Opinion Archives - Page 25 of 136

Whistle Blowing At Aberdeen City Council

Aberdeen City, Events, Opinion 43 Responses »

May 192016

By Scott Shaw.

I was the longstanding Insurance Officer at Aberdeen City Council and had held that position for nearly 17 years. My main duties were the running of a small insurance section which handled all the councils insurance claims such as pavement slips/trips, road pothole claims, council motor fleet accident claims, fire and employers liability claims etc.

Part of my duties also involved liaising with council insurers over insurance issues/covers which also involved insurance tender work at 5 yearly intervals. I am a fully qualified associate of the Institute of Risk management.

During March 2012 I had very good reason for believing that wrongful activity was occurring on a key insurance policy used to insure the high value art collections of Aberdeen Art Gallery and this activity had been longstanding.

The value of the Art Gallery collections are huge and at March 2012 was £240 Million. I blew the whistle, which is more accurately defined as making a public interest disclosure under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. I was suspended immediately after doing so.

The wrongs concerned key insurance covers.

The disclosure activated the Councils Whistle Blowing Charter which fell under the responsibility of the former Head of Legal & Democratic Services and a formal investigation was conducted by the Councils internal auditors, Price Waterhouse Coopers.

I met with PWC on 25th June 2012 at PWC’s Aberdeen office where I presented further evidence regarding the wrongful conduct of the underwriting unit of the Councils insurers, Zurich Municipal.

The concern I raised was that a letter from the underwriters, in response to my request for clarification, presented information which was (to put it mildly) inconsistent with the terms of the actual active insurance policy in that it sought to reassure that theft was not limited to ‘forcible or violent entry to or exit from the premises’.

No such assurance is apparent in the pertinent section of the actual policy.

My suspension lasted an entire year which is incredible to say the least and at the end of that year I was dismissed and handed a PWC investigative report, the contents of which I considered to be inaccurate and in parts unfounded. This report was then used by the Council at Tribunal Court in Aberdeen where I firmly believe it misled a court and denied me fair judicial hearing.

The report was unfairly weighted against me and included what I consider to be inaccuracies with regard to the content of emails and time events. The most worrying aspect however, was the omission of the aforementioned letter from the underwriter, despite this having been examined by the report writer, which was key to my case.

The writer of the report was also allowed to destroy all the supporting e-mail documents he alleged to have examined in his report (thus removing an audit trail) which contravenes documentation retention surrounding fraud / whistle blowing investigations.

It has taken me literally thousands of hours and extensive use of the Freedom of Information statute to validate the disclosure and to expose the activities of PWC with regard to this matter. The covering up of wrongs is highlighted itself as being wrongful activity under the Protected Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

Based on all the evidence I have gathered and studied, it is apparent to me that, for decades, Aberdeen City Council had been diddled out of fire insurance cover on what is effectively the largest fire insurance risk north of Edinburgh.

If that was not bad enough this activity went right around the UK with Councils up and down the Country not having fire insurance cover on their high value art collections.

The FOI returns I have show that over 95% of UK Councils had inadequate fire cover.

There were other wrongs on the arrangement dating back to 2003 including wrongful activity in relation to specific covers including the important theft cover.

It took me over 2 years to produce a 160 page investigative report into the matter which validated the disclosure and on 9th November 2015 this report was presented to the Chief Executive Officer of Aberdeen City Council and the Deputy Provost who sits on the Councils Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee.

In late December I had managed to arrange a meeting to discuss the report and during this meeting (which included Councils Head of Legal ) the Deputy Provost suggested the Police should be notified due to the nature and historic matters concerning the insurance arrangement.

The months ticked by and after several prods and chase-ups, I received a nine line e-mail from the Council’s Legal Head and a four line letter from the Councils Chief Executive Officer declaring their satisfaction with the insurance arrangement and the Price Waterhouse Coopers report – this outcome being contrary to discussions at the meeting of 20th December 2015.

I have now taken the matter up with the head of complaints at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants (Cipfa) who are the professional body of the PWC Senior Manager (who carried out the PWC investigation/report) and also the CEO of Aberdeen City Council. For any interested reader, Cipfa publish the findings of misconduct/ethics hearings on their web page which is www.Cipfa.org

A recent Freedom of Information enquiry I sent to all 32 Scottish Councils indicates that for PIDA whistle blowing cases in local government approx 70% find no wrongs.

It is my firm belief that this figure is far too high and likely to be due to extensive nullification/turning a blind eye/cover ups of said disclosures.

I have presented my case to members of the Scottish Parliament and requested that the Scottish Parliament look at the matter. This they failed to do back in 2013 when a Public Petition was raised in the Scottish Parliament specifically concerning possible cover ups of whistle blowing disclosures. This petition can be seen on www.scottish.parliament.uk under PE01488.

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SNP’s Alternative Queen’s Speech Welcomed By MP

Aberdeenshire, Opinion 1 Response »

May 192016

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford

Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has welcomed the release of the SNP’s Alternative Queen’s Speech at Westminster, saying it offers “a real alternative to Tory austerity.”

