Looking forward

One major omission from the list of topics at the imminent Outer Hebrides Energy Summit is any discussion of how to develop the potential for community windfarms.

Yes, I know, if the big applications go ahead then the Western Isles Development Trust will have lorry loads of cash to distribute to the the community schemes and we can use that as levered funds to deliver renewable developments in many different locations.

One small problem is the long lead period between approval of any planning application and the arrival of ferry loads of Brinks Mats trucks carrying used fivers.

A second problem is that I suspect that some of the communities would rather put their own legs into a spinning turbine blade than accept money from WIDT, CnES or the great Satan of LWP.

With the community developments needing large sums, and developments constrained partially by the limits on funding available from the Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company, there is a need to look beyond the immediate funding options. No-one seems to be doing that.

Except, perhaps, me.

I have spent a lot of time trying to access some potentially huge sources of finance, that will not interfere with community participation and ownership, allowing the communities to keep control over the development and (very importantly) the profits. I'm not claiming to have the problem resolved, but I have been approaching sources that could provide the Plan B for the islands.

The other prize of free electricity (actually, greatly subsidised power) has been danced around for some time, mainly because Ofgem ban such practices on installations of over 50Mw, as it 'distorts the market'. And we can't have that can we?

(Actually, in conjunction with a senior officer in the Council, I think we worked out a way around the Ofgem problem, but that's another matter)

So: Plan B is larger community windfarms (or offshore schemes) funded in a way that keeps the majority of profits on the islands, and gives us all cheaper power. This should be on the agenda for the day to explain how and why it could work, and the benefits and disadvantages of such a scheme.

Anyone interested in that Plan B, or are all windfarms bad?

Does economic self-sufficiency trump the European designations?

Does the absence of a 'greedy' developer make it all right?

If 'our' smaller turbines can power my tourist development, is that an acceptable trade-off?

All these questions, and more, will not be addressed on Monday. (And if anyone steals my ideas for their speech, there will be trouble...)

Wind farms and tourism 'compatible'

The full press release:
Harnessing Scotland's renewables potential will have minimal impact on the growth of Scotland's tourism industry, according to research published today.

Three quarters of tourists surveyed for the study into the Economic Impacts of Wind Farms on Scottish Tourism felt wind farms had a positive or neutral effect on the landscape. 97 per cent of tourists in the sample said wind farms would have no impact on their decision to visit Scotland again.

Extensive wind farm developments would cause an estimated reduction in revenue growth of 0.18 per cent of tourist spending by 2015. This effect equates to £7.6 million of expenditure against current tourism revenues of £4.2 billion.

Enterprise, Energy and Tourism Minister Jim Mather said:

"This research confirms that this Government's ambitious targets on renewable energy and tourism are entirely compatible. It provides further evidence to support our approach to progress the right developments in the right location.

"Harnessing our renewables potential, while driving an increase in tourism revenue, will bring sustainable economic growth to all parts of Scotland."

(continues)
---

Any thoughts on what Jim Mather might be saying on Monday???

Local Income Tax

I previously blogged on this just before the elections when options were still up in the air.

With the announcement of a National Local Income Tax at 3% the tables in which I highlighted the comparative costs are still valid.

With one major exception.

I have not included the impact of Council Tax benefit on those who have the lowest incomes, and I suspect that many of the poorest off will have to pay NLIT when they currently pay little or no Council Tax. I'm afraid that the calculations are too complex to put into one simple table, but I am trying to see if I can link to a more detailed analysis.

There is one huge, enormous, loophole in the whole scheme.

NLIT applies only to earned income, and not savings or dividend income. So all directors of small family companies will stop drawing salaries and will start taking dividends and see their payments fall from £2,000 per annum to virtually nothing. You could be earning £1,000,000 in investment income every year and pay nothing into the pot for the services you use.

Fair? Not in a million years.

As the even the moderately rich can avoid NLIT at the expense of those on PAYE - and especially those at the bottom income quartile - expect the scheme to have to change dramatically over the coming years.

Although Brian Taylor thinks that it will not get through Parliament as the SNP and LibDems together do not have a majority, he obviously hasn't realised that the Tories will support this, as it is their voters who have most to benefit from this.

Expect to see the LibDems vacillate like crazy as they work out who will win and who will lose from these proposals, and - too late! - work out that they are going to get blamed by the losers whatever the outcome.

Welcome to reality

MPs will have to submit receipts for expenses claims over £25 from 1 April, the Commons Members Estimate Committee has announced.

So they can no longer just claim £400 per month for 'food' tax-free, as if their dietary requirements were something special.

Hopefully this is not an attempt to prevent a full disclosure of all the payments every MP has received to date, by pretending that everything is now in order, so why re-open the past.

But I fear that Machiavellian manoeuvring to cover their tracks is exactly what this pit of rattlesnakes intend.

