Boris Johnson visits Newcastle to campaign for Brexit

The Mayor of London was visiting the North East on Saturday 16^th to urge Britain to “throw off the shackles” of the EU and “take back control” of its future.

Mr Johnson also reassured voters that no funding gaps would emerge if the money Britain currently receives from Europe was stopped if the UK votes to leave the European Union.

Speaking to me in Newcastle on the first weekend of the official European Referendum campaign, Mr Johnson said:

“What we’re saying to the science sector, to the university sector, and particularly to the farming sector who are also anxious about this is that we will make sure you all continue to be funded on the basis that you already are but that there will be an extra £10 billion [per year] available for you and indeed for the NHS and other great projects for this country as well.

“My view is that it is legitimate to talk about a gross [UK contribution] figure because most people in this country will think it is better that huge sums of UK tax payers’ money should be spent in Britain according to the decisions made by Britain’s representatives not by some guy in Brussels that they don’t even know”.

You can hear my interview with Mr Johnson here: 

The UK will vote on its membership of the European Union on June 23^rd this year.

Focussing on the campaign in general during his speech, Mr Johnson said: “As a country we have ceded far too much control to the EU – control over our economy, our public services, and over key decisions that affect our daily lives. In return we get uncontrolled immigration, which puts unsustainable pressure on our vital public services as well as on jobs, housing and school places.

“This country will thrive if we throw off the shackles of the EU – and the people of the North East should rest assured that they stand to benefit if we take back control over our future.”

Mr Johnson, a Conservative MP, was briefly interrupted during his speech by a handful of protestors shouting “Go home Boris. Tories not welcome in Newcastle”. When the protestors were removed from the venue Mr Johnson jibed that they had “voted to leave the room” and then proceeded to continue with his speech.

One of the main themes of the campaign thus far has surrounded Britain’s financial contribution to the EU.

On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this week, Co-chair of Vote Leave Gisela Stuart MP said: “Every week we send £350m to Brussels. I’d rather that we control how to spend that money, and if I had that control I would spend it on the NHS”.

However, when the money that returns through EU funding is considered, the UK’s contribution is closer to £161 million per week.

When challenged on this point, Mr Johnson said: “350 million per-week is the gross figure…and it’s right to use that figure because actually the spending that happens in this country should be decided by people in this country, and the net figure, which is about £10 billion per-year is indeed something that could be spent on the NHS or whatever it happens to be.

“This so-called EU money, which is not EU money, it’s our money, would of course continue to be used to support valuable things like the arts or science projects or the Centre for Life here in Newcastle but you would have that extra money as well.”

Both official campaign groups, Vote Leave and Stronger In, will be visiting the North East in the coming weeks to make their case for the Referendum.

Disabled Newcastle Uni fresher mugged in broad daylight

By Hamish Auskerry

A Newcastle University student with mobility issues had his phone stolen on campus in broad daylight after being threatened with extreme violence.

Alex Nicklen, 19, who is reading Politics and History said he did not believe the attacker had a firearm as both his hands were in plain sight but said he was “shaken and scared” by the incident.

As his attacker approached him, Mr Nicklen was told, ‘Give me your phone or I’ll put a gun to your head’.

The mugging happened on Claremont Road at 3pm on Sunday 14^th outside the university building Merz Court and was captured on CCTV.

Mr Nicklen, of Morpeth in Northumberland, believes he was specifically targeted for his disability.

“I had just been on a long walk as part of the Chinese New Year celebrations march in Newcastle city centre”, explained Mr Nicklen, “so when I was walking home I was walking much slower and limping slightly so it was clear that I wasn’t going to be able to defend myself at all”.

Mr Nicklen believes his insurance will cover the cost of a replacement phone but is now concerned he might suffer longer-term physiological issues as a result of the attack.

“I already felt quite vulnerable generally, although I don’t necessarily show it”, said Mr Nicklen.

