View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Thursday 23 April 2009

Thursday 23 April

After a very windy night, the winds had subsided a little. But we're back to force 6 again. Overcast but not too cold (12C / 54F). Temperatures in southern England are expected to peak at 21C / 70F today, so a bit of a contrast across 600 miles. Not much doing out here - local council aims to switch off streetlights to fill potholes. Lateral thinking will resolve that the money saved on lights can be used to purchase potholl filling machine. Another project is to sure up a seawall in the town which is crumbling under the effects of "pounding waves". Well, actually, the area of harbour it fronts is quite sheltered, but the wall in question is past its best.

I am not inclined to comment too much on yesterday's Budget (bore, yawn); the politicians concerned have laid an egg over the past decade and it has hatched into a bit of a firebreathing dragon. General election due in 2010, which makes all the predictions seem like the start of the election campaign. Putting a few names to it, Labour have been in power since 1997 and are running out of steam. Much like the Conservatives had run out of steam after 18 years in power by 1997. British politics always shows a pendulum motion from Labour to Conservatives. Neither of them are any good in my perspective.