Ok then no windmills wanted you say, how about this?

Lets go Dutch on this one

It should cause a lot less controversy don't you think citizens? And would certainly bring in a few tourists to this side of the puddle.

It could be worse!

contributed...  Couldn't windmills be more fun?

Something new on the horizon

This mock-up pick of how things might be isn't the angle that we see things from but you get the idea. Looking over the other side might be a bit different if a certain wind-farm project gets its way. More information on the 'Nigg Awarness Site'. Another wind-farm, another protest group. Oh well we can always rely on gas from
Russia can't we? ...can't we?
And now the Gurn once again goes back into retirement...

Nairn Belly Dancers threat to London Olympics?

The Sunday Newspapers are a font of fake righteous indignation at the best of times. Today appeared a headline 'Laughing stock Lotto' (we won't even bother telling you which rag this was). A journalist seems to have discovered from rent a quote type that lotto money is getting wasted on silly projects such as, yes you can guess.
Well this particular rag wasn't up to much, if it was it would have probably made reference to a 'lady Provost' who indulges in the past-time and her membership of a certain political party to wring another twist out of the laughing stock angle.
To the Gurn the whole lottery involvement in the Olympics is a laughing stock, another giant jamboree for athletes that will probably once again win very little. According to information on the BBC:

'In November, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said the cost of the Olympic Park had risen from £2.4bn to £3.3bn.'

The gurn has nothing against the Olympics but if they were really wanted in London wouldn't the Londoners be holding coffee mornings to raise the cash for them.

And what's the problem with belly dancing? It is just something a few wifies in Nairn like to do and if they got £4,350 to 'perform and promote American style belly dancing', then good for them. Hope they get more dosh and if that puts the future of the Olympics in doubt so be it. Incidentally the Gurn staff gave up buying lottery tickets once in was made known that cash would be going to the London project.

Are the Belly Dancers value for money? We think so but decide for yourself:

Demonstration Save Harbour Street Post Office

Nairn River Community Council
Demonstration

Save the Harbour Street Post Office!

Assemble 1030- 1100
Saturday 9th Feb
At the Courthouse
Then walk down to Harbour Street
and form a queue to use the Post Office

Please tell friends, neighbours, journalists and politicians
and please bring a banner

Back to normal service after blogging overdose

Regrettably the Gurn team have to be busy with other things and although blogging is such good fun these pressing other things must be attended to.  Blogging takes time and commitment citizens but never mind, millions of others carry on where the Gurn can't keep up the pace and as Guido says:

'Conventional journalists in the MSM have shifted from sneering to fearing, from deriding to envying. Technology means that any talented trouble maker with a modem can achieve Karl Marx's dream: ownership of the means of production and distribution. The Internet requires no printing presses, delivery vans, distributors or news stands. No editorial restrictions, no proprietor, no once-a-day news cycle.'

And don't forget Bill is back in full production too although I don't think he will be sharing too many of Karl Marx's dreams.
A final word on the post offices, how about a 'bonfire of the quangos' instead of a 'bonfire of the Post Offices'?

Did Woo Wort take a hit at Christmas?

Further evidence that all is not well on the High Street (not just the Nairn one)? Wooworths refusing to release Christmas figures. No image manipulation this time!

Nairn supermarket situation - how Westminster could help?

Once again the one and only supermarket in Nairn could be up for sale. We need more stability. It is time for Westminster to act. Very soon the government in London may be the proud owners of a brand name that ensures queues at the door.  It would be the perfect solution. Why stop at a bank? Give us what we want and take over all the supermarkets.

As others see us continued 2: memories of 1940's

Click on the pictures to find a slideshoe on webshots that features some pictures of Nairn and thoghts of 1940.  Did you know about RAF Seabank and RAF Grigorhill?

Not only can you lose a Post Office you can lose a Somerfield at the same time

Will we be next?

Some interesting reading to be had if you know where to look. Thanks to a correspondent.

'I am also pressing hard for Balloch not to be forgotten. Residents there lost their post office on a 'temporary' basis 18 months ago when Somerfield disgracefully walked away from their store in the village, leaving staff, customers and the post office in the lurch. The process of selling the store unit — which must surely have great commercial potential — has been tortuous, but Somerfield have assured me that progress is being made.'

So says someone on the a Courier webpage, sorry done my best to find a name but this individual has Charles Kennedy and John Farquhar Munro for colleagues. Dan the man? Looks like more from the LibDem front line in the battle to save our Post Offices! Anyone else doing anything?

Can Cawdor Post Office be saved?

How things might look if the government had the bottle to solve two problems at the same time.

Last minute change of heart by Government could save Nairn Harbour Street Post Office

A vision of the future?

Post Offices and lifestyles.

The Gurn makes no secret that it is a loony-green perhaps left, nationalist leaning piece of irreverence that sometimes enjoys the right-wing libertarianism of the likes of Guido. 
Well in the post-Thatcher world it is hard for anyone to define themselves politically, it has to be admitted that we live in a new paradigm where most politicians look the same and the planet still seems to be dying despite lots of those politicians talking around the subject and flying off to conferences on the subject as frequently as the rest of the population jump on package holidays. 
Anyway, the editorial posistion clarified, or further mystified, the Gurn has noticed that a clash of thoughts over post-offices and dare we say lifestyles has surfaced in the comments of a previous article. We publish them again in their own right for your attention, that is the half-dozen or so regulars and the others that get here by mistake, putting in such searches into google as 'somerfield up for sale'.  Maybe others might want to make comments on the comments.  Cheers

Bill said...

Guilty as charged - I often drive up the Brae, to try and get a parking spot there or in the High Street, usually to visit either the healthfood shop at the foot of the brae, the flower shop in the High Street or the butcher (Brown). On the other hand, if the parking improves when the Somerfield/old Community Centre is redeveloped then I personally wouldn't mind the lost of a through route up the Brae.