“When I’m around people who look like unsavoury characters I do often think that they can see my vulnerability and so they might do something to me.

“I guess that fear is going to acerbated by this incident”, continued Mr Nicklen, who lives in Park Terrace university accommodation.

Talking about his condition, Mr Nicklen said: “I don’t run optionally at all. I’m very slow and it’s not a very comfortable experience.

“When he was in front of me, my body was telling me to run but consciously I knew I didn’t have the capabilities to defend myself or escape from the situation”.

“My thought was not that I was going to get shot – I didn’t think at the time that was very likely – but he was about 5”11 with an athletic build and he clearly had the capacity to beat me up at the very least”.

Though there were people in the vicinity no one is thought to have witnessed the incident.

Northumbria Police have CCTV footage of the incident and their investigations are ongoing.

After the robber had run off, Mr Nicklen attempted to run across Claremont Road in the direction of the Robinson Library before calling the police.

Northumbria Police tracked down the phone to a boarded up property in Newcastle but a search of the property immediately next door found nothing.

Mr Nicklen described the man as in his mid-twenties, about 5”10 with tanned skin and a southern British accent.

Northumbria Police’s investigations are ongoing.

This story was published in The Tab on 15/02/16 – http://thetab.com/uk/newcastle/2016/02/15/disabled-newcastle-student-mugged-campus-broad-daylight-16430

What does the future hold for Lighthouses?

*PUBLISHED IN LIVING ORKNEY MAGAZINE – JANUARY 2016*

Auskerry Lighthouse. (C) Simon Brogan

BY Hamish Auskerry

“We were on our way across the South China Sea with the Pentalina on her maiden voyage”, remembers Andrew Banks of Pentland Ferries, “and we had a total blackout: losing all our power for about 10 minutes.

“When we switched everything back on”, Andrew continued, “some of the navigational equipment didn’t come on correctly and because the crew were used to electronic charts, they were completely lost, absolutely lost without electronics”.

It’s every modern-day mariner’s worst fear: stranded in unknown territory with none of the usual navigational aids available. Fortunately, in this particular instance luck presented itself in the form of an Orcadian skipper, well-versed in the art of traditional navigation.

“Alongside our Polish crew, we had William Pottinger, who had been marking our position on the paper charts every hour”, explains Andrew. “He was therefore able to work out exactly where we were.

“Without him, it would have been a problem: it certainly would have taken longer to sort out at the very least. I have no doubt that the crew would have sorted things out eventually, but it’s just that the ‘old school’ method is probably the best way”.

An integral part of this ‘old school’ method has been the practical application of lighthouses. They were once a cornerstone of worldwide maritime activity. Over several centuries, humans across the globe have marveled at and benefited from the engineering ingenuity of this particular instrument of navigation. The first one was built in the Ancient Egyptian port of Alexandria in 3^rd Century BC. Standing at around 450 feet, it was gargantuan for its time and remained the tallest tower in the world until the late 1100s. A mirror was used to reflect the North African sun during the day while a huge fire was built at its peak every night. One of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, It was all but destroyed by 3 earthquakes up to 1323, at which point it became an abandoned ruin.

Auskerry Lighthouse. (C) Simon Brogan

Nearly seven centuries later, and much closer to home, lighthouses (albeit much less tall!) can be seen across Orkney. Generations of sea-faring Orcadians owe their lives to these majestic structures and people come from across the world to appreciate their appearance and significance. Now though, with the continuous development of electronic navigational systems, their future role is in question.

“Lighthouses, as far as navigation goes, are really obsolete”, says Captain of the Earl Sigurd, Angus Thomson. “We don’t use them very often as we’re just scratching around the North Isles so there’s not a big reason for us to use them at all really”.

