Temperama

A Skye Bus

The view from an omnibus window.

More on the Isle Of Skye here.

Brown & Patriotism

Fraser Nelson in The Spectator:

"Patriotism has long held a fascination for Mr Brown, and his obsession with ‘Britishness’ is more than a glib attempt to present himself as more than a Scottish interloper. Under Mr Cameron, the Tories have backed away from the theme of nationhood, mindful of the disaster that was William Hague’s ‘foreign land’ speech and the evidence in polls that the public saw the Conservatives’ immigration policy at the last election as suspect and even crypto-racist. So the Union flag is replaced by a montage of green leaves on the Conservative conference stage. The flag and patriotism are discarded political assets which Mr Brown will now pick up and use with a vengeance.

Thus far, his ‘Britishness agenda’ has scarcely swept the nation (the flags waved in England today tend to be red and white, without any Scottish blue). But he is aware that concern about immigration and cultural integration has defeated leftist parties across Europe, most recently in France. In Britain, polls in 2007 rank immigration as the public’s top priority. Yet since the last election, immigration and cultural issues have been the no man’s land of British politics. This has sent Mr Brown’s dowsing rods twitching. There are votes to be found here."

Brown's twitching rods make me twitchy, though. The belief that demanding conformism from immigrants and disaffected minorities while simultaneously speaking of "protecting and extending the British way of life" - the words he used outside Number 10 yesterday - will enhance social cohesion seems to me deeply flawed. It may prove that he can blow a dog whistle and wave a flag at the same time but is unlikely to nourish a sense of belonging to Britain among those inhabiting society's margins, whatever their colour, religion or nationality. Being a good citizen and being patriotic are not necessarily the same thing. (The whole of Nelson's piece is here.)

On Comment Is Free: The Islands & The SNP

My piece on the SNP and the Outer Hebrides, especially Berneray which, perhaps surprisingly, seems to be one of the dryest places in the UK just now.

Mallaig

I got a bit ahead of myself yesterday - an unusual occurrence lately - and so forgot to document my overnight stop in Mallaig, the town at the end of the train ride from Glasgow. Here's the view from the carriage window as I arrived.

I stayed at the Moorings Guest House whose proprietor is a lady called Jenny. At breakfast I chatted with a family that had been touring all over Scotland. One of its older members remarked that all the restaurants and hotels seemed to be staffed by Polish girls. She wondered whether the local girls resented this. I gently supposed that if the local girls had wanted the jobs they wouldn't have been available for the Polish girls to take in the first place. Another member of the group told me he'd been present when Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile. I was - and remain - suitably impressed. After breakfast I headed for the ferry. The harbour - a proper working one - boasts the fine mural below.

The fishing part of the harbour looks like this.

Learn more about Mallaig here.

Gobbing, Boozing & Queueing

The Telegraph asks what Brown's priorities for government should be. A Mr Gilbert Lewis responds:

"Begin process of re-civilising society, namely:

- Prohibition on public spitting, and littering;
- Reduction in pub opening hours, and steep increase in alcohol duty;
- Increase tax allowances to take low paid out of tax system;
- Abandon political correctness for rule of law;
- And encourage queuing at bus stops."

Pick the carrots out of that.

Brown's First Hundred: Day 1

His first speech from the steps of Number 10:

"I have just accepted the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen to form a government. This will be a new government with new priorities. I have been granted a great opportunity to serve my country and at all times I will be strong in purpose, steadfast in will, resolute in action in the service of what matters to the British people - meeting the concerns and aspirations of our whole country.

I grew up in the town that I now represent in parliament. I went to the local school. I wouldn't be standing here without the opportunities that I received there and I want the best of chances for everyone. That is my mission - that if we can fulfil the potential and realise the talents of all our people then I am absolutely sure that Britain can be the great global success story of this century.

As I have travelled around the country and as I have listened and I have learnt from the British people, and as prime minister I will continue to listen and learn from the British people, I have heard the need for change. Change in our NHS, change in our schools, change with affordable housing, change to build trust in government, change to extend and protect the British way of life. And this need for change cannot be met by the old politics.

So I will reach out beyond narrow party interest. I will build a government that uses all the talents. I will invite men and women of good will to contribute their energies in a new spirit of public service to make our nation what it can be.

And I am convinced that there is no weakness in Britain today that cannot be overcome by the strengths of the British people.

On this day I remember words that have stayed with me since my childhood and which matter a great deal to me today. My school motto - 'I will try my utmost'. This is my promise to all of the people of Britain and now the let the work of change begin.

Thank you."

I've a feeling we'll be returning to those words.

EDW: Tony Blair

Red tie, eh?

Over The Sea to Skye

Approaching Armadale from Mallaig.

I hitched a coach ride with those ladies on the other side.

Today On Social Mobility

I've been enjoying the Today programme's series about the slump in social mobility in Britain. On its website it is entitled as Humphrys On Class, and maybe that describes more accurately what it's really about. There are probably several reasons for the diminishing numbers of people moving up the social ladder from modest backgrounds, including rather prosaic ones such as the changing structure of the job market. Part of it, though, is surely the deepening disengagement between the Britain of the prosperous majority and those languishing at its margins. Correcting that disengagement - now there's a priority for the next prime minister.

The Highlands By Train

I didn't enjoy my train ride west from Glasgow through the Highlands as much as I'd hoped. I slept for the first two hours, the train - a bog standard one rather than the historic variety - emitted that unpleasant burning smell and there was a distressing incident when a fellow passenger had an epileptic fit on a platform. But, I did see the famous scenery. And once you get into Fort Willam to Mallaig section, the stations all begin to look like this.

Must try it again sometime.