Charles Bannerman

You mean the same way as Traynor, speaking from Glasgow on Your Call, says "we're going 'up to Inverness' to speak to Brian". Examples like this from Central Belters are legion! I always find it a bit ironic when I hear Scottish people make a case for independence based on the way they are treated by "the English" (which was a term Salmond used to use with a particular girn in his voice until he realised that it was actually a vote loser). Because in many ways we in the Highlands are treated far worse by those in the central belt who would dominate out entire existence in the event of a yes vote. Scottish artist?..... Rab C Nesbit?..... world's greatest **** artist?

Last month Salmond spoke to the Edinburgh International Telvision Festival and said he would create a Scottish Broadcasting Corporation, funded by the licence fee but also with adverts (so that presumably would be on what would become SBC 1 - if there was ever going to be more than the "1"). The Scottish contribution to the BBC's current licence revenue is £320 out of over £3 billion. From that £3 billion plus we currently get BBC1,2,3,4, Radios 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, Scotland, local radio, nan Gaidheal and all the online services. How much of that could be provided from Alex's £320 million plus a few annoying adverts? Of course he says he would buy in East Enders. Also from the £320M? And also Top Gear. From the £320M as well? What about foreign correpondents from everywhere frrom New York to Saigon to London? From the £320M? And a lot more? On another thread I spoke about repeats of The White Heather Club and Dr Finlay's Casebook with The Krankies live from the Phipps Hall in Beauly, but I will now desist from Saltire Satire! He points to RTE in Ireland... that'll be the Ireland from the "arc of prosperity" about whose "model economy", and Iceland's we now hear very little since they both went bellyup. RTE's international news coverage, for instance, is "not of the best". He has also been heard to speak in the broadcasting sphere about Denmark... where the licence fee is £230! And how many BBC employees in Scotland are actually going to convert to the SBC rather than stick with the BBC which has almost a century of world class broadcasting behind it. The reality is that broadcasting provides us with one of the best examples of why we are "Better Together" in so many situations where the entire United Kingdom can enjoy the huge benefits of economies of scale from large, established organisations which serve 60 million people rather than small apologies for services which would be quickly cobbled together to allow 5 million to subsist.

I don't think I would go as far as that, but Landlordism has got a lot to answer for. On the other hand a certain amount of it is a direct consequence of the Feudal System which was seriously in decline by the early/mid 18th century and was really needing knocked on the head. But unfortunately the 45 rebellion - which was one of the direct consequences of that Feudal System - caused that knocking on the head process to be rather more ruthless than might otherwise have been the case. That's a really complicated one where I would actually place much of the root cause of the Clearances and the aftermath of Culloden on the Feudal System whose demise these events secured. The big problem there was that the landlords, apart from the ones who forfeited their estates after the 45, were allowed to carry on regardless. I'm not too sure that the Highlands have been all that badly disfigured compared with many of the country's industrial areas and quite frankly if it's away in the back of beyond and if the local residents aren't really bothered, I don't actually see too much of a problem with a bit of disfigurement in the name of economic progress. Where I do get a bit cheesed off over this issue is when you get these militant hillwalkers taking offence at us developing our own natural assets because this means that they don't have such a nice view when they're out on their weekend wanderings. They seem to expect miles and miles of b****r all to be completely retained solely for their occasional aesthetic gratification. However, the system of land ownership in this country is indeed absolutely wrong.

Is that not as much an offence in Dingwall as it is in Inverness? :lol: Seriously, though, from what I've seen of them, that County back four looks absolutely rock solid - except when the manager made a conscious decision to rest three of them against Raith Rovers in the Cup and they conceded four goals.

You speak for yourself! :lol: But yes, I'm quite aware of the distinction, regarding SNP policy about keeping the Pound and hence still having monetary policy deicded in London as it is now, fighting like ferrets in a sack about Nato, keeping the Queen, a Scottish Broadcasting Coropration which is going to try to maintain service and quality level with 9% of the income of the BBC (presumably by showing repeats of the White Heather Club and Dr Finlay's Casebook plus The Krankies live from Phipps Hall Beauly), a Scottish Defence Force where "3 Scots" is no longer an infantry battalion but Hughie, Jimmy and Willie waving claymores...etc etc.... In reality I suspect that what the SNP mean by "policy post independence" is something more like "the answers we don't have to the hard questions about the stark practicalities that people are now beginning to ask as we dioscover that support for separation has peaked and is unravelling fast - and we realise that getting what we want is going to take a whole lot more than the Big Man getting up on his feet and bellowing at the Holyrood parliament."

