frightening my dog by screaming and waving the newspaper violently in the air, and shouting that of course there were geographical challenges which was why we had had a pretty good maternity system to start with, but then I began to wonder about the initiative...
I had replied to the soothing response I got to my first letter, and this time was directed towards engaging in the complaints procedure, to which I replied: “I do not wish to engage in correspondence with the NHS board or complaints system, my concern now is that higher, broader echelons of government are allowing a whole district of Scottish families... to be subjected to the utmost fear and danger and refuse to accept as a reality.
“There is no point in me trying to break through the hard-shell thinking processes of NHS Highland, they have been a lost cause since they mooted this barbaric solution to an accountancy/consultancy-numbers issue. In order to ‘bring into line’ with other areas, they deliberately adopted a solution that put women in danger, introduced measures to stop use of facilities en route, and refused to discuss their actions when members of the public asked questions or attempted to make points and raise issues.”
I will admit I was pretty mad when writing that or I would have been more clear that I meant the refusal of NHS Highland to allow help to be given to mothers en route at Golspie hospital, not the inability to find a working toilet.
Well, myself, I think that I have found a satisfactory explanation for the rush of blood to NHS Highland’s head in actually promoting an initiative.
Please let me add, I have huge respect for the frontline service of the NHS who do perform wonders very kindly, so none of this diatribe is directed at them.
Ros Curwood
Barrock Street
Thurso
Seeing the ‘big picture’ after election
Now that the excitement of the election is over let’s hope for real change and action.
A phrase made popular by some during the election campaign was the importance for voters to see “the big picture”.
This was seen as somewhat silly and meaningless by many. If you really want to see big pictures, in fact small and medium sized pictures as well, then the place to be enlightened is this year’s exhibition by the Society of Caithness Artists held at the ETEC building at Thurso campus of UHI from July 23 until August 2.
I have heard it said that inside every politician is an artist eager to escape and I wonder if the reverse is true. Could there be in every artist a politician desperate to be freed?
Art always has the potential to reflect society’s interactions in a creative manner and for some politics appear to be an art form all on its own!
For all creative souls, regardless of politics, the Society invites you to display your work with handing in day on Saturday at the ETEC building between 10am and 2pm.
Ian Pearson
Chair Society of Caithness Artists
Sinclair St
Thurso
Change is not quite so stark
On Friday last I was in celebratory mood because at long last, the 14 years of right-wing corruption, lies and hypocrisy of the Tories at Westminster was being brought to an end.
However, as the election results were rolling out across the country, it was becoming clear that as predicted, Labour under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer were sweeping swiftly into power, and have now become the most dominant party of British politics. There is a background to this success.
For some considerable time Labour have merely been borrowing Tory clothes, have tried them on, are now are fitting into them quite comfortably. Adopting one Conservative policy after another, till there was only a gossamer thinness between them.
A threadbare weakness such as this cannot anytime soon aspire to alleviate austerity or the cost-of-living crisis. Food banks will continue, children living in poverty will continue, and the housing crisis will continue.
Considering the overwhelming result of Labour gains, and the surprise of the Lib Dems’ success, it must be said that only one in five were motivated to vote* [*The official turnout across the UK was 60 per cent, with claims that the percentage of the adult population who actually registered and voted was 52 per cent], and of those only one in three voted for Labour.
It is clear to see that so much of the voting was tactical, or protest votes simply to get the Tories out, and that system was applicable to all parties.
There was one party that shockingly slipped into the fray, that was the insidious Reform party, under the leadership of the deplorable Nigel Farage gaining five seats. This abominable result sets a dangerous precedent and is a shameful indictment to the last generation who fought for our freedom against fascism.
This resurgence of past injurious injustice is rippling across Europe and must be stopped before it again gets out of control. As the old adage goes, “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
During the campaigning and televised debates, Labour’s leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, now with a strong desire to be Scotland’s next FM in the 2026 Scottish elections, was seen to continuously talk over his opponents, particularly the current FM John Swinney, who by comparison his decorum was one of dignity and respect. But as a consequence of the election results, the SNP like other parties must now seriously reflect on where to go from here.