Health Board - shift the blame

So Dick Manson couldn't remember a minor item like the 'Cook Report' until he checked with colleagues later.

Absolute drivel.

I understand that the Cook Report tried to shift the blame for the financial failures onto two long serving and mid-ranking accountants, whose responsibility was to prepare the accounts, not take or implement decisions of the Board, and who certainly had no executive authority over spending.

Both, I am very reliably informed, repeatedly highlighted problems and variances in spending and repeatedly warned that budgets were overspent and targets could not be met. After having the blame dumped onto them, they were sacked, but out-of-court settlements for unfair dismissal were agreed to stop them producing the paperwork that they still hold, showing that senior management were fully aware of their concerns, and did nothing about it until it was too late.

Perhaps the Audit Committee should be calling these Gentlemen to find out what was really going on ....

Meanwhile, just what job is Dick Dastardly doing with NHS Scotland?

Community participation

It is very disappointing that MWT have chosen not to participate in the Renewable Energy Conference being held next week, although the whole thing appears to be rather haphazard and ill-defined.

It surely doesn't matter if it is a requiem for the LWP application or packed full of pro-windfarm supporters, it would be an opportunity to given their side of the argument - and if they honestly believed that refusal was imminent - to explain again why they believe the community was excluded from the process, and why development should be restricted.

Of course, MWT have said that the conference is not 'proper' community consultation, which would be a valid argument were the conference were about consultation. Which it is not, but appears to be an opportunity for blue-sky thinking, or throwing possibilities into the mix.

At least that is what it appears to be. The link on the Hebrides News website to the agenda doesn't work and the Comhairle are being incredibly reticent about putting anything on their website.

Is it open to the public?
Presumably my invite is in the post?
Who is actually participating and when are they speaking?
Are there fringe events?
Do I have to do an FoI request to find out it is even taking place?

Get your act in order! All of you.

Fighting "the forces of darkness"

Any see the similarity between this report er, Press Release on Hebrides News:

SNP MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Angus MacNeil, has today (Friday) argued the case for Scotland, during Tim Yeo MP's Private Members Bill in the House of Commons entitled Energy Saving (Daylight) Bill.

(Continues in same vein for six paragraphs)

And what Hansard records he actually said:

I hear what the hon. Gentleman is saying—I am a fan of symmetry either side of midwinter—but I think that his logic is extreme. If he is bringing back the same Bill, he hit his head against a wall last year and is coming back this year to do it again. Had he taken on board the suggestions that were made on the Floor of the House last year, he might have had more support this year, but he comes back with the same Bill, and I fear the same result for him.

Voluntary sector facing cuts

Having spoken with a number of organisations operating in the voluntary sector (some of whom are clients), one clear message keeps coming through as they plan from the coming years.

They all expect cuts in their core funding, and the disappearance of funding for new projects. With something like £4m being cut from the total budget for the voluntary sector any pay rises are having to be funded out of existing resources.

But that is just the first part of it.

The removal of the ring-fencing of central grant funding by Government has resulted in the Comhairle similarly removing the local ring fence. As one very senior Councillor told me this weekend - this will have a potentially huge impact of the discretionary funding currently provided, and that those who were most supportive of the removal of ring-fencing will be the ones to scream loudest when it affects their ward or pet project.

The voluntary sector can suddenly no longer rely on grants being at the same level - or even receiving any grant at all - and this is going to have a huge impact on the sector.

It is not so much the need to bid for funding and to change the way that the voluntary sector thinks, but the combined effect of all the factors coming into play at once.

It is going to take a lot of work for all parties to ensure that the impact is minimised - and make no mistake, there is going to be a huge impact - and that the numerous beneficiaries do not become innocent victims in all of this.

The 'blame game' between central and local Government is already starting, but that doesn't help anyone who relies on these services.

15-9

Need I say more....

Loved the extensive objective coverage on the BBC (sic)...

Thatcher leaves hospital

Damn!

As Elvis Costello so beautifully put it ...



The lyrics are here.

What Des McNulty said:

Make your own judgement on his comments at Col 6727:

Road Equivalent Tariff (Mull and Islay)

4. Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis it was decided that services to and from Mull and Islay should not be included in the pilot of the road equivalent tariff scheme that was recently announced by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change. (S3O-2540)

The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (Stewart Stevenson): Mr Swinney announced details of the road equivalent tariff study during his visit to Stornoway on 13 August 2007. That announcement made it clear that we would carry out a study into RET in the context of ferry fares in Scotland and that the study would include a pilot exercise on one or more of the Western Isles to mainland routes.

I am pleased to say that we are able to include all the Western Isles to mainland routes in the pilot exercise as well as the Oban to Coll and Tiree service. Focusing on those routes initially will allow us to reach a view on the potential costs and benefits of the scheme and to take informed decisions on its potential impacts across other routes. Consideration will be given to the roll-out of RET across the Clyde and Hebrides and northern isles networks once the impact of RET has been evaluated.