The Queen’s Speech today will highlight the Conservative Government’s legislative agenda for the coming year, and will likely include increases to tuition fees at English universities, and a weakening of the prerogatives of the Lords – where the Government has suffered a string of recent setbacks.

Speaking in advance of the Speech, Dr. Whiteford said:

“We now have a situation where the UK Government has failed to meet its own targets on key economic indicators. Debt, deficit, borrowing, productivity, innovation, trade, exports – you name the target, the Tories have missed it. Austerity has choked off economic growth – and the UK’s trade deficit is now at its worst position since 2008.

“The upshot of austerity is that, inevitably, it’s the poorest in society who pay the most. We’re calling for a modest – 0.5% – increase in public spending, which would help mitigate the worst impacts of austerity, and boost economic growth.

“The only way to tackle the deficit is to grow the economy, and it’s a lesson this Government has singularly failed to take on board. Choking off investment when it’s needed most is economic madness.

“With Labour mired in in-fighting, the SNP represents the only real alternative to a Tory Government. We want a fairer country, and that’s what we’ll keep fighting for at Westminster.”

Other proposals in the SNP’s Alternative Queen’s Speech include:

measures to boost exports
a Fair Tax Bill to crack down on tax evasion
a real Home Rule Bill, including devolution of social security, corporation tax, broadcasting and resource management
reform of Westminster, with replacement of the House of Lords by a democratically elected second chamber
an end to arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

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Whiteford: “Government Owes WASPI A Fair Hearing”

Aberdeenshire, Opinion 3 Responses »

May 162016

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford

Women campaigning for fair pensions ‘deserve a fair hearing’, according to the SNP’s Pensions Spokesperson, Dr Eilidh Whiteford. The comments come following a meeting between MPs and campaigners representing Women Against State Pension Inequality.

WASPI represent thousands of women born in the 1950s, who have now been hit twice by increases to the retirement age.

To date, the UK Government has announced no compensatory schemes for those who will lose out as a result of the changes.

While the SNP believes that the state pension age should indeed be equalised, the party has criticised the manner in which the UK Government has implemented its changes, in the face of significant opposition from opposition parliamentarians and civil society.

Speaking after the meeting with WASPI campaigners at Westminster, Dr Whiteford said:

“It is profoundly unfair that these ladies have worked their whole lives, only to be told that their retirement age is being raised not once, but twice. They deserve a fair hearing from the UK Government.

“The UK Government has railroaded these changes through parliament without heeding the real impact this will have on women born in the 1950s. Stephen Crabb’s statement to parliament seems to indicate that there’s still no change whatsoever to the Government’s position.

“Constituents affected by these changes should be assured, however, that I and my fellow SNP MPs will continue to keep pressure on the Tories to look again at how these changes are implemented.”

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Aberdeen 0 Ross County 4 – Pittodrie Stadium 15.05.16

Opinion, Sport No Responses »

May 162016

Ross County ran rampant against a poor, and in some cases inexperienced Aberdeen side summarises Voice reporter Andrew Watson.

In terms of the pitch, it looked not too bad after some drizzle which thankfully, didn’t persist.
This rain though, did highlight some of its imperfections but these were only slight. Marked improvement from pitch conditions in recent months.

‘In The Shadows’ by The Rasmus played over the tannoy.

Was this implying Aberdeen were, under manager Derek McInnes, no longer just merely scraping top six finishes? As the game turned out, you would be just aswell dedicating the song to the Staggies.

Anyway, there were boos as Willie Collum’s name was announced as referee. This was to some extent true for ex-Don Ricky Foster who appeared for County on the bench.

Deceased Red Army veteran Norman Goldie had his caricature resurrected from the Hearts game on Thursday night, though appearing at the Dick Donald Stand, and not his native Merkland Stand. The former also had a card display akin to those previously mentioned odd socks the super fan was so fond of. Again, Angus The Bull also sported that sock combination.

Kenny McLean, come the game proper, came close after good linkup play with Jonny Hayes.

Captain for the day, retiring Don Barry Robson was then caught looking for a free kick.

Debutante keeper, Aaron Lennox, not long later, performed a full stretch save.

Keeper down the away end, Scott Fox, came in with some heroics too. He did spill the ball, though this was safely in front of his own back four.

Robson later weighed in with superb sliding challenge to help Aberdeen retain possession.

Niall McGinn headed down a cross; but this was straight into the keeper’s arms.

Following this was a well deserved corner after an Aberdeen advance. Nothing came of it

Again, Aberdeen came close as McGinn, like McLean, wasn’t too far from converting a layoff.

There was then a drinks break which saw Aberdeen kick out of play and, in turn, almost score.

Lennox disappointed with a poor kick out down the other end after his under pressure defence passed it back. Simply no composure from the man between the sticks, and it was indicative of a scrappy game so far.

His name was to crop up again as he took down a County forward for a penalty after busy scenes in the box.

This was converted only 23 minutes into the game via Brian Graham.

0-1 Ross County.

Between this and the Hearts game on Thursday, the common denominator was poor goalkeeping.

Aberdeen seemed to be getting brushed aside in the middle of the park too. Willo Flood found himself wiped out; though, thankfully, won a free kick. McGinn appeared later to cross the ball, but found the delivery touching the top netting.

