Sunday, 31 January 2016
Friday 29 January
Today, we had a severe gale with stormforce gusts, which took its time to abate through the day.
Buildings gone
Had a browse through Google Streetview, with imagery of Stornoway dating back more than 6 years. Came across a number of buildings that have since been pulled down.
Nicolson Institute
Shell House, Shell Street
Shellfish Factory, Shell Street
Smith's Shoe Shop, Kenneth Street
Nicolson Institute Shell House, Shell Street Shellfish Factory, Shell Street Smith's Shoe Shop, Kenneth Street
Wednesday, 27 January 2016
Denmark
Like most European countries, Denmark has been subjected to a large influx of migrants fleeing the upheavals in the Middle East, southwest Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The country feels overwhelmed by the flood of people, and has reinstituted border controls on the sole land border it has, with Germany. There are also more stringent checks on the border with Sweden, at the Øresund bridge across the sea strait between the two countries.
Yesterday, the Danish parliament approved measures that grant police officers powers to seize valuables from migrants, if valued over £1,000 and not of sentimental value, to pay for their keep in Denmark. Whilst acknowledging that the current situation is unprecedented, and outwith any experience of such an inflow in recent times, I have serious reservations. Put it bluntly, to my mind it is daylight, state-sponsored theft and robbery. Never, ever, have migrants into any European country been forced to hand over money to be able to stay. The migrants that are flocking into Europe usually have had to pay thousands of dollars for their passage across the Mediterranean, in leaky, rickety, unsafe craft, donned with lifevests that (in some instances) help you sink, rather than keep you buoyant in the water.
As I have written before, the current migrant crisis has to be resolved internationally, involving all parties involved. Not just the European Union, but also Turkey, Russia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya (and other countries from which people flee). Turkey has turned a blind eye to the floods of people passing through its territory en-route to Greece. Russia is exacerbating the Syrian crisis by supporting the dictator Assad by bombing his opponents, under the pretext of fighting Daesh. Within a few months, weather conditions in the Mediterranean will improve as spring arrives. Unless something is done, 2016 will become a worse repeat of 2015. It will jeopardise the lives of the migrants, threaten the stability of Europe - something that would benefit nobody.
Yesterday, the Danish parliament approved measures that grant police officers powers to seize valuables from migrants, if valued over £1,000 and not of sentimental value, to pay for their keep in Denmark. Whilst acknowledging that the current situation is unprecedented, and outwith any experience of such an inflow in recent times, I have serious reservations. Put it bluntly, to my mind it is daylight, state-sponsored theft and robbery. Never, ever, have migrants into any European country been forced to hand over money to be able to stay. The migrants that are flocking into Europe usually have had to pay thousands of dollars for their passage across the Mediterranean, in leaky, rickety, unsafe craft, donned with lifevests that (in some instances) help you sink, rather than keep you buoyant in the water.
As I have written before, the current migrant crisis has to be resolved internationally, involving all parties involved. Not just the European Union, but also Turkey, Russia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya (and other countries from which people flee). Turkey has turned a blind eye to the floods of people passing through its territory en-route to Greece. Russia is exacerbating the Syrian crisis by supporting the dictator Assad by bombing his opponents, under the pretext of fighting Daesh. Within a few months, weather conditions in the Mediterranean will improve as spring arrives. Unless something is done, 2016 will become a worse repeat of 2015. It will jeopardise the lives of the migrants, threaten the stability of Europe - something that would benefit nobody.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2016
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Migrants
A surge of the desperate, or a surge of desperados. How many villains in that piece.
The Turks? For standing by and doing nothing, most likely profiting from it to an unimaginable degree.
The French? For standing by and doing little about the Jungle Camp, the successor to the camp at Sangatte in the 90s and 00s, and allowing the UK-bound migrants to congregate there, jeopardising the lives of all involved, including their own.
The EU? For falling apart and falling out in ostensibly formulating a response to the flood of people - and never speaking with one voice.
EU should go back to being the EEC, an economic trading pact, rather than a failed attempt at political unity. Another summer like 2015, and the EU will cease to exist, and David Cameron doesn't need to hold his in/out referendum, as all member states will be headed for the door.
The Turks? For standing by and doing nothing, most likely profiting from it to an unimaginable degree.
The French? For standing by and doing little about the Jungle Camp, the successor to the camp at Sangatte in the 90s and 00s, and allowing the UK-bound migrants to congregate there, jeopardising the lives of all involved, including their own.
The EU? For falling apart and falling out in ostensibly formulating a response to the flood of people - and never speaking with one voice.
EU should go back to being the EEC, an economic trading pact, rather than a failed attempt at political unity. Another summer like 2015, and the EU will cease to exist, and David Cameron doesn't need to hold his in/out referendum, as all member states will be headed for the door.
Bulbs coming on nicely 
Thursday 21 January
Over the years I've been in Stornoway, I have amassed 1,790 photographs of wargraves, or private gravestones referring to people being lost in wars. Although they are neatly annotated on the Scottish War Graves forum, they are not on my Flickr feed. So, I have a job on my hand to clarify which pic refers to whom, as the inscriptions on some of them are poorly legible.
Tuesday 19 January
A bright, sunny morning, but the clouds slowly moved across after lunchtime. The sun had just gone when I pictured the ferry at the terminal, around 1.45pm. The mainland mountains are clad in snow.
Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Monday 18 January
After the morning clouds drew away, we were left with glorious winter sunshine, which showed the town up in its best.
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