We had a quiet one, thank you for asking.
We had read about this excellent idea of inviting people round on the big day and charging them for Christmas dinner with us. Two weeks ago we sent out 45 invitations.
We borrowed tables and turkeys and we were going to put our guests upstairs, under the stairs and in the shed. People up and down the country do it. Great idea to make a few bob.
Most people we know here on Lewis were invited. We sent them our bank account details so they could transfer £80 a head, including prosecco and crackers, and asked them to pay by December 1. Sadly, no one was able to make it. Everyone we know seemed to be either working or had accepted other invitations. We learned a big lesson from that. Next year, we will send out the invitations earlier.
Meanwhile, if you would like a pail of leftovers for £20, get in touch. If your pail doesn’t have a breast or a leg, four parsnips, six roasties and six pigs in blankets, you may get a refund. No question.
My question now is whether it snowed in Tomintoul on Monday. Last week, it was being said that would have made it an official White Christmas, as it is the place most likely to get a flurry on the birthday of our lord and saviour. The weatherman made a hash of pronouncing it again. There is no tool in Tomintoul. It is Tom-in-towel. Everyone knows that.
The Met Office now says that, as some snow and rain fell in Aviemore, it was a white one. Really? One swallow doth not a summer make. Is that the actual test?
The generosity of Scrooge was tested in the 1951 film of the same name with Alastair Sim. We had pre-recorded it beforehand, so we slouched watching it after Christmas dinner in our multicoloured jumpers.
Do you remember that bit where the Ghost of Christmas Past opens the window by gesturing upwards? Mrs X was amazed. She said: “They must have had CGI back in the 1950s. Who knew?” I shook my head. Computer generated imaging in the ’50s? I said: “In the ’50s? Actually, they did. That window went up because of CGI, right enough – a cable-grabbing individual.”
WhatsApp with all these untrustworthy politicians?
We also learned in 2023 that trustworthiness in politicians is directly linked to their ability to back up their WhatsApp messages. If they are using the app for official business, that is something they are already supposed to do. Rubbish politicians either can’t be bothered to do that, or deliberately wipe them to frustrate anyone questioning their actions.
Yet, at the moment, there are no consequences for those in power who think they can do what they want. Who would pass such laws? Not rubbish politicians, that’s for sure.
Neither the Scottish Government nor the UK Government seem keen to make it a criminal offence, as it can be in other areas of public life. The reason is, undoubtedly, that they, too, have broken the rules, and possibly continue to break them.
Any politicians or government official who hinders accountability is not part of the solution, but part of the problem
Whether it is disgraced former PM Boris Johnson, Nicola Sturgeon or Humza Yousaf, they all have serious questions to answer. The answers seem to range from Boris saying his messages disappeared and came back but not all of them, to Humza’s excuse that he had already handed over what he had – even if they were not all of them.
Supporters claim these politicos did the right thing by setting their apps to delete messages after seven days in case devices fell into the wrong hands. Interesting defence, except that smartphones nowadays already have safeguards, from passwords and thumbprint verifications to facial recognition.
My own view is that this is a case of bad leadership. Any politicians or government official who hinders accountability is not part of the solution, but part of the problem.
The problem for us all now is how both governments will perform in 2024. The SNP has been in power for so long and its politicians are still bleating for us to give them a chance.
They say governments always leave the treats to the electorate until close to the election. They reckon people will forget how rubbish they have been in the previous years. It’s one disaster after another.
Good grief, it’s New Year on Monday. New year, new disasters.
We must be positive, though. Every year on Hogmanay, when everyone’s counting down the final 10 seconds to ring in the new year, I get up off the couch and stand.
I stand there and raise my left leg and just leave it raised for a little while until the countdown finishes and midnight strikes. That way, I am sure I always start New Year off on the right foot.
Iain Maciver is a former broadcaster and news reporter from the Outer Hebrides
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