Angus has been at sea for over 45 years, and his summation of the place of lighthouses in the modern era appears to be fairly ubiquitous. Even the most well-weathered Orcadian seamen admit that the importance of lighthouses has diminished considerably over the course of their careers. The relatively recent development of electronics perhaps came as a surprise to many captains and boat-owners across the world, but none less so than in Orkney. These were nearly always men who throughout their careers at sea had used geographical charts coupled with compasses and a healthy dose of local knowledge. They were now faced with new technology that would revolutionise their industry and profession.

“You keep thinking that technology can’t advance anymore but we now have plotters that map out the seabed as we move and show us that in 3D on a computer screen”, says Ian Harcus of the trawler, ‘Aalskere’, who has seen huge changes in the nature of navigational aids in his near 30 year-long career at sea.

“I know it has to hinge on how good the GPS is, but the GPS is pretty brilliant. Everything tends to get more reliable and you get backups and duplicates for everything more or less so I would certainly say the lighthouses are not a big deal anymore to be quite honest”.

Smith Foubister is a former coxswain of the lifeboat and been at sea for over 45 years. “You wouldn’t go out to sea thinking your plotter is not going to work. Well, young folk certainly wouldn’t.”

“Having said that, I think there will always be a need for lighthouses; you need to have a visual mark just in case the plotter packs up”.

The maintenance of traditional navigational aids comes from a shipping tax called ‘Light Dues’. The levy does not apply to all mariners; instead it mainly affects commercial, merchant and fishing vessels over certain lengths and weights. In truth, the legislation is characteristically complicated and there are many various exemptions and details regarding, amongst others, the number of voyages undertaken within one year. The results of which mean that, for example, Andrew Banks pays around £8000 per year for the Pentalina, and Ian Harcus pays around £1000 for his 33-metre-long fishing vessel.

As well as the lighthouses themselves, these dues pay for maintenance of the navigational buoys. This is a system where lit buoys help guide ships of all sizes through perilous channels. They’re vital, for example, to skippers on Orkney Ferries who use them to navigate around the islands, sometimes in the dark and often in poor weather. Unlike lighthouses that warn of land in the distance, buoys mark a safe course in tight situations where charts on their own may not sufficient.

“I don’t grudge my Light Dues to get the buoys”, says Ian Harcus. “We sometimes go through the Harris Sound in the middle of the Hebridees and it’s pretty important to have the buoys there, especially when you’re fishing in the dark.

“I’m not certain that they provide value for money, but at the same time £1000 compared to what we gross is neither here nor there. Moreover, if I go to somewhere like the Rockall Channel, I can get a haul on the way in and a haul on the way out. That’s maybe as much as five or six grand and I probably wouldn’t use that channel if it wasn’t for the buoys”.

Andrew Banks’ vessels operate the majority of the time in the one specific area, and therefore his skippers need far fewer navigational aids.

“I suppose in reality, light dues are not providing a lot for us”, admits Andrew.

“But at the same time it is essential that there is lighthouses there. There will be a lot of ships coming in from different areas and if their electronics fail then they can revert to paper charts and the lighthouses.

“It’s true to say that is very rare that anything does go wrong on the big ships because everything is duplicated, this would only really apply to smaller boats”.

Andrew’s answer encapsulates the whole debate. The majority of mariners I spoke to hold a similar view: Lighthouses do not have much practical use in the modern era, but nevertheless, they should remain in active use. It’s a curious situation, rooted in tradition, deep respect for the sea and whisper it, perhaps some superstition too.

“I feel that over a lot of years at one time lighthouses would have saved a lot of lives so to do away with them would be quite sad”, said Ian.

“A lot of my ancestors would have had a rougher time at sea without lighthouses so I don’t know whether that would have an effect on folk. Seafaring folk never really forget the things that saved or helped them in the past, so there’s a bit of that too”.

Stormy seas in Auskerry. (C) Simon Brogan

Some of the loyalty is also aimed at the now redundant position of the keepers who often used to live in the lighthouse itself and tend to the light.