Shaleum Logan, down the other end, headed back to Lennox, diffusing the Staggies threat.

Scott Wright then almost found himself in a crossing position, but was hassled into conceding a goal kick instead. He got it next time though. Then came another corner.

McLean won a free kick without even going down. It was encouraging he soldiered on and played advantage.

McGinn put in a more promising cross, this one looking to be the delivery for an emphatic header. No dice.

McLean then, strangely, went down this time, but wasn’t awarded anything.

County pounced again just before halftime.

0-2.

The finish, a remarkable overhead effort by Alex Schalk, was a hard one to swallow.

Halftime 0-2.

‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley and the Wailers, played during the intermission. With its, “every little thing’s gonna be alright”, it seemed laughable. Was this because, really, the game was inconsequential?

After the break Ross County came with a clever free kick. It was the right idea, just a tad too high and over the crossbar.

Wright then almost, down the other end, caught out keeper Fox, but like County in the previous run of play, off the mark.

Flood, perhaps satisfying those bored, and perhaps resigned to a Dons defeat, came in with some banter for the fans. He basically bumped into his opposite number, and following this looked like he was wanting a scrap.

Lennox seemed to make amends for the penalty, coming out for a ball that looked a dead cert to be yet another goal for the Dingwall side. Very brave.

County fired in a driven shot that almost beat Lennox.

Ashton Taylor further complicated manners with a hard ball to teammate Logan, from a short distance.

McGinn was taken off in favour of Cammy Smith; and Joe Nuttall was put on for Robson. Both substitutions were made after 59 minutes.

Schalk then beat Flood and was unlucky with his shot.

Down the other end, there was a superb switch from McLean on the left, right up to Logan on the right, in a further advanced position. Nothing came of it, though.

Fox then came with an unbelievable save to deny the Dons a goal.

Liam Boyce, attacking the opposite goal, had a nightmare miss. In retrospect, his teammate should’ve pulled the trigger; instead of opting for the passback.

Boyce made up for it however. He smashed an emphatic header into the net after 68 minutes.

0-3.

“Easy, easy, easy!”

Scott McKenna was taken off in favour of Daniel Harvie after 71 minutes.

Harvie, tracking his man, homed in too quick and ended up falling on his backside. He ended up not paying too highly for it, though.

Fox made another remarkable save to push out for a corner; the latter of which came to nothing.

Harvie cropped up again with a woeful pass in attack.

Martin Woods punished the woeful Dons, scoring after 78 minutes.

0-4.

Having said that, the ball then somehow avoided the County net.

This was followed by some goalmouth action, or lack of it, in terms of converting from the final third. The ball crossed County’s entire box with no end product.

Hayes came pelting in and delivered a fine ball into the box. This went out for a corner, which was swatted away.

Robson was given a customary man of the match award, and one additional minute of play was added. No point extending the pain?

Final score: 0-4.

Reflecting on the game, perhaps it was good to blood the youngsters; but bad to subject them to such a demoralising team performance?

Aberdeen 0 Hearts 1 – Pittodrie Stadium 12.05.16

Opinion, Sport No Responses »

May 132016

Aberdeen looked set for stalemate until Hearts cruelly pounced upon a rebound, says Voice reporter Andrew Watson.

In terms of the pitch, it looked the best as it had done in a long time, it didn’t even look patchy in the fine sun.
‘All These Things That I’ve Done’, by The Killers, proved a curious choice for over the tannoys. Was this conveying regret at missed chances, beating the big Bhoys twice at Pittodrie yet dropping points to minnows when least expected?

However, it was, indeed, rousing when the middle section, “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier” kicked in. The latter, perhaps, urging to forget all that’s past and finish on a high?

Late super fan, Norman Goldie, had banners unfurled for him in front of the Merkland Stand, as news was announced of his ‘retired’ seat in that very stand, following his death. This seat is half red, half white, like his famous odd socks, with a gold plaque of his name in the middle. The banner itself was a portrait caricature, the other stating, “Norman Goldie, R.I.P.”

It was good to see Hearts fans, seemingly, applauding in tribute too. Even mascot, Angus The Bull, was wearing, in the signature style of Norman, odd red and white socks.

Onto the game proper, Aberdeen quickly won a free kick after a tussle for the ball.

A fortuitous throw was also earned in the Dick Donald Stand and South Stand corner, but this came of no consequence.

Both teams were, so far, lumping the ball into the air, perhaps not realising the advantages of keeping it on the deck.

Winger Jonny Hayes absorbed a collision and chased the ball doggedly, meting out as much as he was given.

A ball was then whipped into Heart’s box, but the move was left unfinished.

Down the other end, defender Andrew Considine was urging keeper Adam Collin to calm down after the latter’s distribution put the big man under pressure.

This was followed with some good link up play in the final third, instigated by captain Ryan Jack. Again, they came very close barely seconds later.

Soon after, wing back Shaleum Logan should’ve, opted for the headed pass back to Collin. Instead, he headed out the box, and the subsequent ball was picked up by Hearts, but nothing came of it.

Then it was the Hearts backline under the cosh, but the low delivery was swatted away.

They, in turn, raced into Aberdeen’s box and were unlucky not to punish the Dons.

