We speculated recently about the effect of the existing cuts
going through the system and the reports that the public sector has only seen
40% of cuts yet with
the rest (60%) coming down the tracks after this lot. Previous Gurn article "
Nairn Museum Ltd Chairman Iain Bain is quoted in the Nairnshire Telegraph this week: “Our immediate response was to tell the
Provost that if the full extent of the
cuts was imposed we would have to begin planning the closure of the museum.”
Tomorrow Highland Council will vote on the first of the
cuts. We are fast moving towards a world where it will be a choice between
things like museums, libraries, community centres and schools, bin collections,
old folks homes etc. Awful choices will have to be made. Councillors will simply become the agents of austerity
cuts from central government. When you elect a councillor you will simply be
electing someone to implement pain on your community. If you haven’t ever been to Nairn museum
perhaps you should go within the next year or two because there is a good
chance it may close its doors within that time.
Axe half the councillors.
ReplyDeleteSo we're cutting culture from our society. Even our ancient ancestors realised the value of painting and sculpture but forward a thousand years or so and we're planning as to how we can eradicate them
ReplyDeleteHow poor we've become
I read (somewhere) that councils will reduce provision and will become facilitators of services. They will help link groups together and will advise but will be cutting right back on previously expected service. There is a long way to go....
ReplyDeleteAnd yet . . . from January, school meals will be free for all primary 1, 2 and 3 children.
ReplyDeleteIs this intelligent? No.
Currently, those who can't pay, don't anyway. Those who can pay, are unlikely to begrudge their child a school dinner.
Cynical and manipulative politics?
Yes.
Annon @ 10.17PM I couldnt agree more with your statement, if our council didnt waste money on the likes of a notice board that they dont even know where the key is, we are doomed i tell ye , doomed !
ReplyDeleteLocal authorities cannot continue to support everything they have in the past with the severe cuts in public funding ahead thanks to current UK government policies and the fallout from the global economic crash(hardly something we can blame local Councillors for)
ReplyDeleteLocal communities are going to have to get more used to taking things into their own hands - community ownership/trusts is likely be the only way to go to hang on to someof the local resources and amenities we currently take for granted and stop them from being either lost forever or sold to private corporate interests which are unlikely to be local . The good people of Newburgh in Fife have just completed a community buyout of their waterfront area( a site of special scientific interest )to avoid it falling into the hands of private developers. More here http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/local-headlines/newburgh-waterfront-buy-out-completed-1-147488 Community care and children's welfare and education( is always going to take priority for public budgets over culture and heritage - the people of Nairn will have to step up to the plate on this one....