ANOTHER fortnight passes and for those of you that have been in the Oak Mall will attest to the fact that we are now moving into the Christmas period!

Remembrance

For much of the past two weeks we were in a period of reflection as we neared our annual remembrance day and remembrance Sunday. 

Sadly this event is becoming ever more political with some people taking offence to those that don’t participate and likewise others taking offence to those that do.

I have worn a poppy every year since I bought my first at St Patrick’s primary school when I was a child.

In America they have thanksgiving and for me remembrance has always been about remembering those that have died due to the horrors of war and also showing I am thankful that I live in a place/time that the war is something I have never experienced other than what I see on TV.

I paid my respects at Gourock this year on remembrance Sunday — which was the fifth event of remembrance I had been at this year. Therefore I was bitterly disappointed to be subjected to abuse in the aftermath both in public and online for attending. 

Now as the leader of the opposition of Inverclyde Council I don’t know why people think I am not entitled to attend a remembrance service in the town I am elected to represent. 

However what I do know though is that I went, not to use the memory of those that died at war, not to make a political point, not for any reason other than to remember those that had gave their lives, regardless of when or where they gave it.

They gave their today so that we may have our tomorrow — ‘we’, all of us, regardless of race, religion, nationality or creed. 

I hope that next year politics can be left out of remembrance.

School buses

I have also learned a few things over the past two weeks; I am not as fit as I used to be; it is getting darker at night and the proposed cuts to the number of school children entitled to free school buses is not acceptable. 

I have heard some people say that children need to walk more, ‘ we used to walk further.’ 

Over the last fortnight I have been making an effort to walk from place to place in Inverclyde up to the distances cutting school buses would result in.

The simple fact is that the world has changed. There are more cars on the road than ever before. We live on a river which means a lot of the walks are uphill. 

When I get home I am tired, most of the time wet from the rain and just want to unwind. The changes would see children have to walk upwards of 2.5 miles in the rain to school and then repeat the journey home, by which point it could be dark.  

To me the only impact this will have on their education is a negative one.