Hands Across the Border. Unclench your fists?
Close cooperation across the Border is called for in a recent report described
here This coincides with the latest shift in the running poll as to whether Berwickshire should welcome Berwick on Tweed into its Alba bosom-now a massive 54% of readers of the
Berwickshire News think this a good idea. It seems that Huttonian's weekly vote against is not denting the margin
Cooperation in practical ways already exists. The former landlord of the Hoolit's Nest (now The Cross) in Paxton was advised by the Lothian Fuzz to call the Berwick (Nortumberland) Police if he wanted
urgent assistance as in Yobs breaking up the place. Berwick is nearer than Coldstream to Paxton so that makes sense. When our neighbour had a chimney fire in Hutton and dialed 999 the Berwick apparatus was first on the scene beating Duns by a short ladder and dealt with the emergency which involved making a lot of unnecessary mess: Huttonian, the Wife and the neighbour's daughter had doused the flames and put the kettle on. The Dingers were kept out of it-Kirk Lane not supporting two engines simultaneously and went muttering into the night. And as a recent letter in the Berwick Advertiser revealed The Scottish Borders Tourist Office in Kelso advertises the charms of Berwick much more effectively than does the Northumberland lot.
Now that a new unitary authority for Northumberland is being established-with its HQ likely to be Morpeth, Berwick, with its local government offices being rationalised-ie closed, will be out on a limb and might as well look towards Berwickshire as its natural hinterland thus making TD15 a more cohesive unit.
Only the Coldstream Flodden 1513 Club maintains its ancient nationalistic pretensions. 1513 is neither forgotten or forgiven. They
commemorate the Scottish dead suckered into battle by James IV invading England to do the
Francais ensanglanté a favour. Yet bigger minded men than them, about 100 years ago erected a monument on Flodden Field :
To the Dead of Both Nations
Next time their members ride across Coldstream Bridge to nick an (English) sod from the battle ground a Northumberland PC Plod 49 may well put up his large palm in the middle of the bridge, halts the cortege, Coldstreamer, Lass and all, and suggest that they push off hame
To think again.
Thats cross border cooperation for you
And how about an apology for the invasion?
Labels: Berwick upon Tweed, Coldstream, English Scottish Cooperation, Flodden, Hands across the Border
