Getting an Orr in

I am sure we all wish Janie Orr the best of luck in her chosen career as a politician-here I am heavily dependent on a Berwickshire News article which you can share here She says that she is following in her mother's footsteps and whilst reiterating our best wishes we sincerely hope she has more success than her indefatigable mater who must be one of the most unsuccessful politicians in the Borders. Yet to win anything in any election at any level and I doubt her chances of doing any better as the SNP candidate for Westminster -presumably standing when Mr Brown throws in the towel.

Janie is quoted as saying "I got interested in politics through my mum" Well she certainly started with the basics when her mum was out canvassing: the Orr children handed out the bumph while the candidate sat in her car. Or so my Paxton friends tell me. She certainly never made it to the top of Kirk Lane in Hutton but I did get her handouts-child delivered. Perhaps Mrs O felt that the locals knew her well so why bother to put in a personal appearance and press the flesh. Here she was right enough: she failed to get in against much less familiar opponents.

Well here is the junior Orr in a parliament already. A first for the family. A youth assembly is better than none. The article fails to mention her party label. ff she is not joining the SNP, well done Janie.

You deserve to go far.

Labels: Borders Politics, Mrs O, SNP

  ¶ 7:58 PM (11) comments

  Partying in the Borders
Huttonian does not normally do politics and the UK political scene seems not to impinge much on our rather remote life in the deepest Merse. Community Councils are normally apolitical and although our Scottish Borders Councillor, under the old system an ex-officio member of the CC, is a Tory he has never sought to thrust Conservative party doctrine down our throats, even if he knows what it is. For that relief much thanks: Big Jim Conundrum. And down here Embra seems as remote as Lunnon as far as government is concerned and Newtown St Boswells is also on a distant planet; in practice most of our dealings are with Duns-and the majority of those with the Planning officials.

Having said that I was nevertheless persuaded (by that rara avis, a fellow Borders Blogger) to attend a meeting of the Borders Party in Duns. This is a brand new organisation and was formed not long before the last Local Council Elections and succeeded in getting two councillors elected-see http://www.bordersparty.org.uk/-but only in the Galashiels and Melrose areas-nothing in either the central or eastern Borders; hence the meeting in Duns to spread the word and encourage support.

It is I think worth supporting as a party with a small p. If you want British troops out of Iraq don't involve the BB. But if you would like a more efficient service from the Scottish Borders Council bureaucrats, hope to stop the foolish proposed Waverley Line, keep Reston Station firmly closed, oppose inappropriate development, stop the whole scale closing of all except the most massive schools, and other issues which the bigger nationwide Parties can't be bothered with in an area where the voter base is fairly insignificant in the wider scheme of things. In other words a ginger group. And to make any serious impact on Borderswide policy it needs to be represented outside the Borders 'urban heartland'of Melrose/Galashiels/Newtown St Boswell. If it can bring 'Independents' and 'Greens' into its fold it could have a chance of being the biggest political organisation on the SBC.

It already is having an important irritant effect on planning judging from a fellow councillor who apparently accused the BB members of being super Nimbys-or in the more memorable description, BANANAs : Folk who are against Building Anything New Anywhere Near Anything. Perhaps not a very accurate description of BB policy but a compliment in my book. Thanks to the massive influence of the major supermarkets on food producers it is now accurate to state that what ever else you might have against Bananas they are at least

straight.

Labels: Bananas, Borders Party, Borders Politics

  ¶ 8:44 AM (1) comments