Beachd Ailein

I read with interest Angus MacDonald’s Around Lochaber column in the Lochaber Times of May 28. Angus is a competent businessman whose commitment and generosity to Lochaber is clearly seen. While I disagree with his conclusions, his piece is thought provoking and a useful contribution in giving a local perspective on the national debate. No one should underestimate the adverse effects of lockdown on physical, emotional, economic and societal health.

However I do wish to pick up on two points Angus made. Firstly contained within his quote attributed to Edinburgh biologist Professor Richard Ennos is the proposition that ‘an appropriate policy is the targeted shielding of those who chose to be classified as vulnerable.’ I find this choice of language unhelpful. Prof Ennos’ primary academic interest is in the study of plants.(1) Many Lochaber residents will have received official shielding letters on account of medical conditions such as cancer, severe asthma, organ transplantation or treatment with powerful medicines which suppress the immune system. I know there will be many within this group who would feel they have little choice in being particularly susceptible to the serious effects of coronavirus.

Secondly, Angus contends that the Scottish Government was too slow to impose lockdown and also too slow to release restrictions. I have a degree of sympathy with the first contention. However in terms of releasing restrictions we must proceed with utmost caution. Returning to normal too early carries significant risk. It is worth pointing out that on 23 March (when lockdown was first imposed) the average daily number of new cases over the preceding week was 47. In the week leading up to 25 May that daily average stood at 61. (2). If the government were on the tardy side in imposing lockdown they would be foolish to release restrictions any more than they have done so given current number of cases.

Like most of your readers I long for a return to a more normal Lochaber summer. This does however need to be done at the right time; the Scottish Government are right to ‘ca’ canny’ on this one. (Dr) John Wallace, Banavie, Fort William.

In his Around Lochaber column, Angus Macdonald bemoans the lack of a timetable in editor@obantimes.co.uk

Cluinnear tric faclan eadar-dhealaichte Gàidhlig air rud neo gnìomh àraid air choreigin, a’ nochdadh beartas cànain anns na h-atharraichean beaga sgìreil sin. Àm buain na mòna agus san sgìre dam buin mise bhiomaid a’ breacadh uachdar a’ phuill an toiseach a’ gearradh sìos le spaid mun tèid gearradh fodha, agus an uairsin ga rùsgadh, ach fiù ’s ann am pàirtean eile den Eilean Sgitheanach cluinnear bruidhinn air a bhith toirt an sgrath dhen pholl, neo ga fheannadh. Bhiodh sinne a’ buain le “iarann mòna”, cuid eile le “toirsgian” agus nuair a bhiodh uachdar nam fàdan air cruadhachadh bhiodh sinne gan “togail”, feadhainn eile ga “rùdhadh”. Bhithte cuideachd “a’ rùsgadh” chaorach, neo gan “lomadh”, is bha feur ga “ghearradh” is ga “ghabhail”, agus meadhan an fhoghair bhiodh arbhar, neo coirce, ga “bhuain”. Deireadh an fhoghair bhiodh buntàta ga “bhuain”, neo ga “thogail”.

Chan ann a-mhàin sa Ghàidhlig a tha leithid seo de dh’atharrachaidhean a’ tachairt, agus tha fios gum feum a h-uile cànan ùrachadh, a’ cruthachadh fhaclan agus abairtean ùra ma tha e gu bhith buan ann an saoghal a tha a’ gluasad fad na h-ùine. Bidh sibh mothachail air faclan a’ nochdadh ann an Gàidhlig nach aithne dhuibh, agus aig amannan cluinnidh mi fhìn caoban mòra Gàidhlig nach eil mi gann a’ tuigsinn! Ach sin adhartas a dh’fheumas tachairt agus fhad ’s a ghlèidhear bun-stèidh a’ chànain a bh’ ann

the Scottish Government’s plan to exit from lockdown. Of course there isn’t a timetable – how could there be when each step depends on the success of the previous stage? The plan is a sequence, not a programme.

Whether businesses in England are being encouraged back to work is irrelevant; the vast majority of people in Scotland are endorsing the Scottish Government’s cautious approach. Coupled with that scientists and clinicians advising the UK Government are now very concerned that the relaxation in England is going too quickly which may result in a second wave.

While Mr Macdonald cites a cost to Britain of £250 billion much of that is in loans. The cost of grants under the job retention scheme is likely to be £80 billion by October which is a fraction of the £1.2 trillion provided to the banks after the 2008 crisis. We need to look at these things in context. cuiridh briathrachas ùr an tuilleadh beartais ris. ’S i an dùbhlan as cudromaiche dha faclan ùra gun gabh luchd-labhairt a’ chànain riutha is gun tuig iad an ciall.

Bho àm gu àm anns a’ ghàrradh molaidh mise flùr air choreigin is thèid innse dhomh gur e tha sin ach luibh! Dè an t-eadar-dhealachadh eadar lus is luibh? Cò cho-dhùin gum bheil an dàrna planntrais math is am fear eile dona? An e dìreach cùis cànain a th’ ann, cùis cèille? Mar a tha sinn a’ faicinn gach latha tha sàr eòlaichean-lagha a’ dèanamh fortan à argamaid ciall chùmhnantan is sgrìobhainnean laghail far nach eil ciall nam faclan sgrìobhte cho soilleir ‘s a dh’fhaodadh iad a bhith. Ach nuair a thuirt riaghaltas na dùthcha ri mòr-shluagh Bhreatainn gun robh còir aca fuireach aig an taigh gus sgapadh a’ Choròna-bhìorais a bhacadh, agus gus beatha dhaoine a shàbhaladh, thuig sinn sin agus rinn sinn mar a dh’iarradh oirnn.

Cionnas ma tha a b’ urrainn dha càraid fhoghlamaichte, agus dithis aig am bheil làn-thuigse air poileasaidh an Riaghaltais air an iomairt an aghaidh Covid 19, ciall eadar-dhealaichte a ghabhail agus siubhal còrr air trì ceud mìle ann an Sasainn? Doirbh a chreidsinn nach eil, agus pailt cho doirbh a chreidsinn gum bheil am Prìomhaire agus Buill a Chaibineat a’ dìon an fhear a rinn sin!

Allan Campbell, ailean@obantimes.co.uk

It’s easy for any of us to fish for statistics that support our argument but the eventual emergence of accurate international data on seasonal excess deaths will be the acid test of how this crisis has been handled in UK. Until then, the consensus seems strong that countries like the UK and the US locked down too late, perhaps by three or four weeks. Don’t blame that on the First Minister.

Rather than concluding the column in a litany of inaccuracies it would have been better to have been correct. For example, the Scottish testing and tracing programme is up to speed, differing financial support has been adopted to recognise the different nature of the Scottish economy and allow more sectors to benefit. The NIKE conference story has been debunked some time ago and it’s wrong to suggest otherwise – contact tracing always centres on the index case and their defined contacts which didn’t involve