“There’s always something in the back of your mind”, explains Angus, “that when they were still manned, if you could see a lighthouse then there’s maybe somebody looking back at you if you do get onto trouble.

“You knew that if you did get into trouble then somebody else would be watching out for you”.

Even with that side to lighthouses gone, there is still the respect and admiration for the structures themselves. St Margaret’s Hope based fisherman Robert Smith has even cautioned about the long-term reliability of electronics, especially in a time of war.

“The lighthouses are there already, they’re an engineering feat and these electronics seem very solid and definite but they’re not, they’re ephemeral”, Robert continued.

“The satellites can go off, there are weapons that can take these things out and if there was a war, GPS would be one of the first things they would go for”.

Despite all the technological advancements and improved marine safety, maybe there is an argument that lighthouses have helped mariners for centuries and therefore we should hesitate before dismantling them after a relatively new, admittedly enormous, change in how we navigate.

It is a fascinatingly British character trait, an eccentricity even. As a nation we have become attached to these structures and so maybe cold-hearted financial logic doesn’t have the same influence as it does on other issues.

“You’ll get folk who have no interest in the sea whatsoever, but they’ll still visit and walk up a lighthouse”, says Angus Thomson.

“There’s certainly something about them, whether it’s a romantic way, I really don’t know, but they’re well liked and I would like to think they will continue to be”.

Whether the new generation of mariners, brought up using electronics and without warm memories of lighthouses, will be able to retain the romanticism of these pillars of traditional navigation… only time will tell.

The January edition of the award-winning Living Orkney magazine

Living Orkney magazine is available in print form and online subscription here: http://www.orcadian.co.uk/subscriptions/

NSR News – “What is the Northern Powerhouse?”

As part of my fortnightly news show on Newcastle Student Radio (NSR) I do a student participation feature where I ask a random selection of students in Newcastle a question about current affairs.

In last week’s show I asked the question, “What is the Northern Powerhouse?” and some people came up with some pretty hilarious answers.

You can listen back to the entirety of my show here: www.mixcloud.com/hamishausk/newca…nsr-news-show-1/

Nigel Farage in Gateshead, England.

Last week, UKIP leader Nigel Farage MEP reaffirmed his rejection of universal free tuition for further education in England.

On a visit to Gateshead on Monday 12th October, Mr Farage told me that he still favoured free tuition for students of science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM).

 Mr Farage’s appearance came as part of UKIP’s ‘Say No To The EU’ tour, which is campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union in a referendum planned to take place before 2017.

His comments also came on the day that the campaign for Britain to remain as part of the EU kicked-off at an event in London.

“Higher education sold as a product”, said Mr Farage, “and not as a back door means of immigration could be an even bigger money-spinner for this country than it already is”.

The MEP for over 16 years, who failed to win a parliamentary seat in May’s General Election, also criticised the Scottish education model, which provides free tuition for students of certain nationalities.

Mr Farage continued: “I’m all in favour of making as much money as we can out of foreign students coming to Britain, but I think any comparison to the Scottish system is not particularly relevant at the moment because as you know, English taxpayers are paying for free tuition North of the border”.

Apart from students coming from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, all European Union citizens are entitled to undergo a degree programme in Scotland, entirely paid for by the Scottish Government.

The event in The Sage was chaired by senior UKIP party member Dianne James and also featured speeches by a local UKIP councillor and Jonathan Arnott MEP.

After his speech, Mr Farage also confirmed that he also does not support changing the voting age for this referendum, citing the poor turnout of 18-30 year olds in this year’s General Election.

Addressing the issue of political apathy among young people Mr Farage unsurprisingly said the answer was a vote to leave the EU.

“By making [Westminster] a sovereign parliament”, said Mr Farage, “where who you vote for actually governs your country rather than as a subsidiary in most cases to laws made in Brussels, will bring young people back into politics and my hope is that a student generation can see that [the ‘Out’ campaign] represents the progressive argument”.

