Disasters

NO, not these two chaps - the Taggart actors called in to North Edinburgh Arts Centre last week to help launch the latest leg of the government's 'Cash Back for Communities' anti-crime initiative which returns the ill-gotten gains of drug dealers and the like into the communities they destroy. I was hoping for a headline like 'Taggart stars murder Rolling Stones classic' but the truth is they didn't - 'The Boss' gave us a very good 'Halleluyah' and a more than passable 'Not Fade Away', while his sidekick was more than happy to play a supporting role once again. All good fun, enjoyed too by government ministers Linda Fabiani and Kenny McAskill.

Disaster is an over-used word, but there's no doubting the scale of the carnage caused by the recent natural disasters in both China and Burma. What's interesting is the way in which these countries have reacted to offers of international aid. China - still one of the world's most insular nations - has allowed access to foreign press and appears at last to be taking small steps to becoming part of the wider world community. Of course there are still all the outstanding problems of human rights abuses, but if anything good can come out of this truly awful tragedy it's that China will see that the Western world isn't the Big Bad Enemy it has always been portrayed as. Yes, the sceptics will say the Chinese attempt at openness has more to do with the forthcoming Olympics than any new found trust but we can only wait and hope ...
In Burma, though, the military junta remains resolutely aloof while thousands of tons of foreign aid waits in vain for access. For these mysterious men the ideological war has never gone away, and if their people must suffer and starve to death in their tens of thousands - so be it. If ever there was a time for the United Nations to show it's teeth this is it - this is a time for actions, not lengthy resolutions, however well-intentioned.

Disaster is a word often used in a sporting context too, and this week we had the spectacle of tens of thousands of 'loyal' (sorry, couldn't resist it) Rangers fans making their way down to Manchester for the Eufa Cup Final.
The Manchester authorities did their best to make it a jamboree occasion for the Rangers fans but the end result of the Fun Day was over 40 arrests, widespread damage, one Russian fan stabbed and a number of police officers battered, two at least captured on horrifying video footage.
Perhaps Greater Manchester police thought they would be dealing with a vast horde of Tartan Army supporters - friendly people who wear 'see you Jimmy' hats and kilts, sing jolly songs and get happily drunks before heading for home (usually after a gallant defeat). A sizable minority of the Rangers support is just not like that, however. The songs they sing are rather more sinister, and many 'supporters' who attach themselves to the club on big occasions like this are after only one thing - trouble. Scotland has yet to grasp the continental cafe culture idea, and twenty-four hour drinking is a recipe for - if not disaster, then at least serious disorder.
Yes, the failure of a giant screen was undoubtedly a real pain, but do you think the reaction of the 'fans' would have been the same if they had been drinking tea all day?
And another 'disaster' looming? It appears that despite having redressed the 10p tax rate issue and effectively (well, as effectively as is possible when there are huge disagreements)closed down the arguments over a Scottish referendum, the government is still staring defeat in the face in Thursday's Crewe and Nantwich bye-election. A disaster? Again no, but Gordon Brown doesn't have his troubles to seek. The Prime Minister addressed the General Assembly last week, and as a 'son of the Manse' I'm sure he found a more supportive and sympathetic audience there than he has at any other event over these turbulent few months. Perhaps the prayer is for Divine Intervention now ...
And finally, disaster averted (but only in my tiny wee micro-world, and not a real disaster - just a nuisance really ...). On Thursday my anti-virus software was corrupted - nothing I had done, it just happened. Computers are great when they work - aren't all machines? - but I've had a couple of days spent hunched over a keyboard trying to recover files in a race against time - can I fix it before the malicious viruses get to work? Well, it's Sunday afternoon and it's sorted at last, with no obvious damage done. Your correspondent is safely back on-line once again, to the relief of thousands.
No disaster this week either at the Edinburgh Unionist Club's annual general meeting on Monday. It was expected to be a pretty poisonous event - there has been a lot of ill-feeling between opposing cliques. However the anticipated aggro failed to surface and it turned out to be a fairly constructive meeting. Against my better judgement I took on the role of Secretary - work I don't need but I'll do my bit to ensure calm waters for at least the next twelve months.
Other meetings were less positive, and there are storm clouds gathering over the NEN's future funding through Fairer Scotland - more on this next week, but whatever happens I will avoid calling it a disaster.
Farewell.