View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Monday 22 November 2010

Monday 22 November

A bright day, with not much change in conditions. We are under warning for much colder weather by the end of the week, with daytime maximum temps barely above freezing. Those that are reading this in the Pacific Northwest of the USA will probably chuckle as they have now dived below freezing and are having falls of snow.

The Irish Republic is having a cashflow crisis, and requiring a £90bn bail-out from various international money suppliers. Other EU member states, Greece, Spain and Portugal, are in equally dire straits. I am told that Ireland is peppered with unfinished housing schemes which were started, but never finished. Plugging one hole with another do tends to collapse on you at some stage, and that's what has happened here. I remember Ireland being hailed as the Celtic Tiger. I also remember the Arc of Prosperity, Iceland, Ireland and Scotland. Well, we all know what happened in Iceland, Ireland is following suit, and Scotland would have been leader in the pack if the UK government had not bailed out the Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank of Scotland a year or so ago.

More tomorrow.