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Stunning

Snow may have gone from the Three Towns, but heavy falls on Arran last week provided a spectacular background to Ardrossan’s South Beach.

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Old Ardrossan

We are grateful to the reader who sent us this photo of an old Ardrossan postcard.

Photos on the card are captioned: ‘The Castle’, ‘Arran from North Bay’, ‘Esplanade & South Beach’, ‘North Shore’ and ‘South Beach from the Castle’.

Cars parked on the sand in the ‘North Shore’ photo appear to be from the 1930s or 1940s, but if anyone can provide a more accurate date for the postcard, we’d like to hear from them.

gossip@the3towns.com

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Expenses criticism

One day last week the Herald newspaper carried a letter from a member of the public who was concerned about the level of public money used to pay the expenses of officials from two organisations, Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) and the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT).

The letter writer criticised the “excessive expense bills,” and claimed the public money used to pay the expenses had not produced “any tangible result”.

Who was the letter writer? None other than Mrs Margie Currie, Independent councillor for Ardrossan & Arran.

That’s the same Margie Currie referred to in the article, below, which appeared in an October 2009 edition of the3towns.com:

“A councillor elected to represent Ardrossan & Arran has recorded attending just three meetings in the local town (Ardrossan) over a 13 month period.

“Over the same time-span, Arran-based Independent Margie Currie has submitted mileage claims to North Ayrshire Council that indicate she has driven the equivalent of almost 2 ½ times round the island - every month.

“In expenses claim forms submitted to the local authority, Mrs Currie, who voted to allow demolition of Ardrossan’s historic Customs House and supported the erection of a mobile phone mast next to Stanley Primary School, listed only three engagements in Ardrossan - one Community Council meeting, another with Cunninghame Housing Association and one recorded simply as ‘Ardrossan Civic Centre - housing’.

“Meanwhile, the former Conservative councillor, who has a history of voting with the Labour administration, claimed for covering 1,710 miles on Arran, netting her £843.03 from the public purse.”

Well at least Cllr Currie certainly knows what she’s talking about when it comes to “excessive expense bills” for no “tangible result”.

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Michael Foot

The death last week of Michael Foot, at the age of 96, really did mark the end of an era.

Mr Foot is often remembered simply for leading the Labour Party to electoral defeat at the 1983 General Election, or for wearing a donkey jacket while laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in London. However, Michael Foot was a hugely intelligent man, a great public speaker, and a passionate campaigner for social justice.

In addition, throughout his long political career, Michael Foot stood by his principles and refused to compromise the right of the working class to have work, decent housing and access to healthcare at the point of need.

Michael Foot was the last socialist leader of the Labour Party. Following the election defeat of 1983, Foot was replaced by so-called ’modernisers’ who abandoned the founding principles of the movement and remodelled it into the Tory Party Mark II that we have today.

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Oh dear!

Last Wednesday night, BBC3 broadcast a version of the political panel programme Question Time.

The difference from the normal programme was that this one was aimed at first-time voters. It was hosted by the X Factor’s Dermot O’Leary and featured youngish MPs from the three main British Unionist parties - Labour, Tory and Lib Dems. Also on the panel was a former winner of Sir Alan Sugar’s Apprentice show, comedian Rory Bremner and singer Jamelia (pictured above).

The two main points to emerge from the programme were that Rory Bremner made the most sense and delivered the most telling political arguments, while Jamelia revealed why she should steer clear of political programmes and stick to singing pop songs.

At one point the 29 year-old singer told the audience, “I don’t take much interest in politics, but I do remember that when I was growing up Mrs Thatcher was for the working class.”

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Why the difference?

Britain is again flexing its muscles over the Falkland Islands, telling Argentina to back-off in relation to its claims on the land it calls the Malvinas.

Notwithstanding the fact that Britain claiming sovereignty over islands located off the coast of Argentina in the South Atlantic is like the South American country claiming Arran, there seems to be double standards in the British argument.

