Good morning lovely people,
I thought I’d lost this email but I found it next to my ferry tickets and Mastercard statement.
What do you think of the local election results? Positive, worse, stalemate, or just interesting to try and interpret the message.
The results show Labour increasing their councils by 5, Conservative losing 11 and SNP increasing theirs by 1. In Northern Ireland, SinnFein won the most seats at Stormont. Liberal Democrats made the most ground in terms of councillors with gains of 223. The Conservatives lost 485. Actual vote share in Scotland; SNP increased theirs by 1.8%, Labour by 1.6%, Greens 1.8% and Lib Dems by 1.7%. Conservatives clearly lost the most by 5.8%. The map here is still very yellow.
(I believe this is correct, if it’s wrong then forgive me, my numbers are telling lies).
There is always much debate if voters at local elections are really focused on local issues or merely sending a message to the national governments.Can or do the public grasp the difference?
I love Sir John Curtice, Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University. He’s as reassuring as apple pie and custard or vanilla rice pudding. Two favourite desserts.The new Jubilee Trifle looks lovely. It might be added to the list. Our version will be available from next week at The Scottish Cafe.
Sir John reminds me of the Grail Knight in Indiana Jones’s Last Crusade. Some chainmail and a crown and you wouldn’t know the difference.Quietly sitting and patiently observing, waiting until the moment of choice presents itself, casting judgement once the mark has been made. You know he knows but wont share.
The hero (all of us) travel through the maize (life) to choose the Holy Grail (the politicians) who are going to present us with eternal life (best case is more like a slightly better life).We’re given a whole range of different options. It’s only once we’ve made the choice, and turn around (trying to escape), do we find out whether it was a good or bad decision.Sir John sits like the last knight; as he gets older he gets wiser. Somehow I don’t know if we, the heroes, are getting any smarter. Or is it that the cups that are presented are even more difficult to choose from?
With a cost of living crisis hitting home for most, making the right choice has never been more important. Very few cups are running over. With 100 Partygate fines being issued at Downing Street there was no shortage of overflowing down there. Perhaps more interestingly (I’m trying to not show my partiality which in truth I don’t even know any more) the decisions that have been made may fix a different journey for our nation. Would you be surprised if Ireland’s future was set to return to a united country? Any attempt by the PM to scrap Northern Ireland protocols will be a waste of the paper they are written on and probably push any borderline doubt well over into the Irish Sea for good. Are the SNP correct and the results are heading Scotland to independence too or are the results just giving the Conservatives a wake up call? I almost wish that the local and national elections coincided. It might help us focus our thoughts more clearly.
Great news if you’re going on holiday to the EU as masks in airports are now no longer recommended. Shame we’ll be stuck in the non EU queue at passport control but we can’t have everything.
Is there any chance that the Chancellor will check his numbers and the government issues a U-turn with a windfall tax being charged to the oil and gas sector? Something big needs to happen. Jamie Scott, owner of the New Port Restaurant, announced on Twitter that his annual electricity bill had increased from £17K to a sweat-inducing £90K. How can anyone or any business cope with this sort of increase? The domestic challenges are very real. More so for our poorest families.The business challenges are equally very real for hospitality, transport, retail, agriculture and manufacturing. Again it’s those manual labour sectors that seem to be getting pulled over the hot coals yet again. Ireland has extended its 9% VAT rate for hospitality businesses, providing a massive support to sustain recovery. Why our government isn’t taking similar steps is beyond understanding. If I was an American or even more relevantly a European, thinking of travelling to experience celtic hospitality, Ireland would be a much easier and cheaper option. Hills, lochs, good food, whisk(e)y and a warm welcome. Was Brexit not supposed to help us be more competitive? It looks like Ireland has got their cups in a row on this point.
We’re cleanerless at home. Sundays are now housework day. Victor’s great with a hover.Moving the bathroom dresser I wasn’t shocked to find an inch of dust but the long lost scales gave me a moment’s anxiety. I weighed myself for the first time in over two years. OUCH. We can try and convince ourselves with the statistics, but there are some numbers that can only tell the truth.
Keep well and keep strong.
Thank you as always for all your kind words and support.
Carina
CANNONBALL RESTAURANT & BAR
The new May menu is our best yet.We look forward to sharing with you.
Dinner Wednesday to Saturday 5.30pm – 8.30pm and lunch on Saturday 12.00pm – 3pm
Our cosy bar is open Tuesday to Saturday from noon serving light bites withfantastic cocktails and drinks.
To read an article aboutthe most iconic places to enjoy a cocktail in Scotland (Yes, we’re on it) click HERE
THE SCOTTISH CAFE & RESTAURANT
Join us at The Scottish Cafe & Restaurantfor breakfast, all day brunch,
lunch, Afternoon Teaand coffee and cake 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
CONTINI GEORGE STREET
Tomorrow’s Italian order brings the first of the new season soft fruits.Apricots.Delicious.We’ve alsogot the very very specialnew seasonBasil leaves from Genova for the best pesto we can make.
Very exciting.Breakfast and Lunch 10.00am- 3.00pm, Dinner 5.00pm – 9.00pm
Come and join us on the terrace as the sun is starting to shine.
