Musings from the Merse
Friday, October 09, 2009
On the Wagon
As you might imagine the top story in this week's Berwickshire News which you can read here is about the Great Pipe Burst and the 5000 households without water for, in some cases, up to 10 hours. Does not quite rank with recent natural disasters in the Far East and other foreign parts or an average afternoon in Bangladesh but quite a little stirrer by local standards
Perhaps I am a bit unreasonable in finding this section from the article from our MSP, John Soundbite Photo Opportunity Lamont a trifle irritating:
The MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, John Lamont, whose family were affected by the burst, is calling for those who were affected to be duly compensated.
Speaking to The Berwickshire News on Tuesday, he said: "This fault has been a major inconvenience to thousands of Berwickshire residents and I am pleased that the water supply has now been restored.
"I know the affected area well as it is next to my parents' farm and I have been contacted by a number of local residents who were concerned about the situation."
John added: "Scottish Water have a responsibility to maintain their system and I think they should consider whether compensation would be appropriate for people who have either sustained damage to their property or have been inconvenienced by this problem."
Am I alone in this? Is his pleasure to note that the water supply has been restored the faintest of hints that he might have been somehow responsible for this happy outcome? Or am I being a bit paranoiac? But I do find his call for compensation a bit crass-he is never far behind a potentially popular band wagon and likely to climb on a few more as the election approaches. I would doff my cap to him if he had the grace to congratulate Scottish Water on handling a major event with speed and efficiency. Burst at 7am-back on (for most people) at 4pm is a pretty impressive piece of work.
Off the band wagon and on to the water truck. Come on John, you can do it.
Scottish Water employees are voters as well
And if there is to be compensation for inconvenience, how much for a futile visit to the Coop in search of bottled water and not being able to turn our washing machine on for half a day? That's Third World for you
Labels: Berwickshire Pipe Burst, Great Burst of 09, John Lamont, Scottish Water
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Taking a Butchers. Might be a vote in it
Is it just Huttonian who is getting a bit fed up with seeing our Tory MSP all over the place? Energetic is one thing but omnipresent is something else. Has the man nothing better to do than to be visible where ever you dare to look-I bet there are many editions of the Berwickshire which carry half a dozen pictures of the guy. Take the one above-opening of a butchers shop in Duns, or to be more accurate reopening of an existing business under new ownership. Did the Tories bring this about? Was it a Lamont initiative? What is it to do with him?
I suppose the Tribunes of the People feel they have to keep themselves in the public eye. If its not a soundbite (And I don't think I have ever heard him speak) it has to be a Photo Op. And all on top of his weekly self congratulatory column in the Berwickshire.
Give it a rest John. Wait until the election for goodness sake. And please stop sending me volumes of party political bumph.( I suspect at my expense)
Admittedly make better stove lighters than the Guardian. But Mr L I am not going to read it so cross me off your list.
Please
Labels: BBC. Broadcasting House. Duns, Butchers, John Lamont, Tories in Scotland
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Reston : the last Shufti. Hopefully
As seen from N13 on a glorious warm Autumnal day sense reigns supreme amongst the sun kissed voters on the Berwickshire News 'Issues' Poll
Should Reston station be reopened?
Yes [2.7%]
No [93.8%]
Don't Know [3.6%]
So apart from John Lamont and Big Jim F who has voted yes? Must be a number as each vote changes the percentage by .1 . Which equally shows that a very large number are voting no.
Power of the Blog?
Or common sense?
(The image, thank you Hutton Think Tank, Photos and Fish Section, for this mock up image from their Report : Reston Station: Gateway to Berwickshire: Predicted usage.
The title of the picture : 0800 Monday Rush hour. The figure who has just arrived has not been identified )
Labels: Berwickshire News, Big Jim Fullarton, John Lamont, Reston Station
Thursday, August 07, 2008
RESTON STATION THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES
Nothing much seems to have changed on the 'reopening' of Reston Station since we moved to the Borders over 11 years ago. The first house we looked (rather a crummy one but dirt cheap) was in Reston and the selling point was that the station was to open 'imminently' Even if no ham sandwich bar was on offer. Since then it has been a photo opportunity for a number of local politicians wanting to ride a (locally) popular bandwagon The latest jaunt by the highheidyins of RAGES (Rail Action Group Eastern Scotland) plus the MSP- John 'Photo-op' Lamont and more promisingly the Scottish Transport Minister, who proudly announced that this was his first visit to Berwickshire.This historic event is fully covered in the e-Berwickshire-front page in the hard copy as well in the absence of a cute -collie-eats-lamb story.
All the usual warm words were said about how nice it would be for Reston and East Berwickshire to have its own station-saving driving all of 12 miles into Berwick or a bit more to Dunbar. And surprisingly the SNP minister made no reference to the idea of having Scotland's Immigration and Passport control next to the Sandwich Bar on the up platform (17) But once the well wishers and publicity seekers had been chauffeured away the whole glittering vision boils down to the Berwickshire's own headline:
ECONOMIC CASE FOR RESTON STATION NEEDS FURTHER WORK
You can say that again.
So I will
ECONOMIC CASE FOR RESTON STATION NEEDS FURTHER WORK
(The image is an artist's impression of platform 17 at Reston Station. The train awaits immigration clearance-thanks to Hutton Think Tank Vision and Media section)
Labels: John Lamont, RAGES, RESTON, Reston Station
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Rah For Reston
Mr John Lamont (pronounce;lemon with a t-not tea with lemon)our energetic in-your-face MSP, a Tory to boot (no pun intended) keeps in touch with his faithful via the Mound of Information column in the Berwickshire News. A feature used by his LibDem predecessor as a commentary on what was happening in the Scottish Parliament and not primarily as a Party Political Puff as (ab)used by Mr L. Young John climbs onto every bandwagon in sight, reflecting what he gauges as the popular mood-this week for example he is supporting a community buy out of Coldingham Youth Hostel-good-no dumping (but recycling) of old analogue TVs-very good and bring back Reston Station. 'Its a shame ' says he that trains hurtle through Berwickshire and 'there is no station to serve the local people' So bring back Reston with its famous no ham sandwich facility.
The fact is that Berwickshire is hardly a hub of urbanised society. Further West the Waverley Line, that monument to public money waste on a grand scale, is to serve the main centres of population : Galashiels, Melrose, St Boswells etc. And here in depopulated Neutron Bomb Alley in the East we already have a very nice station at Ber Wick. OK, its not (yet) in Berwickshire but it is just as able to serve the more populated areas of Eastern Berwickshire like Eyemouth (9 miles from Berwick) as Reston a mere 3 miles closer to Eyemouth, but in time little difference). Whilst around us in the Fishwick Conurbation Berwick is the natural choice for a main line service. Duns too, given the differing quality of roads is almost time wise as close to Berwick as it is to Reston. And Berwick with its shops and other urban facilities is a more sensible home for a rail station than one horse, shop less, bankless Reston (assuming someone can find the horse)And further north Dunbar should be the station of choice and it is only just out of Berwickshire.
So Mr L should ask himself is a station in Reston a really cost effective public service solution or just another, locally popular (give the horse a vote) lost cause for a politician on the make?
The image is from Hutton Think Tank 'Heritage' Files. Labels may have been confused (as often happens in the HTx2 archives) but it said to be Reston Halt before Dr Beeching did for it.
Labels: John Lamont, Mound of something, Reston Station