Des McNulty: Some of the minister's responses are beginning to resemble the justification that was provided by comical Ali during the Iraq invasion. Such things will be picked up—[Interruption.]

The Presiding Officer: Order.

Des McNulty: People in Arran and Cumbrae will be extremely annoyed that significant reductions in ferry fares will be available to others, but not to them. People in Mull and Islay will be annoyed that significant reductions will be available to others, but not to them. People in Orkney and Shetland will also—

The Presiding Officer: They would probably like a question as well, Mr McNulty.

Des McNulty: Had the Government followed Labour's approach of implementing a 40 per cent reduction in ferry fares—

The Presiding Officer: Can we have a question, please.

Danger! Attack poodle!

Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan called on a Labour member today to withdraw his comments comparing Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson to 'Comical Ali', one of Saddam Hussein's henchmen and Information Minister.

I can almost taste the manufactured outrage. Alasdair Morrison used to do this too - I think it is called 'over egging the pudding' aka 'bullshit in the hope of press coverage' - and every bit as badly.

What did Des McNulty actually say? The Gazette doesn't tell us, but I'll cut and paste here as soon as the verbatim report is printed and we can all judge the comments in an informed manner.

Wendy Alexander not to be prosecuted

As the farce/furore/falsehoods about the donations her (non-)election campaign received, the matter was referred to the Procurator Fiscal for consideration.

A Crown Office spokesperson said a prosecution "would not be appropriate".

Probably the worst result all round.

Not cleared -- not guilty -- no transparency.

She will proclaim her innocence er... unintended guilt er... honest mistake by someone else er... ignorance of the situation to demonstrate her saintliness.

Meantime her opponents will be comparing her to Al Capone running Enron, whilst defrauding Mother Theresa.

Back in the real world, the voters will be lobbying their dinner at their televisions in disgust shouting, "Bloody politicians! They're all the same!"

It is believed that the hunt is still on for a flattering photo of Wendy.

Comhairle renewable energy conference

This conference is being held on Monday 17 March with a headline speech due by Jim Mather to whet our appetite.

It appears in today's Scotsman briefing board, but is strangely absent from the Comhairle website, or any other form of publicity that I can find.

I am sure that it is not the Comhairle's intention to try to drum up apathy on this important matter, and I am sure that full details will be released in plenty of time for everyone to book this into their diaries for the week after next. Hm!

However, the list of speakers is wide ranging, and I am pleased to note that it includes opponents as well as supporters of the proposals, as the future for renewable energy will be enhanced by identifying agreed sites early, rather than after the planning application is submitted.

A comment on another topic has suggested that Jim Mather will use the conference as an opportunity to announce the refusal of the LWP application. My gut feeling is that the longer a decision takes the more likely (qualified) approval will be, but at present I have no information about the likely content of the keynote speech, but as soon as something leaks.....

Silence

Many politicians cannot get out of bed without issuing a press release announcing the fact, followed by another celebrating the fact that the bed was now free thanks to their personal intervention in the matter.

It is intriguing that a visit to the islands from a senior politician goes unannounced and uncommented.

Especially when I know who, what, where and why; all of which make it even more intriguing.

But, I don't want to rock the boat given the exciting implications coming out of the visit.

I'm just amused at who seems to have been kept in the dark - and why!

(No! I won't name names until I am allowed to)

Freudian slip

According to the BBC, reporting Rev Ian Paisley announcing his retirement as First Minister:

Mr Paisley, who is due to turn 82 in April, stood down as moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church in January amid concerns about his duel role as the church's leader and first minister.

Non-confrontational politics were never his speciality.....

When did you stop beating your wife?

With the 'consultation' on the closures of Post Offices in the Western Isles being launched today, I draw your attention to my previous advice that if you object to the closure of a Post Office, then you need to nominate another. It's not a case of 'how many'? Just 'which ones'?

Hence the post title.

This is very bad news for the small communities directly affected, especially as the alternatives just do not exist.

• Banks? None outside Stornoway and Tarbert.
  
• Local shops? Will not be able to deal with pensions and benefit payments.
  
• Nearest TV licence paypoint? Miles. By bus. That is infrequent and not designed for local shopping trips.
• Visit to Stornoway? Probably the only workable answer, causing further decline in these communities.

Is it too late to do anything? Probably, except around the margins, as the decision to close 2,500 Post Offices was taken long ago, and now the targets have to be met. That the targets are nonsense and based on a desktop exercise, rather than reality is neither here nor there.