Might a smaller nation like that not only be eligible for one European place? Now that would make Highland derbies interesting! More seriously though, you raise a very interesting question there. SNP dogma for the last 40 years has dictated that you take the chunk of land that most of the oil sits off and conveniently use that as the fundamental of a case to make it independent. OK Alex... let's follow that through to its logical conclusion and concoct the mantra "It's The Highlands' Oil" (although I admit Shetland also have a good shout there!) and hold a referendum instead about the very far North of the British Isles splitting off and grabbing all the oil revenues. Surely the SNP couldn't fault what is more or less a carbon copy of their own policy. And after all, Pictland was an independent nation for centuries before the relatively transient entity of Scotland was even thought of. This is what I can't accept about the SNP's position. The constitutional situation within the British Isles has evolved in various stages for almost 2000 years and has largely been a process of aggregation into a larger and more efficient unit. But what the SNP seem to want to do is selectively to take the intermediate stage called Scotland and turn the clock back to revert to it. One other advantage of an independent Highlands (which I'm not for one minute calling for but am merely using to illustrate a basic fallacy of the SNP position) is that we wouldn't have the burden of west central Scotland and all its social, health and sectarian problems either. So "what if" (and I don't believe for a minute that this will happen) we get a "yes" vote in the 2014 separation poll? A few years down the line the people of the Highlands realise that they are fed up being dominated by the central belt whose social and health problems they are also subsidising. Presumably President Salmond would have to feel equally obliged to agree to a referendum within the oil rich North? See what I mean about it being absolutely crazy for any Highlander to vote yes in the forthcoming Salmorendum? Just a footnote prompted by something I read in a paper yesterday. The SNP used to make a lot of the "arc of prosperity" until Ireland and Iceland went totally bellyup. Now that just seems to leave Norway... oil rich Norway..... where the price of a litre is - wait for it - £1.70!!

I think the guy who originally said that came to a sticky end not too long afterwards. I would beware book depositories and grassy knolls if I were you.

Would you not be better trying to master the simpler matter of cars first? :lol:

Jeez Don! You've contracted a REALLY serious case of poacher turned gamekeeper there!!! :lol:

Mmmm... that sounds very much like the way the Highlands would fare under "central belt rule" in a separate Scotland. At least within the UK, the Highlands is one of several peripheral areas across all four constituent parts. That's why I can't see why anyone up here would want to vote to have their every single affair dictated by a central belt administration which is already showing alarming signs of wanting to centralise things on itself - such as through single Police and Fire services and the freeze on Council Tax which reduces the autonomy of locally elected councils.

You mean you were disappointed it wasn't your trouser pockets? :lol:

Without prejudice to the Armstrong scenario, the Tour de France has been seriously tarnished by rampant drugs corruption for decades - which is a shame for such a major event on the world stage. Drugs are a major problem throughout sport but unfortunately the Tour seems to have been among the worst affected events. But what is mystifying me is how the American drugs people can take it upon themselves to strip someone of a victory which took place in a completely different country and under the banner of the UCI, the world body for cycling who should presumably have the sole right to do this. I have to say there's more than a little hint here of another example of American presumption of world dominance.

Yes that was 1996 when Keith v Rangers in the third round was switched to Pittodrie then ICT v Rangers in the quarter finals was switched to Tannadice. Forres are meeting with police and other agencies tomorrow (Tue) morning to assess the feasibility of holding the game at Mossett Park which has a capacity of less than 1500, including 500 seats. Caley Thistle are at home to Dundee United on September 29th which is when the game is currently scheduled although of course it may well be switched for TV. Aberdeen are also at home that day although Ross County are away. It's interesting to assess how many fans that game could attract, given that Forres' normal home crowd would multiply severalfold while there might well also be quite a large Rangers support, given that this is the opening round of their big competition of the season.

And Brewster as well.

Nice to learn that your opinions are becoming humble Dougal!

Well Dougie, I am one of just three people left who have been in that building since day 1 and I've certainly never seen anything! I believe the alleged ghost was meant to relate to the neolithic burial chambers on the site. But on the other hand I happen to be writing this at my desk in the BBC in Culduthel Road where I've also worked for 30 years and which is also said to be haunted. Again I've never seen anything, despite keeping some pretty late hours here after midweek games when I'm in the building on my own as I am just now and I invariab Oh dear, cut off in mid sentence, CB caught by the ghouls... No - alive, well and still completely unhaunted! I thought I would just try that one on to see if anyone noticed. Well spotted Dougie

Well Dougie, I am one of just three people left who have been in that building since day 1 and I've certainly never seen anything! I believe the alleged ghost was meant to relate to the neolithic burial chambers on the site. But on the other hand I happen to be writing this at my desk in the BBC in Culduthel Road where I've also worked for 30 years and which is also said to be haunted. Again I've never seen anything, despite keeping some pretty late hours here after midweek games when I'm in the building on my own as I am just now and I invariab Oh dear, cut off in mid sentence, CB caught by the ghouls... No.... alive, well and still totally unhaunted! Just thought I would try that one on to see if anybody noticed. Well spotted Dougie

Well Dougie, I am one of just three people left who have been in that building since day 1 and I've certainly never seen anything! I believe the alleged ghost was meant to relate to the neolithic burial chambers on the site. But on the other hand I happen to be writing this at my desk in the BBC in Culduthel Road where I've also worked for 30 years and which is also said to be haunted. Again I've never seen anything, despite keeping some pretty late hours here after midweek games when I'm in the building on my own as I am just now and I invariab

