Brave Airmen Remembered, Cash for Honours debacle rumbles on, Big Bother
Posted on Friday, February 2 2007
Brave Airmen RememberedThis week saw the moving remembrance service at RAF Kinloss where over 2,000 gathered to pay their respects to the 14 brave airmen who gave their lives in Afghanistan.For the RAF community and the wider communities in which these men lived and worked their loss is keenly felt, they were all active in their communities, in sports and many other activities but most of all the loss has been devastating for the wives, partners, children and extended families.The loss of 14 men in one incident is the greatest single loss of military personnel since the Falklands and one that will not be forgotten.Cash for Honours debacle rumbles onIn London the Cash for Honours investigation seems to be getting closer and closer to the Prime Minister with some of his closest advisors being arrested in the ongoing investigation by the Metropolitan Police.Most recently the arrests have included Labour's campaign manager for this year's Scottish Parliament elections.What is most notable about the investigation is the recent change in direction, in that the police now seem to be investigating a potential cover up and even Labour backbenchers in Westminster are no longer talking about 'if' but 'when the Prime Minister is questioned further'.The problem now is that as long as the Prime Minister is hanging on while the investigation continues then that is all that will be seen on the news. Therefore the serious issues that affect constituents in Moray and elsewhere are being ignored by the media which prevents proper debate and progress on the problems that need to be fixed.Big BotherFinally the spectacle of Big Brother has ended, as I suspect, have the career prospects of several of the contestants. There has been much talk of the pressure being put on the housemates and how this can make people act out of the ordinary but, to be blunt, it just doesn't cut it with me. Big Brother has now been running for several years and the contestants should know what they are getting into. Bullying people and giving them abuse, either verbal or physical, because of their skin colour, appearance, nationality or religion is not acceptable in any circumstances and no amount of pleading, crying or crawling by the former housemates should change that. Period.What has been heart warming is the massive number of complaints made by members of the public who find this behaviour equally unacceptable. -ENDS-
Parliamentarians commend work of rescue services
Posted on Thursday, February 1 2007
Moray Parliamentarians Angus Robertson MP & Richard Lochhead MSP have commended the work done by the various rescue services. Their comments come after the release of a statement by the RAF stating that the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC), based at RAF Kinloss, launched aircraft 2,391 times in 2006 and rescued about 1,700 people throughout the UK.The SNP MP for Moray Angus Robertson said:"Having had the pleasure of visiting the centre at Kinloss I know that the complex co-ordination role they play is essential to the safe and speedy rescue of many people every year. The service they provide is arguably the best in the world. "They work extremely closely with all the emergency services including mountain rescue and lifeboat crews to ensure that if people find themselves in trouble they have the best possible chance of being recovered and treated. Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said:"As someone who enjoys outdoor pursuits I always hope that there will be no need to call on the emergency services but it is reassuring that those who would respond if needed are such a dedicated and skilled group of people. "The ARCC at Kinloss do a fantastic job of co-ordinating all the services involved and with last year being their busiest ever it demonstrates the skill required to do the job."Ends.
MORAY PARLIAMENTARIANS ATTEND NIMROD MEMORIAL
Posted on Monday, January 29 2007
TRIBUTES PAID TO RAF KINLOSS CREWMoray's Parliamentarians Angus Robertson MP and MSP Richard Lochhead have attended the RAF Kinloss memorial service (14.00-Monday 29th January 2007)and commemorated Crew 3 of 120 Squadron who died aboard their Nimrod over Afghanistan. Fourteen servicemen died in the accident close to Kandahar on September 2nd 2006. The cause of the accident is still being investigated. The RAF Kinloss memorial service brought together bereaved families, RAF Kinloss personnel, senior RAF commanders, the Duke of Edinburgh and Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram MP. Moray MP Angus Robertson said: "This important memorial event remembered the entire Nimrod crew who died in the service of their country. Moray has been in shock since the accident with the service and civilian community united in grief. Everybody's thoughts are with the families of the victims, especially the many children who have lost their fathers."Moray SNP MSP Richard Lochhead said:"This event reminds us of the risks our service community face and we owe them all a tremendous debt of gratitude. Hopefully the crash inquiry will come to a speedy conclusion and help bring closure to the families and everybody at RAF Kinloss."
|