Last week Sir Mark Lyall Grant, Britain’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated that the British claim to the Falklands was “underpinned by the principle of self-determination as set out in the UN Charter.”

So that’s clear, then. The people of the Falkland Islands have the right to say whether they want to be British or Argentinian, and that right to ‘self-determination’ is enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Scots do not have the right to say whether they want to be Scottish or British. British Unionist political parties have made clear they will vote down the SNP Government’s proposals to hold a referendum that would allow the people of Scotland their right to ‘self-determination’.

Why the difference? Simple….oil.

Scots don’t get ‘self-determination’ because they might choose to be Scottish and take their oil with them. However, the Falkland Islanders do get ‘self-determination’ because they have already said they want to be British, meaning Britain will get control of the oil reserves that lie under the Falklands and in adjacent waters.

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What you lookin' at?

It's  a bad state of affairs when a boy can't even have a bath in peace.

Scottish Icon of the Week

Nominated by Fiona Cameron of Ardrossan, this week’s Scottish Icon is Gregory’s Girl.

Last week saw the cast of Gregory’s Girl come together in Glasgow to mark 30 years since the film was made.

Released in 1981, Gregory’s Girl was a ‘coming-of-age’ comedy set in a Cumbernauld school.

Starring John Gordon Sinclair as Gregory and Dee Hepburn as Dorothy, the female star of the school football team, the storyline centres around Gregory’s awkward attempts to attract Dorothy.

Finally, after a string of unsuccessful attempts to get close, Gregory takes the advice of his 10 year-old sister and gets round to actually asking Dorothy on a date.

He is surprised and delighted when she says ‘yes’, and he turns up ‘under the clock’ at the shopping centre…only to find that another girl, Carol, arrives instead of Dorothy. She tells him Dorothy can’t make it, and persuades Gregory to buy her chips.

At the chip shop, Carol leaves and is replaced by Margo, another girl from school. Having got their chips, they go for a walk, eventually meeting Susan, yet another girl from school, at which point Margo leaves.

By this time Gregory is completely confused, but Susan explains that she likes Gregory and that everything has been arranged by her pals, including Dorothy. In a lesson for Gregory, Susan says, “It’s just the way girls work. They help each other.”

So Susan and Gregory go on a date - which ends with her walking him home!

Susan was played in the film by Clare Grogan, who went on to pop stardom with Altered Images, before returning to acting in the 1990s.

Gregory’s Girl was one of a string of successful Scottish comedies filmed by Director Bill Forsyth, including That Sinking Feeling, Comfort and Joy, and Local Hero.

What were you doing when these were number 1?

It's said that music can transport us back in time.  Hearing a particular track can instantly remind us of what we were doing when it was orginally a hit.  So, on that basis, have a nice time remembering what you were doing when these songs were hits in this week of 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000.

No. 1 this week in 1960 - Poor Me - Adam Faith

No.1 this week in 1970 - Wandrin' Star - Lee Marvin

No. 1 this week in 1980 - Atomic - Blondie

No.1 this week in 1990 - Dub Be Good To Me - Beats International

No.1 this week in 2000 - American Pie - Madonna

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Where am I?

Thank you to everyone who entered last week's 'Where am I?'

The clue, below, shows Falkirk footballer Darren Barr - who will join Hearts at the end of this season.

The first person to spot we were looking for Barr Street in Ardrossan was Mark Halliday of Saltcoats.

This week, the clue is the photo, below:

We're looking for a street in the Three Towns, but which one?

Answers to: gossip@the3towns.com

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Where is it?

Again, thank you to everyone who entered last week's 'Where is it?'

Having revealed more of the building over three weeks, the first correct entry came from John Macdonald.  The photo shows housing on the corner of Quay Street and Bradshaw Street in Saltcoats town centre (above King-Avinou Travel Agents).

This week, we'd like you to tell us where in the Three Towns the photo, below, was taken:

Answers to: gossip@the3towns.com

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