Friday 3 June 2005

BBC hails "the Community"

At first glance this looks like welcome news:
A community group is to buy two Highland estates after securing the £2.9m price tag with hours to spare.
But when we reach the fourth paragraph one notes a reference to the "Land Reform Act". My suspicions were raised just a wee bit at this point. All the way down in paragraph thirteen we get to the nitty-gritty:
It raised the money through a number of individuals and groups, including £1.6m from the Scottish Land Fund and £600,000 from Highland and Island Enterprise's (HIE) community land unit.
So when we read about the "tremendous job in raising so much over a very short period" and "what the community has achieved in pulling together this amount of money" and that "The Assynt Foundation is to be congratulated on its commitment and determination in raising £2.9m" what has really happened is that at least 75% of this purchase (sic) has been made with other people's money. That's to say people like you and me who would love to go off to visit Assynt but are too busy working for a living as well as subsidising the lifestyle of others.

None of this would occur to the BBC of course because it is funded in a way that is remarkably similar to the Assynt "Community".

1 comment:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

David Farrer
Harry: 
 
I would guess that Gleneagles is about equidistant from Glasgow and Edinburgh. But Edinburgh is the capital and is probably likely to attract more protestors than would the other place.  
 
Sandy: 
 
Yes, the big demonstrations will be in Edinburgh.

4 June 2005, 16:57:40 GMT+01:00
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Sandy P
All I heard was G8 and Scotland.

4 June 2005, 16:27:41 GMT+01:00
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Sandy P
Ack - I knew they were around there somewhere.

4 June 2005, 16:27:15 GMT+01:00
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Harry Powell
Why on earth do they want to come to Edinburgh to protest against the G8 summit? Someone really should tell them Glasgow is closer to Gleneagles

4 June 2005, 10:17:34 GMT+01:00
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Sandy P
Ok, ok, peasants made good and broke out of the class system.

4 June 2005, 02:06:21 GMT+01:00
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Stuart Dickson
Bob Geldof a peasant? The man is very wealthy, as will be many of the "protestors". I am sure that real poor people would love to be able to afford a wee holiday in our country. 
 
(I was going to say "the man is worth millions", but realised that that is not a truthful statement.)

3 June 2005, 22:16:34 GMT+01:00
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Sandy P
OT: 
 
So, you lucky devil, you, you're going to get invaded by 1m great unwashed peasants? 
 
Wait until you see the mess they leave behind.

3 June 2005, 17:27:27 GMT+01:00