As for the Harbour Street PO, I have passed it often, but never crossed the thresh-hold. I use the main PO at the other end of the High Street. As for your idea that we should run any kind of boondoggle business at a loss as a 'public service', I disagree - if it was providing a service for a significant number of people it wouldn't be running at a loss as it apparently is. I want to see less government, not more, and lower taxes - not subsidies for every special interest group in the country.

iright said...

Wow...

so if I want to buy a stamp at my local Harbour Street Post Office I am a 'special interest group'? But maybe I could just drive everywhere as Bill does?

Under Bill's brave new world I hope my house never catches fire (Fire Brigade - loss makers), I never need the Police (Loss makers), my boat never founders (Lifeboats - loss makers).
If air fuel was taxed airlines would be loss makers, and indeed if fuel for vehicles was taxed as it should be Bill too would be at a loss!
Bill stand for government ASAP. There are just so many loss making organisations you could close (Government?!)

Bill said...

Well, dear 'iright' (and I'm sure that can't be your real name - why not?????) if I thought people would vote for my sensible ideas I'd certainly stand! Of course what people prefer are the easy options without thinking of the long-term implications - that's why we've got the crazy governments we have in both London and Edinburgh - and in the case of Edinburgh that applies to pre-/post-May 2007!

I don't in fact drive everywhere in Nairn as I live pretty close to the centre, but it strikes me that a lot of people in Nairn would really rather stop the world and get off - look where this short-termism has got the town with the attitudes displayed toward efforts over many years to redevelop the town centre, something that is very badly needed. As for the Harbour Street PO I have passed it many times, but never been into it; it would appear I am not alone otherwise it would be a thriving business. I make no apology for saying I want lower tazes, smaller government and people do do a lot more for themselves. Yes, there are a LOT of services currently provided by the state that I would wish to see curtailed or abolished and that people could pay for themselves if taxes weren't so high and, more importantly, poorly spent. Having the state do everything is NOT the most efficient way of doing things - just look at the former Soviet UNion or any other formerly-communist country in Eastern Europe.

Finally, 'iright', have a great day!

Post Office Closures - Have your say before the 18th February

Not often the Gurn will praise the Liberal Democrats but word has reached us of their efforts to save the closure threatened post offices and don't forget the one in Harbour Street is due for the chop too. The Liberals tell you what to do about it. More info on their website.

As others see us 1: The Tamed Shrew

The Gurn thought it might be fun to feature some work by photographers who have visited Nairn.Here is a picture from 'The Tamed Shrew'. Here is a link to her series of Nairn Pictures. Some of the scenes we perhaps notice everyday and others we may just miss or take for granted. Kate was here in December 2005.

Video evidence for the debate that will rage for the rest of 2008

Were the fireworks worth £300,000? Well here's eight minutes worth that someone has posted on utube, no doubt the pro and antis will have plenty to say. The Bassman saw everything from a 'privileged position on the balcony of New Century House, he enjoyed it but was concerned about the cost. The money and the fireworks have gone but another form of firworks will continue for a while.

Somerfield up for sale?

Nairnites are no strangers to waking up to find a new logo above the entrance to our one and only supermarket. There is a suggestion however that we could soon have a sense of déjà vu with Morrisons possibly being one of the potential buyers of the company, others names being touted by the Observer are Asda and Sainsbury’s.

‘The expressions of interest are understood to have led its shareholders - a consortium of Tchenguiz, Apax and Barclays Capital - to consider selling the 900-branch business. Any deal could be worth in excess of £1.8bn.’

More here. No doubt the Highland Council are the people to ask about whether this has implications for the town centre redevelopment. Anyway, please, please, please Asda…

Thanks to' it' who wrote in with the link and a fear of Morrisons returning.

Staying at home with an ‘appalling inferiority complex’, or fireworks causing fireworks…

No, the Gurn team will not be going to the show in Inverness tonight to watch £300,000 vanish into the night sky over the course of 12mins. We note that James Hunter has stepped into the fray. Here is what he is quoted with saying in the Press and Journal:

 "I think it's time people in the Highlands and Islands get out from under the appalling inferiority complex that underlies a lot of the moaning and groaning about things like the fireworks on the Kessock Bridge.'

The Gurn fails to see how James Hunter’s intervention will calm things down, the controversy has nothing to do with ‘inferiority complexes’ but with the fact that most of the money for the fireworks came out of the Inverness Common Good fund and many Invernesians think that is morally wrong and perhaps breaks the rules too. It is their democratic right to criticise spending on their behalf if they wish to do  so.
Was Highland 2007 any use? The Gurn hardly noticed it and was not impressed, others are more scathing.

Ministers hail nuclear decision

Ministers hail nuclear decision

'The Scottish Government said it was delighted there were no plans in the pipeline to build new nuclear power stations north of the border.'

Wonder if that would have happened if Labour had won the Scottish election? Lose your post offices but win half a dozen nuclear reactors?

A sign? ...of better things to come for the brae?

A reflection of winter sun reflects from a metal surface at the top of the brae. An omen of the good times to come if pedestrianisation goes ahead or just another false dawn? Like it or not hundreds of cars go up the brae each day, it would be interesting to know where they all go and how many of them seek a parking space on the High Street and what they would do if they could no longer go straight up the High Street. Would they bother anymore? The Gurn has no particular axe to grind but thinks pedestrianisation just wouldn't work.

By the way citizens the Harbour Street post office is on the hit list for closure, you can get a form to register your complaint from the said office. Seems it doesn't make money, then neither do schools and hospitals, will Labour close them next? Gotta pay for new nuclear power stations somehow!