Logan completed a subsequent defensive mop up, as Hearts put them under pressure in their own box. Not long after, he made amends for earlier on with a headed pass back. Good call.

Opposite keeper, Jack Hamilton, was forced into a save, but it was quite a tame effort.

Hayes earned a free kick for his side, seemingly barely a yard from being a penalty. The resulting penalty went over the bar.

Niall McGinn then drove in a low effort, though nobody was there to make it pinpoint.

Hayes cropped up, again, firing into the box and earning a corner with a deflection.

Down the other end, a cruel Hayes deflection nearly gifted the Jam Tarts.

Later, newbie Scott McKenna cleared his lines well as his Hearts counterpart homed in on goal.

Logan came in, in a subsequent move, with a vital touch to a goalward ball which Collin pushed out for a corner. He stamped his authority on the set piece, rising above all to catch.

The ever present Hayes was belting into the territory of the Tynecastle men, and was, perhaps, unlucky to not force his opposite numbers into a penalty situation.

Ashton Taylor, in turn, snuffed out Hearts’ advance.

McKenna then headed out a threatening ball for a throw in.

A tame effort from Logan, down the other final third, went straight into the arms of Hamilton.

Collin, meanwhile, was caught out with a bad clearance, nearly gifting the Tynecastle side a goal.

Considine, not long after, came in with an expert foot to the ball, defusing Hearts and going out for a throw.

Collin went onto spill a ball but wasn’t, thankfully, in play at the time.

Halftime 0-0.

There was a really early corner for the Dons, but nothing came of it.

On the other hand, a Hearts advance appeared to get home crowd plaudits with some silky skills indeed.

McGinn then lofted a perfect ball right down to the feet of Hayes. Again, nothing came of it.

Aberdeen became very fortunate to have a clean sheet after a defensive lapse, though the attacker hit the ball sky high.

At the opposite end, there was some excellent last gasp defending from Hearts. McGinn couldn’t quite beat his man for a cross into the box.

Following this was some poor link up play between Taylor and Willo Flood, gifting the ball to the Jam Tarts.

Hayes, as ever, was amidst it all with a rocket of a free kick, which deflected out for corner. Hearts came with an excellent header out and away from the box. Barely seconds later, the ball glanced past the post, as it dipped and came down.

McKenna, in the other box, played it risky with Collin, as the latter was forced into a rash clearance.

Flood then made a similar move, but Collin had slightly more time to respond.

McGinn, in the other half, was unfortunate not to catch the Hearts keeper sleeping. The latter was being a tad lazy with the ball at his feet.

A Hearts free kick was then saved, but then the rebound went in after 64 minutes. Until then, most would’ve honestly thought it could only end as a stalemate, or perhaps Aberdeen maybe nicking a goal given their possession in the final third.

0-1 (Abiola Dauda).

Captain Jack, not long after, appeared to be trying to shrug off a knock, limping ever so slightly.

McKenna was taken off, with Cammy Smith coming on after 71 minutes.

As an aside, there were jeers in the Merkland Stand for a steward removing a bobbing, soccer style beach ball.

Hayes, the main man for the past few games, came in with a few balls into Hearts’ box, all of which were batted away.

Graeme Shinnie in turn potentially set himself up for a goal scoring opportunity.

Juwon Oshaniwa provided another light moment when soaking up (ahem…) glory from the South and Merkland Stand corners. He’d, previously in the game, attained a reputation for dubious throw ins. At least he could laugh about it, as they say.

Joe Nuttall was then put on, in favour of Flood after 81 minutes.

Earlier substitution, McKenna, was announced over the tannoys as man of the match. There was also to be three minutes of additional play.

Logan’s ball into the Hearts box defied everyone, and a shame because the delivery could’ve instigated a perfect equaliser.

Maybe better a better keeper would’ve kept a clean sheet for this one? Moments in Motherwell game seemed to attest to that. At least the Dons would’ve stood a chance of rewarding the Red Army with a superior points total to last season.

Final score: 0-1.

Neale Bothwell On His Paintings

Aberdeen City, Opinion No Responses »

May 132016

Neale Bothwell is one of several artists who exhibit at Under The Hammer on North Silver Street. The candlelit venue has hosted many group shows; Neale and I have been in group shows together there before, organised by local artist and WASPS studio member Keith Byers. This is Neale’s most recent exhibition at UTH. Suzanne Kelly interviews the artist.

SK – ‘There are 6 new pieces and one print which was exhibited in 2007. The work is abstract expressionism with bold colours dominating.’

NB – “I painted the new ones between last November and February this year. I found myself in a more workmanlike mode. A bit of discipline and structure to my approach. Normally I’ve tended to paint when it has felt… right like the right time. When everything is in place.

“There was intensity to it. A more structured approach seems to have allowed me more freedom and a different kind of tension.”

We talk about the colours in the paintings.

NB – “I’ve always been fascinated by the way certain colours act with and work upon each other. My earlier works included black & white, brown & yellow, pale blue and dark brown. and even pink, gold and black. I’m enjoying using greens, blues and browns at the moment. Whatever captures my interest really.”

SK – ‘I note that in some of them, faces come out after you’ve looked at them for a while.’

