Social Life in Stornoway

There is a perception that the islands swing between excessive piety and excessive debauchery, but the truth is that Lewis has exactly the same problems and issues as most other places, with a few exceptions, but that often the extremes make the best stories.

The past week has seen the clash between tradition and modernisation come to the fore over the issue of Sunday licences for public houses.

On Sundays it used to be the case that the swings in one playpark were chained - the action of one man, on his own volition rather than as part of a policy - to prevent the children of Lewis enjoying anything other than solemnity. The new playpark in Stornoway is even closer this man, Travis Bickle, and I will watch with interest his actions when the facility opens.

One petrol station is open, a few pubs and hotels, but no leisure facilities, so the choices for much of Stornoway are limited. (Uist and Barra are much more relaxed about Sundays). The end result of this has been a traditional Saturday night fever of dancing, drinking and partying until long after the pubs close at 11pm. Bizarrely, Friday nights - where the pubs stay open until 1am - are very quiet.

This week, 9 public houses obtained licences until 1am Sunday morning despite the objections of the Free Church. Over a number of years, the Church have shown spectacular and repeated incompetence in submitting objections, which have repeatedly been thrown out for almost the same reasons. The three members of the Free Church declared an interest and came out of the meeting, leaving the other seven members of the Licensing Board to decide to decline to consider the objection.

With the remaining 4 establishments in town likely to apply for the same late licences, it would appear that the attempt by the Board to set policies to restrict the granting of late licences looks set to fail. Primarily, because those who are trying to drive this through will have to declare an interest and leave the meeting.

The next move by the Board is to consider the 'overprovision' of alcohol licences in the Western Isles (for which read Stornoway). The prospect of the Board (which includes 6 teetotal members) wandering the streets late on a Saturday night in an effort to establish which pub/club/hotel is 'surplus to requirements' looks set to bring general hilarity and ridicule onto the Board.

Alternatively, there will have to be a desktop exercise augmented by hearsay, rumour and gossip
to determine which licences will be targeted. This will bring widespread hilarity and ridicule, and - as night follows day - another visit to the Sheriff Court where the Board will lose. Again. And again.

But a bigger question on the declaration of interest remains unanswered. Did the three gentlemen declare an interest because:-

• They are members of the Free Church, who were the objectors?
• Their own views meant they couldn't take an objective stance?
• The view of the Free Church means that they cannot take an objective stance?

Whichever it is, it will make for interesting future meetings of the Board.