The franchise was extended to 16 and 17 year-olds for the first time for the Scottish Referendum on Independence in September 2014.

In a wide ranging interview with the radio branch of media at Newcastle University, the UKIP leader also said that he did not believe that Global Warming was an issue he was currently concerned with.

“I don’t see this as being a big issue in this referendum: I think it’s very unlikely that it will be”.

The ‘Say No To EU’ event in The Sage, Gateshead.

Printed and online in The Courier, 19/09/15. Available here: http://issuu.com/editor.union/docs/1.compressed

Orkney leads the way with Japanese lessons

Orkney is now home to two of the first schools in Scotland to offer students the chance to learn Japanese.

The largest secondary school in the county, Kirkwall Grammar (KGS), is leading the way in Scotland by offering timetabled Japanese classes twice-a-week to 5^th and 6^th year pupils.

Meanwhile students at Stromness Academy have the opportunity to learn the language during their Friday afternoon ‘activities’ session.

“It came about after pupils from the Kamaishi Super Science School came here for a visit last year”, explains KGS Depute Head Teacher, Mark Colston. “I saw the Japanese and Orcadian kids talking to each other: they didn’t really understand each other’s language but there was a bond there”.

Funding to the degree of £3000 per school has subsequently been granted by Japan’s foremost cultural exchange and language body, the Japan Foundation.

“There are a couple of schools near Edinburgh already doing lessons in Japanese but they are private schools so I think the story is quite different”, said Tomoki Akazawa from the Japan Foundation.

“These schools have the freedom to do whatever they want, but in the case of mainstream schools like here in Orkney, they need to follow the curriculum so maybe in this sense these two schools are very much the first”.

Links between the Asian state and Orkney have developed considerably in recent years due to the ongoing emergence of the renewable industry in Scotland and the related interest from Japan.

“After the Japanese Tsunami in 2011”, explained Mark Colston, “the countryside in their country was wrecked, and now they are trying to rebuild it using renewable energy.

“If they want to start producing some of the heavy machinery being tested here in Orkney, then for us to have people who are able to speak Japanese, it’s going to create real opportunities for our young people”.

Visiting Orkney, the Vice-Consul General of Japan, Kengo Sawai, would like students to have the option of learning Japanese to exam level in Scottish schools.

“We are here to promote the Japanese language and culture”, he said. “If students here in Orkney are getting concerned about our language, we can promote the idea of an Japanese Higher exam to the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

“Therefore, to develop Japanese language in these islands is a very important thing for the Consulate”.

It is hoped that students who progress well in the lessons already provided, will eventually be able to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), which is a requirement for most Britons working in Japan.

KGS pupil and a new student of Japanese, Bethan Maxwell-Jones, said: “It’s very cool to know that we are one of the first people doing it because we have friends in other schools in Scotland who can maybe get their schools to start doing it too.

“That way you can get more people to learn about the language and culture of Japan.

“Having it as a subject can give you an incentive to learn and practice so you have more chance of being fluent, do it in further education or go to Japan and speak it properly”.

**This article was printed in the Press and Journal and The Herald newspapers on 27th August 2015**

Extreme challenge for Orkney-based Ultra Distance Runner

For thousands of Scots, running is a leisure activity: it’s something we do for short periods, a few times a week to keep fit and clear our heads.

For one Orkney islander, it’s a way of life, and his success in the sport his life’s work.

William Sichel, 61, might already have over 150 ultra distance running records to his name, but he about to attempt his biggest challenge yet by running over 200 miles in India.

Light training on the beach in Sanday, Orkney.

Mr Sichel has already flown to the Himalayan Mountain region to begin his acclimatisation to the climate and altitude before he begins the World’s Highest Ultra Marathon on August 16^th.

The 333km race passes over 3 peaks of over 17,000 feet, where the oxygen level is just 40% of what it is at sea level where the athlete lives and trains.

In August 2014, he became the oldest person ever to complete the World’s Longest Footrace: 3100 miles (5000km) in New York, USA.

