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Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Hustings - the Questions asked

Here at Gurn HQ we've done a little work on the video we made last night at the hustings in the URC and we hope to have the first one or two of a series showing the entire hustings up later this evening. The day jobs must come first for a wee while now today but we've had an offer of a bit of help with some superior editing software so maybe we'll have a bit more video content up sooner than anticipated. The questions asked last night got deep below the fabric of Nairnshire political life and  into the core of many issues that have raised their ugly heads over the past five years and even beyond that in some instances. Given Sandown and the Common Good controversies you could even go as far to suggest ugly and festering heads. Just to give you a flavour of the proceedings last night here's the first eight questions that Steven Manders had received from members of the public:


Question 1
What would you do to manage the “feral kids” in the High Street who are so intimidating at night?


Question 2

In the light of newspaper headlines telling us that food parcels are needed for families in Highland Council and in Nairn do the panel think that Highland Council funding is misplaced, for example, supporting a week long soil and  bio diversity event with glossy brochures and questions like what future for the moles of Melvaig.  Should funding be spent on basic needs in the community rather than things that pay high salaries for Highland Council employees?  

Question 3
Are there any of the candidates freemasons?
Do the independent candidates have any earlier affiliations to political parties?

Question 4
What would the candidates do about the fact that the graveyard is running out and no proposals are taking place to actually do something about it, we’re told that there are 18 months left and local Nairn people can’t buy a lair in Nairn.  Would the candidates do something to make something happen quickly?


Question 5
At the public meeting a year or two ago there was a reassurance that the Links school building would be developed sympathetically if it’s to be sold, does this view still hold and what are the candidates view on the sale of the Links school?  

Question 6
Would Nairn benefit from a single community council to argue its case in the face of growing Invercentralism  rather than three separate councils that seem to fail to agree?

Question 7
In one of the election leaflets it said that a new site would have to be found for the library in two years when the lease runs out, is this something which is irreversible and if so where would the library go? 


Question 8
Should the Nairn Provost automatically be the elected member with the most first choice votes or should the idea proposed by former Provost Sandy Park be the choice of the Nairn Community Councils?

Question 8

What would the candidates do to ensure that Nairn retains control over the common good fund and the common good land because of its [???? Missing a word here] significance to the town of Nairn.

Question 8a
Do the candidates support Mr Gilfinnan, the Area Corporate Manager’s, opinion that the matter is now closed unless people are prepared to take external legal action?

13 comments:

  1. Rosemary Young10:23 AM

    Just to change the wording for the second question - What future is there for the MOLES OF Melvaig

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  2. poor show10:47 AM

    Question 9. Was this whole event stage managed?

    Answer. Yes, very much so. Candidates wanted all questions to be placed prior to the event and didn't want any unexpected questions from the floor, well they wouldn't want to be caught out would they.

    Just shows what poor quality the candidates really are if this is the only way they can handle questions from the electorate in a public forum, I wouldn't vote for any of them

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  3. Clipes12:46 PM

    Never trust the folk from Melvaig, they're all splitters to a man

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  4. Trying to be fair to all candidates here so a bit of a limit on piss taking anon.Will contemplate your comment.

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  5. taking THE michael4:01 PM

    Can we have a list of candidates who are still good for piss taking then please? Don't want to be unfair

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  6. assbow4:03 PM

    No wonder young people are seen as a problem if people are going to label them "ferrel"

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  7. Real Venison, right ono5:39 PM

    Aye, oor Graham fair takes the biscuit, mind you he's always trying to butter folk up

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  8. Stewart7:39 PM

    Regarding question number 3, I wonder why no-one asked if any of the candidates were Rotarians, Round-tablers, or members of a golf club?

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  9. Hi Stewart - or members of Nairn Allotment Society for instance :-)
    Still nice to see questions being asked in a democracy and long may they be asked.
    It's all we've got and we must treasure it - well done the URC for providing the venue last night and giving people the chance to ask many different questions of their candidates.

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  10. Heads Up9:31 PM

    Stewart- you forgot the Under The Tablers

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  11. Anonymous10:48 PM

    Liz really messed up the first question, big time! And she never redeemed herself - I was extremely disappointed with her performance. Especially as she seems to be so popular - I can't see why.

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  12. Exiled Expat11:12 AM

    To be honest, none of them really covered themselves in glory, the majority of them are out of touch, are they there for the betterment of the community or the betterment of themselves?

    Yes kids always hung about in groups, but there was fear if the police ever came to your door if they didn't clip you around the ear what your father was going to do with his boot would be much worse.

    Policing in Nairn is carried out in the front seat of a patrol car not by police walking around, you don't need to be in the CID to work out where all of the user age drinking and vandalism takes place, I walk around the river every morning when I am back home and it's plain to see by the trail of debris what has gone on the night before.

    I don't really care what the candidates background is, whether they are a freemason or a cross dresser makes no difference, what they bring to the community and what they do for the community is how they should be judged.

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  13. Screaming Lord Sutch Supporters Club Nairn6:11 PM

    Well done to Exile Pat you have hit the nail in the coffin words well spoken and said. Who cares what background anybody comes from or what orginisation or so called secret society. Who gives anyone the right to judge anyone, and wrongly say so until that person or persons have done so wrong. I think it is so wrong to critisize any one until they have proven themselves for what they really stand for. Lets just see for ourselves what there true colours are.

    ReplyDelete