NB – “It’s never intentional to begin with. If it is happening and it works, then fine. A good example of that is my piece titled “Bless My Soul” (detail, pictured). It took a long time, a lot of moving colours around the canvas. It began to feel right and start to make sense. Face, arms, all that was missing was a ‘mouth’. So I quickly finished off with a smile of sorts. Luckily it didn’t ruin the whole thing!

“Materials are affordable for me at present; I also got involved in situation at Market Street – a Chinese restaurant with lots of things lying about – it was the only place I could get any peace and quiet. We were trying to tart the place up. The materials were around. I came upon a huge pile of big industrial cans of paints and some tinsel – and it just looked ready to go. I was in a basement, completely silent and bleak as hell.

“I was in a good mood to work in the silence and just went for it. I exhibited it later; Peacock framed it for me.”

We talk about the disgraceful situation Peacock Visual Arts found itself in – through no fault of its own – and we both love the place and wish it well.

NB – “I was later painting in an attic, mainly using whatever colours caught my eye. I did one with tippex – sold it – very nice people.”

We talk about the print.

NB – “I was told to do collages by afriend. I thought I’d do it for a laugh but it was good advice really. I cut that image out – someone’s face – and painted it over, folded it up, tied it up with string and then 5 years later opened it up. Now it looks like all this trendy phone art that’s on the go now.

“I’m really enjoying just moving paint around, making something pleasing.

“The red one – I just liked the colours and that’s how it turned out.

“The green one – there was something about that one, just walking through the town – mud, rubbish, cracked pavement – passing tonnes of cranes with trucks flying about the place.

“I went home and painted that – I was in a punk rock kind of mood. I put myself through the mill when I look at my own stuff. I did one, looked at it for a couple of days, and rejected it. But I did that one, and part of it caught my eye. To me it’s modern, it’s contemporary, pleasing to the eye, but it’s got something going on.”

Neale talks me through more of his paintings; he painted one piece for the first time not in a silent atmosphere, but listening to music. The music impacted on how he used colour and his brush strokes. I recommend he keep using music (which I find indispensable when painting).

I keep seeing faces in these paintings.

NB – “The green one with the white bands that could look like teeth – it was a warm kind of painting going in that direction.

“What informs my work? It’s colour, doing my own thing, and enjoying it. I enjoy painting; it’s a lovely experience. It’s as close to a state of honesty as you can be is how I see it.”

We talk about some of the more gimmicky high-profile art prizes and whether or not they have much to do with painting. I mention the Glaswegian woman who got a Creative Scotland grant for… staying in Glasgow for a year without leaving the city limits.

NB – “It’s absolute rubbish; it’s little narcissistic kiddies getting it wrong every time. It’s like putting words in your painting. Gets my goat.”

We agree that a painting that needs a long explanation can’t be doing much talking itself.

NB – “The last artist in the Turner Prize nominee that I rated and thought had any gravitas was Gillian Carnegie; I remember her getting slated. Some artists lap up all the attention from the media and I don’t want to be too critical – but…”

We discuss how much craftsmanship some prizes-winning artists actually personally invest in their creations; we agree that some artists either don’t value craftsmanship in others – or pay others to carry out tasks they are not competent to do – yet want to put their name on a finished work they had little real hand in making.

NB – “I don’t even think too much about that kind of art. The artists if they are trying to make us understand more about certain things, I think it’s rather a bland way about going about it.”

We talk about Keith Byers the portrait painter who arranged this exhibition.

NB – “He’s a lovely guy; fantastic portrait painter. He’s been a great help.”

“I’m very much influenced by the punk spirit. I grew up with punk and it always stays with you. Follow your own path. And avoid people who use idiotic phrases like ‘cultural strategies’.

As for painters, I very much love the work of William Gear, Joan Eardley and Anne Redpath. Whether they influence my work, I don’t know, perhaps they do.

“They all manage to communicate the artist’s feeling in response to their subject. I think that is the best achievement for an artist. That’s what I try to do and hopefully keep it enjoyable to look at. I’d also like to thank Keith Byers and Colin at Under the Hammer for their continued support.

“I think it’s very important to show how you’re feeling at the time through your art. It’s a sweet little landscape and it worked because it was exactly how I felt at the time. I think if you can achieve getting that feeling over to the person viewing it, then that’s a success.

“A lot of the stuff I do might be from immediate experience or some of it comes from somewhere in the past – you’re not always sure where it comes out from – I take everything I see, everything I’m feeling and just try to get it out in a certain way so if I can achieve people understanding exactly how it came about and what it means. I think that’s the best intention of the whole thing.”

SK – ‘When you capture some kind particular feeling, some emotion and other people get it that means the art’s worked.’

NB – “It’s worked on a few occasions and it’s always been surprising people; and they’ve all been nice. I’ve pinpointed some people immediately go for (he points to a vibrant painting in the corner in reds and black). The last exhibition there were two very simple landscapes; it was the combination of the colours I used and ‘a flick of the wrist’ – and most people went for it and I kept saying ‘the other one’s the better painting’ – people just saw it another way.