Therefore, in this particular race, it is not the distance that will cause him the difficulty, but the conditions he will face.

“Normally when I go to races I know how my training has gone, how my preparation has gone, whereas for this one, that’s of no use at all”, explained Mr Sichel.

“I have no idea how I’m going to perform at altitude, I have no idea how my body is going to react and really, I’m going into the unknown. In that way it is a very different race altogether”.

Organisers of ‘La Ultra – The High’ have warned that extreme conditions could provide competitors with a ‘dramatic experience’ during the race.

The three-day event begins on August 16^th in the Ladakh province of India where temperatures can fluctuate between -10 and 40 degrees centigrade.

However, it is the prospect of high altitude and low oxygen levels that worries the athlete who has represented both Britain (11 times) and Scotland (7 times) in international competitions.

Mr Sichel said: “When you think about it, human beings can survive weeks without food, days without water but literally minutes without oxygen.

“I’m going to a place where there is 40% less oxygen in the air so you can imagine the strain that has on the body.

It is for those reasons Mr Sichel has described this race as his greatest challenge yet.

William has been training in his home gym, using a special mask to acclimatise to high altitude.

To begin the acclimatisation process for the race, the athlete has been wearing a special mask during training, which imitates the difficulty of breathing at high altitude.

But William is now preparing in the region itself.

“To transition from my home area which is flat and almost at sea level to be able to perform at any level at 18,000 feet, the key is to get to the site of the race as early as you possibly can and allow natural acclimatisation to take place”.

“In this event all my previous personal best’s mean nothing at all because they are all done on flat courses at sea level”, added Mr Sichel. “So in this race, my number one goal is to complete the course”.

But the task ahead of him is massive. Just one of the nine competitors who started the race in 2014 was able to complete it in the allotted time.

Why does he still want to put his body through this much strain at over 60 years age? “Personal curiosity”, says William with a grin. “I’ve always been interested in how far and fast I could run, I’m loving every minute of it so why should I stop now?”

My TV package of over two minutes was aired on STV News on 3rd August 2015.

US Guards’ ‘sense of pride’ in restoring Orkney war memorial

By Hamish Auskerry

A group of troops from the US National Guard have travelled from the State of South Dakota to help restore one of Orkney’s most important First World War memorials.

The 10 US soldiers spent a week in the county restoring the 90-year-old Kitchener Memorial, built to commemorate the former British Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener, who was among those lost when HMS Hampshire sank just off Orkney in 1916.

Extensive work is needed to repair the walls and roof of the 48-feet high stone tower, as well as building a commemorative wall to the 737 other men who died with Kitchener when their ship was hit by a mine laid by a German U-Boat.

There were just 12 survivors.

“Honestly not a lot of us knew the history of it”, said Master Sergeant Edward Ness of the 114^th Fighter Wing, “but being here we have researched it and knowing that it was an important part of WW1 and of the British Navy, there is a sense of pride knowing that we are here helping out with this war memorial for the folks that perished on the HMS Hampshire along with Kitchener”.

A squad from the Royal Engineers – the same Army Corps that Earl Kitchener himself belonged to – is to build the footing to the wall and work alongside local contractors.

Through a regular partnership programme, British Army soldiers have been sent over to work on projects in South Dakota, and in return the United States sent soldiers over to the UK. Their work in Scotland, which has involved working on projects in Aviemore and Inverness is now completed.

“Scotland is a beautiful country”, said Master Sergeant Ness, “but it’s a little cooler from where we came from and the wind doesn’t blow nearly as much at home!

“We don’t come to Europe very often so this is almost like a working holiday for us. It’s a beautiful group of islands and all our troops are happy to be here and helping out with this project”.

The restored Kitchener Memorial and the new commemorative wall will be officially unveiled at events marking the centenary of the sinking on Sunday 5 June 2016.

