It was the best of times; it was the worst of times....according to conflicting stories in this paper last week.
On one page we had SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson saying Ayrshire and Arran Health Board were great because they had one of the best A and E hospital waiting times in Scotland. Yet, on another page, we had Conservative MSP Jamie Greene decrying the health board because they have about the worst waiting times for appointments in the country.
Now, doesn’t that sum of present day politics. Revel in the seemingly good points of an issue, but ignore the bad; or pinpoint the weakness but cast aside the caveat.
The more elections and referenda we have (and, boy, aren’t we heart and stomach sick of them) the sicker we all are of politics, unless you are a politician paid out of the public purse, of course.
Now, let me be controversial here (why change now) and say that, yes, I probably could have been elected in the recent North Ayrshire Council poll for four local seats. Sorry to my adoring fans...both of you.
Indeed, I was asked by one party in recent times to stand for Westminster, but I reckoned there’s already too much ‘pensioner’ power there already.
I finally decided not to stand for the council as we are mired in yah boo politics and you have to really like doing all that finger-pointing and shouty stuff. Life is too short...well, for me it probably is. And, anyway, you can do all that stuff at meetings of Largs Community Council, without the party politics of course.
The idea of being an MP did have some appeal and I was correct in my assessment that SNP incumbent Patricia Gibson’s jaiket is on a shoogly peg with a greatly reduced lead to young Tory rival David Rocks. Patricia, wife of SNP MSP Kenneth (what do you mean you didn’t know) was the third choice Nationalist candidate first time round when the other two preferred candidates dropped out.
I notice that Mrs Gibson has been scaremongering that if Brexit goes ahead we’ll all lose out on the new free roaming charges for mobiles. A warrior queen, getting to the nub of Euro issues.
Like most folk, I don’t care if the government has a majority of one or none let them carry on and leave us election free till at least 2021....when the Scottish Parliamentary shindig will start all over again.
Pacem vobiscum.
A conversation overheard in Irvine Road, Largs......or, was it in Fairlie Main Street?
“Did you hear that noise that’s inaudible the other night?”
“Naw.”
“Aye, well it was excruciating. It made me dizzy and kept me up all night.”
“Oh dear; what did it sound like?”
“I don’t know. You can’t actually hear it.....but it makes me sick.”
“Did you see the doctor about it?”
“Yes, but you know what these health experts are like. They had the nerve to tell me there was nothing wrong with me that a psychiatrist couldn’t fix.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Well, I’ve written to the council to say that it’s those multi-million pound wind turbines at Hunterston that is creating the inaudible noise and they should pull them down.”
“And, do you think they’ll stop Britain’s first ever land-based tests for what could be a great breakthrough in renewable energy offshore wind turbines, funded by some of the world’s biggest enterprises.”
“I think it’s a no brainer. I mean there’s at least a handful of us in the local population of 20,000 who suffer from hearing the inaudible noise.”
“Aye, right.”
In the space of a week folk in Largs were able to listen to the famous Glasgow Phoenix Choir, attend one hundred musical gigs in Largs Live and marvel at the immense talent in the Academy’s blockbuster ‘Rock Of Ages’ show at Barrfields Theatre where local volunteers run the show.
We live in a cultural mecca. I can’t wait for the 24th season of summer theatre of music and comedy being staged at Lounge between July and August. We’re spoiled in this wee town.