“I’m moving into more landscapes; I’m walking for miles every day with a dog; it’s a lovely environment to be in – down by the river. The movement of the land; the way the little roots of trees will form a little disjointed path; the nuances that go on – the importance of the landscape.”

Neale’s work is up for another few weeks at Under The Hammer.

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MP Calls For Consensus On Air Passenger Duty

Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »

May 132016

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford

Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford

Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has called for cross-party consensus on reducing Air Passenger Duty, after figures released by Aberdeen Airport revealed the impact of the drop in oil and gas prices on flights to and from the city. The figures, released today, indicate that domestic and international traffic are down 17.9 and 5.8% respectively, with a 23.8% decrease in helicopter traffic.

Nonetheless, the Airport is pushing ahead with new routes to Warsaw, Newquay and Gran Canaria, as well as a £20 million redevelopment programme.

Speaking in response to the figures, Dr. Whiteford said:

“Aberdeen Airport is a hugely important piece of our national infrastructure, and the figures indicate the scale of the challenge we face in the north-east as the price of oil remains low.

“The Scottish Government has announced that it intends to cut Air Passenger Duty by 50% and, in light of these figures, that can’t come soon enough. Businesses in the north-east need our region to be as accessible as possible, and I would call on all parties in the Scottish Parliament to support this move.

“This is one step we can and should take to making Scotland a competitive destination for business and tourism.”

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Annie At HMT: Duncan Harley Reviews

Aberdeen City, Featured, Opinion No Responses »

May 132016

Duncan Harley Reviews ‘Annie’ at His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen.

When writer Thomas Meehan was hired to write the story for a musical based on Harold Gray’s newspaper-strip Little Orphan Annie he seemingly thought that it was the worst idea he’d ever heard.

The brief was to convert Gray’s far right cartoon rants against welfare, unions and Roosevelt’s ‘creeping communist policies’ into a sugar sweet Dickensian romp fit for Broadway.

The result is a powerful and entertaining celebration of the enduring power of the American Dream set within a slightly dubious tale about a balding US billionaire, war profiteer Daddy Warbucks, who sends his PA down-town to the local children’s home to pick up an orphan for Christmas.

Its depression era 1933 New York and the banks are going bust. The stock market is in chaos and the factories are shutting down nationwide. The citizens are starving on the streets and there is barely controlled civil unrest afoot. To make matters worse, Japan’s colonial ambitions threaten American interests in the Pacific and in Europe Herr Hitler has just become Chancellor of Germany.

Red headed Annie lives at NY’s Municipal Orphanage for Girls along with Molly, Pepper, Kate, July, Duffy and Tessie.

Run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan AKA Elaine C. Smith, the orphanage is in reality a sad sweat-shop where gin soaked Miss Hannigan subjects her charges to an oppressive regime from which escape seems impossible. In a scene reminiscent of Colditz the feisty freckled Annie, Anya Evans of Team Liberty – there are three alternating teams of young actors in this production, defies the odds and makes her bid for freedom.

Meeting downtrodden out of-work Americans along the way she and her canine pal Sandy, played obediently by Amber the Labradoodle, defy the odds and achieve the seemingly impossible.

By the end of Act Two, Annie has come to terms with orphanity, advised the US President on economic policy and made an old man very happy. The nasty Miss Hannigan gets her just deserts, Annie’s fellow orphans won’t have to work no more and all is well in the land of FDR’s New Deal.

This is a picture perfect production. From the moment early in Act One where the orphans throw off the bed-clothes to the final curtain call, the electrifying entertainment pounds on. Lighting, sound and set combine superbly and it is obvious from the very start that each and every cast-member is committed 110% to the show’s success.

Alongside comedic asides, dance routines to die for and a wee measure of slapstick the musical highlights include Easy Street, Hard Knock Life and Elaine C. Smith’s stunning rendering of Little Girls. There are around sixteen musical numbers in the show.

With a list of credits including leads as Dean Martin in Rat Pack and Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story, Alex Bourne is a natural as Daddy Warbucks. He commands the stage just as Warbucks commands his business empire. Anya Evan’s Annie is of course centre stage throughout and she excels in, what is after all, a very demanding role.

Callum McArdle’s portrayal of the wheelchair bound president was refreshingly honest. In reality of course, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s mid-career polio was stage managed to the point where most of the American public remained blissfully unaware of his condition.

Tuesday’s performance at His Majesty’s concluded with a five minute stand-up ovation. By the end of the week the likelihood is that this will have increased to ten minutes at the very least! Harold Gray must be rolling in his grave.

Directed by Nikolai Foster with Children’s Casting by Debbie O’Brien and starring Elaine C. Smith Annie plays at HMT Aberdeen until Saturday 14th May

Tickets from Aberdeen Performing Arts Tel: 01224- 641122

Declan Laird: Homeless World Cup, Street Soccer Scotland

Featured, Opinion, Sport No Responses »

May 132016

Aberdeen Voice has been talking to young Scottish Actor Declan Michael Laird since AV began. We’ve charted his progress from River City to The Stella Adler Academy of Acting through to commercials, castings, forthcoming TV series (watch this space). Today we’re talking to him about a charity – more of a movement really – that is helping thousands of homeless people across the world.