I confess to being depressed by the repeated persistent and unending gutting of the communities who are saying one thing and doing another. Having campaigned against the previous round of closures in 1994/5 (?) proposed by the evil Thatcher Government, I am sure that many of the Labour activists who joined the campaign then will be rather shamefaced.

Further coverage in the Stornoway Gazette, Hebrides News and the Shetland News.

Ludicrous bureaucrats

It is utterly, utterly, mind-bogglingly stupid of the Civil Servants to assume that those who tick the confidentiality box when objecting to the planning permission for Eishken, means that they are not allowed to make representations to the PLI.

You can just imagine the forms being filled, boxes ticked and civil service brains being left at the door.

Much as I may support the proposal, I want to see all the aspects of the application discussed openly, and without any suggestion that the matter is being dealt with on the quiet.

Apparently you can remove your right to confidentiality by contacting the Government, and I hope that as many as possible do so. So

long as the PLI doesn't turn into a repetitive stream of the same basic objections, which will waste everyone's time.

Between this Government and the last, it is almost as if they are trying to antagonise as many people as possible on every side of the renewables argument, before coming to a conclusion. Or more likely trying to be all things to all men.

A serious debate about wolves

The Wolves and Humans Foundation (formerly the Wolf Society) has called for a serious debate about the possibility of reintroducing wolves into North Scotland citing the vast amount earned by Yellowstone National Park.

Admittedly, "There have been problems, such as what to do when they stray outside the boundaries, but a key issue is the $3m a year it gets from people coming to see the wolves," they said.

As far as I am concerned, nothing should distract from the pursuit of the tourist dollar, Euro, Rouble or Albanian Lek.

Those who are concerned about such trivial matters such as attacks on humans and the slaughter of livestock are clearly unable to see the wood for the trees. Such purblindness would be a bit of a problem if you had a ravenous wolf pack on your tail. It is clear to me and the proposers of this idea that the opportunities here are enormous and must be embraced to show just what a magnificent hunting and killing machine the wolf actually is.

As the Wolves and Humans website clearly states, Join us today, and help to meet the challenge of conservation and co-existence. As the only charity in the UK dedicated to helping wolves in the wild - I know, you thought there were bloody dozens of them competing for your donations - W&H have decided to meet the challenge of co-existence with wolves in the wild by moving their operational HQ from Somerset to the proposed site for wild wolves, where the members will meet the challenge of co-existence by walking to and from meetings in the pitch dark as the packs circle them.

But, after careful consideration, I think that W&H have shown just what could be achieved for the tourist industry in the Western Isles.

Let's declare the entire island a 'wild zone' and bring tiger, lions, wolves, T Rex, elephants, coyotes and other assorted animals here and let them run wild, slaughtering sheep, deer, mink, seagulls and those cutting peat whilst rich hunters are helicoptered in to stay in expensive private hotels guarded by 20ft of razor wire and big guys with automatic rifles.

They can peg out pupils in the rural primary schools to attract the predators - which would guarantee the survival of the schools, if not all the pupils - and then secure the local economy by paying for each animal they kill. Just imagine being able to pander to each and every whim of these ultra-rich elite before they pay us just a few pounds for driving the Wolves and Human Foundation to their AGM in the main killing zone.

Ever seen the movie "The Running Man"? We could ensure the financial security of an extended family on the islands by dropping the lucky winner on the top of the Clisham at sunset, armed only with a peat-iron, and have a live broadcast as they try to survive and make their way back to the Clachan Bar by opening time.

Imagine the ratings if a Councillor was drawn from the lottery......

Having had a serious debate about the idea, I think that the relentless pursuit of the tourism industry without any consideration of reality, might just be a bad idea. In this and other cases.

Single status and regrading

The Comhairle is currently undergoing a prolonged, disruptive and morale-sapping regrading exercise for all staff, something I have blogged about before.

With the largest union saying "No!" and the Council saying "Yes!" the room for compromise is limited, to say the least.

The likely outcome seems clear - conflict, strikes and more hassle.

When into the mix is dropped an unbelievable act by a Public Sector employer. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency plan to sack 43% of their staff next week, and simultaneously offer the re-employ them on the terms and conditions that they are currently refusing to accept.

Older readers might remember similar actions by GEC in 1966, British Airways in 1997, and Gate Gourmet in 2005, all of which stirred the Comrades in the Trade Unions to take collective action against the employers. In this case - of course - the employers are the Government by proxy.

The likely course of events was laid out by the forecast that more public bodies will have to follow the lead of Birmingham, and have mass sackings, according to Personnel Today - the magazine for the HR Professional.

The actions of SEPA are appalling, and they have been rightly described as "behaving like the worst Victorian mill owners".

This is no way to treat staff in the 21st Century, and one would expect the Government to step in; except that if they haven't been consulted, I'd be astonished. Hopefully we won't see the same confrontation in the Western Isles, but I suspect we will come very, very close to such a course of action.