RECESSION? What recession? Former Prime Minister Jim Callaghan cooked his electoral goose when, on his return from an official visit to a sunny holiday destination, a reporter paraphrased his laid-back response to questions on the state of the UK economy as, "Crisis? What crisis?"
I had a touch of the Callaghan's on Monday as I sat, lunching al fresco, in blazing sunshine in the House of Bruar's courtyard. The famous shopping and leisure centre on the road to Aviemore was bustling with visitors, none of whom seemed hauden doon
with worries about the economic depression. However, most of them were retired and perhaps the lucky ones whose pensions and savings haven't been decimated by the collapse of parts of the financial system.
But the recession seemed unreal, under the sun, surrounded as I was by happy consumerism. Yet my reason for being there was to take part in a conference in Aviemore about how sporting activity should be encouraged and developed in Scotland, in spite of an unfavourable economic climate.
After I had done my stint at the conference, including a dialogue between the audience of local authority sports development officers, representatives from sports' governing bodies and many other delegates with a professional interest in sports development in local communities, it was pretty obvious that plans and wish-lists for sports development would require to be more imaginative regarding the use of existing facilities and human resources . . . because the recession is only going to get worse.
In the auditorium of the conference venue, there was no bustle, only the deadly seriousness of working out ways to make sure the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, five short years from now, aren't adversely affected by the inevitable cuts in council spending, for example. For delegates, there was a real recession outside, sunshine or not. Unlike most of the people I saw at lunch, the people at the conference were of working age and many of them were probably a little worried about where jobs would be cut in their councils and organisations.
When BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland wakened me at 6.00am to check my speech notes, I heard the Treasurer of Glasgow City Council suggesting that public sector employees (including MSPs and councillors) should accept a wage freeze. And even though he was denounced by his fellow Labour Party member Graeme Smith, the General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, I felt reassured that I wasn't taking too negative approach to the current challenge of protecting sports development.
If a senior Labour Party councillor is brave enough to admit that freezing wages is a possible defence against the devastation of services threatened by recession, it's time for government and opposition to come in out of the sun and prepare people for the chill wind of unemployment that's being forecast for Scotland. A wage freeze isn't the only option, but there should be a public awareness of the inescapable choices facing public policy-makers.
Councils have already informed the Holyrood government that they won't be able to keep a lid on the Council Tax. We know to expect the details later in the year of which bank jobs will go. There was a report in last week's Evening News of the widespread unemployment in Edinburgh and Lothians amongst professionals, particularly those associated with the housing market. The Bank of England has hinted that sunshine has rotted the Chancellor of the Exchequer's brain, there being no other plausible explanation for his prediction of growth of 3 per cent.
But for people in work, times are not so bad. They're saving a packet on their mortgage, and this week's sunshine, not just on Leith, promises that summer's just around the corner. They might be tempted to believe the Chancellor. They might conclude Glasgow's City Treasurer is a man into whose face the wind always blows. They'd be wiser to save their money, because a hard rain's going to fall.
Respect privacyI've only ever seen Jordan/Katie Price and her soon to be ex-hubby Peter Andre once on TV. The show was shot before their wedding.
Their bad-mannered temper tantrums and undisciplined immaturity irritated me. And yet I really wished them well.
They appeared like two very ordinary people caught up in a cult of celebrity, quite unprepared for the strain of continuing to earn money from nothing more substantial than being famous.
And yet they seemed admirable for the unconditional love and care they both showed towards Katie's son Harvey, handicapped from birth.
Against all the odds, Jordan has become Katie Price, loud but likeable because of her honesty and willingness to work for her wealth.
But neither she, nor her very public marriage should be promoted as an example to impressionable girls. Let's hope editors take her at her word and respect her privacy.