The centre of the action this year will be Glasgow. Declan talks with Suzanne Kelly.

Declan’s just come from a commercial casting call; we’ll see how it goes. I can’t say what it’s for, but I will say he’s worth it. There never seem to be as many good news stories as there are bad, and talking to a young talented man who remains down to earth despite growing fame makes a pleasant change. To be talking to him about a worthwhile cause he’s giving his time to is a genuine pleasure.

Aside from his acting career which is really taking off (more on that soon), he is about to make a documentary which he’ll produce.

We talk football first, as we’ve done in the past. Where else to start than the fairy-tale ending to this year’s Premiership and Leicester? He’s full of enthusiasm.

DM – “Oh my god, oh my god, it was insane. It is so inspiring – it’s so great. It just shows the power of self-belief. If you had told those guys they’d win at the start of the season, they wouldn’t have believed you. What were those guys at the start of the season 5,000 to one or something?

“I read the letter ‘we do not dream’ by Claudio Ranieri where he talks about the boards saying to him at the start of the season ‘this is a huge season for us; we must stay in the premier league; we must score’ – what mad management skills that must have taken to keep the players motivated and to keep them from not losing the belief we can do this.”

I suggest that if you’re really hungry for something like winning the Premiership, then it’s probably easier to fight than if you’re comfortably earning £50,000 a week.

DM – “The likelihood is that they will not defend the title, but those guys will forever have that story to tell their kids and grandkids.”

I tell Laird it reaffirmed my faith that it doesn’t always have to be about who has the bigger chequebook – me and several million other people.

Declan sent me the Homeless world cup video – it is incredible.

DM – “It’s a documentary I’m producing called ‘Playing for Change’. It’s been my project for the last two and a half years. There are three things I’m very passionate about – acting and entertainment is one; the second thing is football, and the third thing is that I’m a great mental health and homelessness advocate.

“I’m a great believer that we should not be stigmatising people with addiction and mental health problems; instead we should be asking why they are not being helped. We should not be criminalising these people, but helping them get out of their addiction so they never have to become homeless. There is a big stigma – if people meet homeless people living on the street, they think they are better than them.

“The homeless are there through no fault of their own: they have to deal with issues that no one helps them with or they’ve been too ashamed to ask for help with.

“There are two sides of this mental health problem. It’s not spoken about enough because it’s not a scar on the outside you can see like an injury – if it’s inside and people can’t see it, and people don’t want to talk about it. In US people do talk about it – but they just throw medication at people.

“Talking about it in conversation can really help.”

I find myself wishing more people my age felt like Declan does. In my experience the homeless come from abusive family lives and have nowhere to go. They can be people who lost their money and homes after break ups.

They can be ex-service people who received absolutely no support or counselling on their return to the UK. They can be refugees fleeing brutal governments, bombing, and starvation. They can be people with existing physical and mental health problems: in my experience whatever has led to them being on the street either exacerbates or creates emotional and mental health problems – all of which should be wholly avoidable in any kind of compassionate, decent society.

Then Laird says something that for me hits a crucial nail on the head:

DM – “The younger generation are talking about it, but there is still a shame associated with depression or anxiety they don’t want to come forward about it because they think it is a sign of weakness. I personally feel it is a sign of strength – because you’re maybe just more sensitive.

“A lot of actors, musicians, artists end up with maybe addiction or mental health problems and the public goes ‘oh it’s just another actor who’s died of an addiction or overdose’ and I think it’s because they are more sensitive – worse, people around them are not always interested in helping them.

“For the last year and a half because of my passion I go down to the homeless shelters maybe about once a month. I also do drama therapy at institutions and mental health clinics to promote mental health. We deal with people with schizophrenia and conditions like that and drama therapy and acting classes help.

“It’s amazing Suzanne – as an example there’s a guy with Tourette’s – normally he’s shouting and bawling, then apologizing, then shouting and apologizing some more. But when you give him a scene to do, he’s imagining himself to be someone else and his Tourette’s just disappears. It’s astonishing. It’s an outlet for whatever they’re feeling inside.

“Through acting they can express their issues in scenes; if they feel angry, they can act out that anger; if they feel fear, they can act out their fear.”

We talk about the therapeutic values of art, music and drama for people with these issues. Declan continues:

DM – “I met Street Soccer Scotland’s David Duke who runs Street Soccer Scotland and I got involved. David’s story was that 10 years ago he was 23, and homeless in Glasgow. In a Bellshill hostel he saw a flyer ‘Represent your country in the Homeless World Cup’ and he responded. This initiative was started by a guy named Mel Young, the founder of The Big Issue.

“David went to the trials – which were at the time pretty makeshift – it was the first year and they didn’t really know what they were doing. He managed to get through the local trials (they were just guys then but there is a women’s team now too) and his team managed to get to Edinburgh.

“David was made captain of the team and got his side to Copenhagen and they won. When they came back, it really inspired him and he decided to change his life – he had an epiphany and decided he could really change his life. If he could have that epiphany, then why couldn’t other people? So he started the charity Street Soccer Scotland.

“David’s basically devoted every single day to going around Scotland and the whole UK getting people off the streets and getting their confidence back through football. They get the jobs and housing — but only if they are putting in the hours of volunteer work for the charity first.