The article was printed on page 4 of the Press and Journal on August 6th 2015.

Fears for Orkney’s Wartime Heritage

My story on the collapsing Second World War gun batteries was used in the Glasgow Herald, the Press and Journal (H&I) and my video package of nearly two minutes for STV national news, used on Sunday 14th June on the 4pm bulletin.  By Hamish Auskerry

The Glasgow Herald – 20/6/15

The Press and Journal – 18/06/15

Two Second World War gun emplacements have collapsed within months of each other in Orkney, fuelling worries about the future of Orkney’s wartime heritage

Building work on the emplacements at Hoxa Head was completed in September 1939 by the Royal Marines but the harsh climate in Orkney has rotted away the steel structure holding up the roofs of the buildings. The Hoxa Head battery was one of 22 gun batteries in Orkney during the Second World War and it provided vital protection to Britain’s naval fleet stationed there by detecting and destroying enemy ships, submarines and aircraft. “War batteries were a massive part of the Orcadian war effort”, explains Tom Muir of Orkney Museum. “The batteries were of immense importance as they defended the fleet in Scapa Flow. This was the shield of empire and it kept the hopes of freedom in Europe alive. “The rest of the wartime defences, like aerodromes and such like were built up in response to the batteries. The infrastructure of all the buildings, known collectively as the Hoxa Head battery, once housed three 90cm searchlights and two 6-inch breech-loading Mark 7 gun on a central pivotal mounting. All the buildings are scheduled monuments and are overseen by Historic Scotland who have an advisory role with regards to the maintenance of the site. However, owner of the land and buildings, Peter Thomson said he has been warning Historic Scotland ever since the first emplacement crumbled in February this year that the emplacement near it was also in peril of collapse. “I have said all along”, explained Mr Thomson, “the pair of them are that bad, it’s not going to be long before the pair of them fall down. “I was looking at the steel beam that holds up the roof last week and it was full of holes and all rotting away… it doesn’t take a structural engineer to see that it wasn’t going to hold the building up much longer”

One of the now collapsed gun emplacements at Hoxa Head, Orkney.

Responding to the news of the collapse of the second battery on Sunday 14^th June, a spokesperson for Historic Scotland said: “This is of course very unfortunate and one of our officers will be inspecting the site in the near future to assess the extent of the damage. “Meanwhile, we continue to try to progress discussions with the owner on how best to deal with the significant challenges this nationally important scheduled monument faces.” Mr Thomson is unhappy with the situation as it is and is worried that he might be left to deal with it with no support from elsewhere. He said: “Orkney Islands Council are not willing to do anything, Historic Scotland are not really very bothered, so why should I pay out for it when I don’t benefit from it at all? “I could spend all the money I make to keep the buildings maintained, just for folk to come and look at the site. But what’s the point of me doing that?” The lack of agreement between Historic Scotland and Mr Thomson leave the future of the battery at Hoxa Head in jeopardy. The steel structures for many of the other buildings are in a serous state of decay and could collapse at any time. “This is supposed to be one of the best sites in Orkney, and [Historic Scotland] are just letting it fall to heck”, continued Mr Thomson. Tom Muir believes it is vital not to forget about any part of Orkney’s historical heritage. “The wartime batteries can be slightly divisive because some people think they are an eyesore” continued Mr Muir. “But this is part of the story of Orkney and it is as relevant in my opinion as the Neolithic monuments, Skara Brae and Orkneyinga Saga: it’s part of the heritage of Orkney”.

Guardians of the fleet. The battery at Hoxa Head provided protection for the British Naval fleet in Scapa Flow, Orkney.

Protests for Mr Carmichael to resign in Orkney

Yesterday, Alistair Carmichael took full responsibility for the controversial leaked Scotland Office memo.

At 1pm this afternoon, around 40 people gathered in front of the St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney to protest against Mr Carmichael’s position as MP for the Northern Isles.

Hamish Auskerry reports.