The last treacherous trick that the Tories at Westminster committed was to call the election when they did. I personally believe that Rishi Sunak made his decision knowing that it was the start of the Scottish school holidays, and consequently many families would have made prior holiday arrangements. Also in knowing how passionate the Scots are about their football, so many would already be away at the Euros in Germany. Thus, throwing many of the unprepared electorate into disarray, hence the inevitable chaos that followed with postal voting.
Nevertheless, with this shocking “landslide” victory by Labour, and like our national football team’s result at the Euros, we must magnanimously accept defeat. However, politics can be a long game as we’ve seen, then paradoxically it can also be a short game.
Now a lot of reflection and restructuring must happen, if we are to realistically aspire to achieving the main goal, that of Scotland becoming an independent country. In this dirty world of politics, and an anachronistic “first past the post” voting system, it is surely now time for electoral reform. Bring on the 2026 Scottish elections.
John McLeod
Oakwood Court
Inverness
Warning to north’s elected representatives
As the dust settles after the general election those in the main parties who didn’t win a seat in the Highlands should reflect on why that was.
Those who did win now have a monumental task in front of them to prove to those who decided to give them the honour of serving their communities that they will put the people’s voices above those of the shareholders of Big Energy.
If they don’t their parties will be punished at the next Holyrood elections in 2026 and Highland Council elections in 2027 in the same way as those deaf and blind to concerns were punished this time.
Without doubt the debacle regarding the Social Value Charter for Renewables Investment was a spectacular “shooting themselves in the foot moment” by the Highland councillors who did not deem the electorate worthy of being consulted, which was astonishing given the previous less important issues they had happily consulted on.
The very idea that anyone thought global investment companies should pay for our services and help fill in Highland Council’s gaping black hole in their budget was as unfathomable as it was dangerous.
We want our local authorities properly funded without going cap in hand to developers who will want the same authority to determine their planning applications. That surely is potentially a serious conflict in anyone’s book.
What happened on July 4 was, without doubt, a warning shot across the bows of those who are elected and then don’t commit to standing up for the people who gave them a very well paid job.
Those against the ruthless Scottish Government-backed onslaught by the energy multinationals in their communities saw first-hand who thought what about their rights in the Highland Council debating chamber on June 27 and for many that was the deciding factor as to how they voted in the General Election.
People power is a wonderful thing and the growing strength of feeling and anger felt at the handing over of our natural environment for a bag of fool’s gold is almost palpable in our rural communities.
The expressions “enough is enough” and the “second Highland clearances” have been well used regarding the unabated march of concrete and steel in our precious landscapes and for very good reason.
Politicians will rue the day if they ever think again that our voices do not matter.
Lyndsey Ward
Spokeswoman for Communities B4 Power Companies
Beauly
It’s good to talk
Last summer I emailed BT to complain about the state of the payphone box at Thurso Railway Station. It looked as though a bomb had gone off inside it and the exterior was discoloured and coated in grime. Not a pleasant first impression for visitors arriving by train.
I got a response within two days saying it would be dealt with and less than a fortnight later it was thoroughly cleaned.
A short while after it was vandalised and a pane of glass was smashed. So, another email from me and 10 days later it was fixed. Pretty impressive stuff you'll agree.
At the same time, I reported the shabby old red payphone at the North Coast Visitor Centre which was in serious need of a coat of paint. It was put on this year's summer painting programme and lo and behold it was painted a couple of weeks ago.
So, well done BT and proof that complaining can actually lead to something positive. Maybe Highland Council could take a leaf out of BT’s book.
Ian McElroy
Heathfield Road
Thurso
Cancelled Sleeper train
ScotRail decided at short notice to cancel the 4.30pm train service from Thurso to Inverness on Wednesday, July 10. Not everyone is on the website for ScotRail. This cancellation made me miss the Caledonian Sleeper from Inverness to London Euston.
If anybody was in the same situation as me they must contact ScotRail Trains Limited, Atrium Court, 50 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6HQ, for a refund of the train that was cancelled.
James Hunt
Mayfield Gardens
Boston
Lincolnshire
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