“I started meeting the players, spending time with them, having lunch with David – and with refugees. He works with a lot of refugees, but also 10 years on they have many women too. They mentor Street Soccer USA, Street Soccer England, India, Sweden. Sir Alex Ferguson is one of their ambassadors.

“So whenever I travel back, I make a point of going to meet them, and when I was back at Christmas, my brother Stefan and I – Stefan’s a coach from Aberdeen FC – we took a training session for the team and we took them to lunch – to Tony Macaroni’s that was on the 23rd December. We sat and spent the day, and just had a good time.

“David told me “Declan – the Homeless World Cup’s going to be in Glasgow this year and I’m going to manage the team”. I was like ‘oh wow what a great idea for a documentary’; not just for me but to bring to life your organisation and get you the plaudits you deserve and to bring the homeless world cup to light.”

We talked for a while longer – He’s talking to a few potential outlets for this project, and the resulting documentary will undoubtedly shine a light on an initiative that will continue to help – no, actually to SAVE lives. I will save details of this and Declan’s acting career developments for a future interview.

The Homeless World Cup Tournament will start the first week in July. Volunteering and support would be welcome; further details here http://www.streetsoccerscotland.org/news/2015/04/team-scotland-announcement/

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Breakfast At Tiffany’s @ HMT – Duncan Harley Reviews

Aberdeen City, Featured, Opinion No Responses »

May 052016

Duncan Harley Reviews Breakfast at Tiffany’s at His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen.

Theatregoers expecting a re-run of the 1961 Rom-Com Hollywood blockbuster film are likely to be disappointed with this production. Those with fresh eyes and those who have read Truman Capote’s novella are likely to enjoy the experience.

Leading lady Holly Golightly welcomes a succession of men into her bedroom, she never names her cat and insists on applying lipstick before receiving bad news.

Aspiring writer Fred wrestles with his sexuality, narrates Holly’s story and gets fired for not making friends with the semicolon.

Meanwhile Bing Crosby croons softly in the background, a roller-skating burned-out-diva circles the stage and the veiled spectre of Audrey Hepburn haunts the audience. Neither a musical nor a love story Breakfast at Tiffany’s is in a complicated place.

As a love story, Capote’s tale was never going to cut the mustard anyway. It’s not really a stereotypical boy meets girl tale. In act two, Holly memorably reveals that she has really only had eleven lovers, that is if you discount all of those from before she was sixteen.

As an honest exploration of sexual morals Breakfast at Tiffany’s remains challenging and in its day the risqué behaviour and sexual ambiguity of Capote’s characters invited both fierce criticism and intensely voyeuristic interest.

Interviewed for Playboy in 1968 Capote was asked whether Holly was the prototype of today’s liberated female. In reply he likened her to an authentic American geisha.

“She had no job, but accompanied expense-account men to the best restaurants and night clubs with the understanding that her escort was obligated to give her some sort of gift. Perhaps jewellery or a cheque … if she felt like it, she might take her escort home for the night.”

Played out in flashback, Richard Greenberg’s adaptation can be challenging.

Set in both the 1950’s and in war-time 1944 the story moves sharply backwards and forwards between the two era’s, relying on New York accented machine-gun dialogue, delivered speedily by Matt Barber’s Fred, to fill in the blanks. In general this works well although Matt’s delivery was on occasion let down by a poor sound envelope.

The 1950’s action takes place in an oddly deserted New York bar. Holly has left the country some years before following legal difficulties connected to her relationship with Sing Sing resident and some time mobster Sally Tomato. Many of the 1944 scenes are played out in Holly’s room, in the street outside her apartment, at a bus station and on Brooklyn Bridge. There are frequent changes of scene.

All eyes of course are on leading lady Emily Atack.

New to the role, in fact new to the touring stage, and fresh from playing Daphne in a re-make of Dad’s Army could Emily step into Holly’s wee black dress and high-heels? Thankfully the answer is a resounding yes.

This is a demanding role with Holly Golightly on-stage virtually throughout the performance. Alongside the reams of Capote dialogue and those iconic costume changes, Holly is required to deliver Moon River and of course Emily does this memorably.

Robert Calvert’s portrayal of horse doctor Doc Golightly is a delight. Old enough to be her father but in reality her legal wedded husband, Doc accepts Holly for who she is and after ae fond kiss, parts gracefully before broken-heartedly riding the interstate bus back to Texas.

Bob the Cat plays Holly’s unnamed feline companion and deserves special mention. Hailing from a small animal rescue centre in Surrey he has made it into the Moggie A-list with a list of credits including East Enders, Crimewatch and The Secret Life of Cats. Seemingly he is purring with delight to be appearing in Breakfast at Tiffany’s but is far too well mannered to purr loudly on-stage.

It’s a brave cast who take on the ghost of a worldwide blockbuster and on some levels it is impossible to shake the temptation to make comparisons. That however might be a mistake since this production stands well enough on its own merits.

Directed by Nikolai Foster, Breakfast at Tiffany’s plays at HMT Aberdeen until Saturday 7th May

Tickets from Aberdeen Performing Arts Tel: 01224- 641122

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