OK then... potted history of what's happened. The current building at Culduthel was opened in 1977 and worked in tandem with the old one at Midmills until 1979 when that became Culloden Academy for a year and then the College. Since 1979, the Culduthel building has housed Inverness Royal Academy which is the local comprehensive for that southerly slice of Inverness and the landward area. The initial plan was to add a "Phase 2" by extending the original building towards where the Culduthel Christian Centre is now. This was to include a lot of extra classrooms and even a swimming pool and explains why certain services like staff bases and the lift are at the far end of the building. That was supposed to become the middle after Phase 2, but that was never built. Instead they added the huts as a "temporary" measure in the early 80s as the roll grew to 1300 (it's about 900 now and was as low as 750 about 15-20 years ago due to a combination of demography and birth rates.) And so the building has been since the early 80s but the reality is that it is of very poor quality. Interestingly it was built by an organisation called The Lesser Construction Company. Very apt. Things have got worse and worse over the years, prompting (now ex) Councillor Dave Henderson to brand the place a "slum" which the press instantly jumped on. This name has stuck ever since and while some of my colleagues get a bit impatient about this, I actually think that the label has played a significant part in the (quite lengthy) process, the latest stage of which was Thursday's announcement that, subject to £16M from the Scottish Government, this is Highland Council's preferred project for the next new build. The projected finishing date is 2016 and reportedly the new school will go on the blaes playing area beside the current one, although how a whole new school can be fitted in there is mystifying some of us. This will be Inverness Royal Academy's fourth building after Academy Street (Bar Pivo or whatever that's called now) 1792-1895, Midmills 1895 -1979 and the current one 1977-present. The school has its roots in a previous church school which started near Friars Street in 1233 which in turn handed over in the 1500s to a Grammar School which was first on Bank Lane near the old Courier Office and then in Dunbar's Hospital on Church Street before it was closed in 1792.

Yes, can and will... but not at the moment since I'm just rushing out the door.....

Mantis... on this one, I am going to agree with you! That is why the Scottish parliament was set up and the areas where it can do that are set down in the Scotland Act. I have always been a strong believer in free University tuition, where relevant and the Scottish tradition for continuing it against the trend of the rest of the UK actually goes back a lot longer than the SNP administration to the days of the Labour coalition with the Libdems who were strong advocates of it. On the other hand I'm also aware that the SNP will be aware that the more differences they can sustain between Scotland and the rest of the country (such also as free prescriptions) the better for them. OK - that's politics and they won the election when Labour went into meltdown. I also wonder how a separate Scotland would fund all of this lot without Barnet Consequentials. (Oops... I forgot... it's like everything else - the OIL... which is NEVER going to run out!) My only apprehension about free university places is that we fund far too many of them. There are far too many people going to university these days. Believe me, the university bound have been passing through my classroom for, literally, decades and in more recent years I have sometimes found myself rolling my eyes with bemusement. And in any case we don't need all these graduates in Sports Science to staff our sports centres nor people with Media Studies degrees to sell newspapers in WH Smith.

Glad we agree on at least something in this area!!

No, no Donald... I'm just highlighting the Darien Scheme - which was basically a very costly and seriously misconceived attempt by the Scots to sell Bibles and woolly bunnets to Central American natives - as an example of that unfortunate tendency among the said Scots to get rather grandiose ideas of what is realistic. Other well known examples might be the Flodden campaign, which got seriously knocked on the head by England Reserves about six miles across the border, and Argentina 78, along with various other Tartan Army Enterprises.

Mantis... support for independence/separation seemed to peak when the SNP had that purple patch where everything seemed to be going for them and they even managed to get an overall majority at Holyrood when Labour went into meltdown. I know there's not an absolute link between support for the SNP at the parliamentary ballot box and support for a yes vote, but I do think there tends to be a rough correlation. As a result, as the SNP get further embroiled in domestic cockups, the parallel issue of the referendum outcome will come under even greater pressure. Their next challenge is what they are going to do about the Nato question and I bet they are REALLY hoping against hope that the Curriculum for Excellence doesn't go t*tsup before whenever that referendum takes place. You know what I mean The latest poll figures I've seen from a couple of days ago are quoting 27% yes, 60% no, 13% don't know. That is more than 2:1 against, so the pattern of decline since that partially Holyrood enhanced high point continues. It's interesting, but probably correct, that you should use the word "aggressively" in terms of the manner in which I pursue my arguments here. But this is also a bit rich, given the incessant bellowing we get from Salmond in the Holyrood chamber! My tone is just a measure of how keen I am to ensure that Scotland doesn't become embroiled in its biggest national disaster since the Flodden campaign or the Darien scheme. And I mean, the SNP are even proposing to keep the Queen for goodness sake, so I'm afraid they couldn't even offer me that as a wee incentive!!!