Beachd Ailein

This week a glossy publication from Donald Cameron MSP arrived through my letterbox extolling the virtues of being a Conservative candidate in next May’s Scottish elections.

Mr Cameron listed six subjects of concern he had been involved in recently. All important, yes, but why did he fail to mention the two sectors that face the challenge to their survival caused by Brexit: farming and fishing? Both sectors face severe financial ruin.

On fishing, west coast fishermen rely on rapid transit to get their catches of prawns, langoustines, crabs, lobsters etc to Europe within 24 hours of landing. These vital exports will, due to Brexit, be subject to senseless bureaucracy of red tape before they reach their destination.

Warnings from the fishing businesses all along the west coast have been ignored by the UK Government. Coupled with this are tariffs set as Britain will no longer be an EU member.

Next to farming. Everything points to constant financial hardship. Lamb exports vital for every sheep farmer in Scotland face EU levies of 40 per cent of the value of these animals.

For example prime lambs currently worth £95 to export will near be worth £58. These levels of return will make sheep production unviable. All exports of world-famous Scotch beef will be levied, as will our food and drink exports currently worth millions to the Scottish economy.

In the 2016 EU referendum Scotland voted 62 per cent to 38 per cent to remain in the EU. As everyone in the UK surveys the last minute shambles of ‘No deal or Bad deal’, they must be amazed at the absolute mess we are in.

Our chance of salvation or rescue comes next May when Scotland has a chance to let Mr Cameron realise the folly of his party’s ways.

Robert MacIntyre, Rothesay.

I’d like to commend Ellis Butcher’s article (December 3) concerning tourists in Oban.

As an Airbnb property owner myself, I have been screening all of my guests, to ensure that they are eligible to travel in order to keep the area safe. This has been at a huge financial loss to myself, and is particularly galling when other properties, just a short distance from mine, are still welcoming guests from higher tiers than Argyll and Bute. There is largely no defence for this practice, as Airbnb hosts can check where their guests live. However, I would say that I have experienced guests that lie and/or attempt to conceal they are travelling from a high tier area/England in lockdown two, but it ailean@obantimes.co.uk

Ged a tha adhartas san t-srì an aghaidh Covid 19 misneachail da-rìribh feumar a bhith mothachail air earail eòlaichean gum bi codhiù mìosan mus tèid banachdach air a h-uile neach, agus tron ùine sin thig dhuinn a bhith faiceallach. Chan eil sin gu bhith soirbh idir aig àm den bhliadhna far am bheil sinn uile gu nàdarra togarrach agus dualach a bhith a’ coimhead romhainn le misneachd gu bliadhna ùr. ’S tric a chluinnear clann òga a’ miannachadh gum maireadh àm Nollaige fad na bliadhna, gun mhothachadh gum fàsadh iad gu math sgìth agus theagamh neo-ar-thaingeil air an t-suidheachadh sin ann an ùine gu math goirid.

Saoilidh mi fhìn gur e na tha sinn a’ sùileachadh à ràith an t-subhachais seo, na tha sinn an dòchas a tha e a’ gealltainn gu spioradail agus saoghalta, a tha ga fhàgail cho sònraichte. Bho chionn seachdain bha mi a’ dèanamh coimeas eadar aoibhneas naidheachd soirbheachaidh banachdach a’ choròna-bhìorais agus fios mun t-sìth aig crìoch an Dàrna Cogaidh. Gun teagamh b’ e dà àm eachdraidheil a bh’ annta dhan dùthaich seo, ach dìreach seachdain air adhart agus tha mi a’ sgrìobhadh air latha eile a tha ga mheas mar latha eachdraidheil, agus ’s dòcha latha a bhios glè mhillteach dha Breatann.

Beagan is bliadhna air ais chualas Prìomhaire ùr a’ gealltainn gun lìbhrigeadh esan Brexit taobh a-staigh na h-ùine a bha comharraichte

just takes a few careful questions to unravel the truth. Airbnb hosts are by no means alone as culprits for welcoming such guests. We’re aware of visitors to Seil from Glasgow recently, who had used an Isle of Man address to book with a ‘cottage’ booking firm. To add insult to injury, just yesterday I followed a Swiss car with a roof luggage box, that diligently followed its satnav all the way to Balvicar, Seil. Switzerland, at the time of writing, is a high risk/high infection country.

Irresponsible hosts should be fined, similarly to those holding parties.

Sally Knight, Oban.

The Rest and Be Thankful is better known to the people of Argyll as the ‘Dripping Roast’ meaning good money after bad and going nowhere.

I have studied all the different proposals, many of which could no doubt work at great cost, though I feel my proposal would be the shortest ro dheireadh 2020. Air an claoidh le bliadhnaichean de naidheachdan is deasbad gun sgur mun chuspair bha mòran an dùil gun robh sin a’ ciallachadh an aonta-malairt a bhathas a’ meas deatamach leis an Roinn Eòrpa, ach an-diugh tha e air fàs glè choltach nach eil sin dol a thachairt. An deach an gealladh a thug Boris Johnson a bhriseadh ma-thà? Uill thathas ag innse dhuinn a-nise gur e bha e a’ ciallachadh nuair a gheall e “Brexit a choileanadh” ach an dùthaich a thoirt a-mach às an Aonadh Eòrpach, is nach do gheall e aonta-malairt. Tha cliù aig Johnson a bhith a’ briseadh gheallaidhean agus ged nach do chuir sin bacadh air faotainn gu ruige prìomh dhreuchd phoilitigeach na dùthcha, tha eòlaichean a’ cur air a mhanadh gun dìol e air a sheasamh ma thèid Breatann a-mach às an Aonadh Eòrpach gun aonta-malairt. Mar a tha cùisean an-diugh, is na còmhraidhean eadar Breatann agus a’ Bhruiseal anns na buillean mu dheireadh, tha e a’ coimhead coltach gum biodh aonta sam bith a’ ciallachadh gun cailleadh gnìomhachas an iasgaich a dh’aindeoin nan geallaidhean a fhuair iadsan.

Ach nan tigeadh aonta aig a’ mhionaid mu dheireadh dh’fheumadh na pàrtaidhean poilitigeach eile taic a chur ris, agus nach fhàgadh sin gum biodh iad uile a’ briseadh gheallaidhean dha cuideigin?

and the cheapest option. Why not enter the A83 to the Old Military Road (lower) and keep down to the bottom of the valley and erect a steel structure on pillars, high enough for a rock slide – which, in my life, has never been seen as far down as the burn – to go underneath. Any cattle grazing would be protected in the shelter of pilings from a landslide and sheltered from the structure.

A viaduct or similar construction that joins the A83 around about the Lochgoilhead road in a graduated manner is within the capabilities of graders and other equipment to reduce the angle of the slope at the upper end of the road.

I do recall that they once landed a man on the moon so surely this simple and effective solution is possible.

Bobby Martin, Campbeltown, formerly of Martin Maintenance, HGV

repairs and heavy vehicle recovery.