Case Dismissed.

So, "A Tory MSP has been cleared of using a mobile phone while driving through north east Fife on 7 May this year. Ted Brocklebank's solicitor argued that there was no evidence to suggest the devise he was looking at had been sending or receiving communications."

Carnegie always thought it was standard practice in these cases for the police to get a copy of the accused's mobile phone records to prove conclusively whether or not they had been using the phone when an offence was detected. They obviously didn't do that in Mr Brocklebank's case. Lucky for him. Bit of an oversight by the cops though.

If Mr Brocklebank had been found guilty though it would have made the headlines on the front page of one of his leaflets from his election campaign in 2003 look very ironic. Not so much the "Lab-Lib Criminal Record," as one of his own.

Play Safe.

Carnegie reads that the number of fires recorded in Fife is down, but that the number of fatalities is up.

"DEATHS FROM fires in Fife rose from two to five in the last year, but outbreaks of fire and incidents of wilful fire-raising fell dramatically. Also, injuries caused by blazes fell from 50 to 34 during the same period. In his final annual report before he retires next month, Chief Fire Officer Daniel O’Donnell revealed the total number of fires had fallen by 18% and accidental house fires fell by 20%. Incidences of wilful fire-raising were also cut by 30%."

Proof, if any was needed, that the people of Fife need to be more vigilant than ever about the risk from fire, and that cutting deaths from fire isn't simply about cutting the numbers of fires overall.

Rubbish?

Carnegie reads that "THE NUMBER of people dropping litter in Fife appears to have fallen in the last year. Recent patrols using mobile CCTV units in high streets across the region observed the majority of people doing the right thing and using a litter bin. The findings coincide with recent survey work conducted on street cleanliness by Keep Scotland Beautiful which also indicated a clear downward trend in the amount of litter blighting streets and open spaces, particularly in relation to cigarettes."

Do you believe it? Do you think there is less litter lying about Fife? Carnegie doesn't unfortunately.

The Running Man.

Carnegie finds this story sort of sad, in an emotional sense.

"A FIFE man has told how he ran five miles to reach a friend’s funeral after getting stuck in a traffic jam near the Forth Road Bridge last Thursday. Chic Blyth decided to leg it when he realised there was no way he would make it to Ballingry cemetery on time to pay his last respects to Craig Walkingshaw. Chic, from Crosshill, was determined to be at his former brother-in-law’s funeral to support his children, Stacey and Charles, as they said goodbye to their uncle."

Would you have run five miles to get to a friend's funeral if the Bridge was closed to traffic? That answer, probably not, says a lot about the world we live in these days.

The Fly Past.

Carnegie missed it.

"NINE TORNADO fighters from RAF Leuchars yesterday provided a nostalgic end to nine decades of their squadron’s distinguished history with a final high-speed flight around some famous Scottish landmarks. The farewell flypast by the aircraft from 56 Squadron operational conversion unit at the Fife base saw the spectacular and rarely seen “diamond nine” formation mark the disbanding of a unit which built an impressive array of battle honours in a fighting role that began over the fields of France in the first world war. The hour-long trip finished with a stunning flypast at the Fife base and then a simulated attack led by Wing Commander David Hazell, officer commanding 56 Squadron."

Good flying and bon voyage.

For Whom the Bridge Tolls.

Carnegie reads that, "A TIMETABLE for the construction of the new Forth Bridge has been revealed but there are no guarantees that the bridge – due for completion in 2016 – will be toll free. When asked about tolls at a media briefing in North Queensferry yesterday Alan Seywright, of project consultants Jacobs Arup, said, “We can’t speculate at the moment. We are looking into procurement at the moment.”

Hang on, didn't we just abolish tolls over the Forth and a few years ago buy out the tolls provisions on the Skye Bridge, and yet here we are again facing the prospect of tolls on a new Forth Bridge that hasn't even been built yet. If we have two bridges over the Forth in the same general location, one toll free one not, we will have traffic chaos with most users opting to use the toll free one. One Bridge forward ... one Bridge back.

A new Forth Bridge will be an essential element of Scotland's trunk road network. It should be constructed as such and that means no tolls. You don't pay to drive on the M8. Why pay to drive on a new Forth Bridge?

The Double-Decker.

Carnegie reads that the design for the replacement for the Forth Road Bridge is still at an early stage but that designers have still not ruled out creating a "double decker" bridge.

"THE new £4.2 billion bridge over the Forth could be a double-decker, with cars and lorries using an upper level and trams and buses below, it was reported today. The project team has drawn up three preliminary designs for the new crossing, with work expected to start in 2011."

And the other deck would be just for trams which will please Fife Council no end, but does it make financial sense?

What's the Big Idea?

So, it appears that Fife Council has come up with yet another bright idea that is decades, at least, away from ever being delivered.

"TRAMS could take DEX commuters into the heart of Edinburgh and holidaymakers direct to the airport if Fife Council’s ambitious plans get the go-ahead. A tram network is already being built in the capital and with the new Forth bridge able to carry light railway the idea is to extend the line into Dunfermline."

Carnegie says to Fife Council and its Councillors, "give us a break." Remember the Airport 747 service which runs from Fife to Edinburgh airport and which has turned out to be a total waste of time with hardly anyone using it at a massive cost in public funding. Why don't they just concentrate in running what they already have at the moment rather than coming up with these silly ideas which generate a few headlines in the loca; press, but which will never happen?

Hover Boots.

So Carnegie reads there is no lawful impediment why public cash cannot be used to run a hovercraft service between Fife and Edinburgh.

"PLANS FOR a permanent hovercraft service between Fife and Edinburgh have taken a positive step forward after a report confirmed there were no legal barriers to public funding being sought to ensure the project’s future. Transport company Stagecoach announced in February that it was putting its plans for the 18-minute journey between Kirkcaldy and Portobello on hold until it was established whether adequate public funding could be secured. The decision followed growing speculation about Stagecoach owner Brian Souter’s motives behind his pledge to invest £10.3 million in the hovercraft project, so long as a public sector subsidy of £3.3 million was found for the first three years."

Carnegie can however think of one very obvious reason why public cash shouldn't be spent, even if it can be. Simply, that if the project can't be run commercially by one of Scotland's richest men, without being subsidised by the public purse, why should Fife council tax payers cash be used to prop up something which doesn't even exist yet in preference to employing more teachers or not cutting services for the disabled or elderly? Answer: We shouldn't.

Tourist Attraction?

So the big cheeses at the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) are keen to find something else for themselves to do now that tolls have been abolished on the Forth bridge, with the latest suggestion that they should become part of Scotland's tourist industry.

"AN office block built just two years ago to handle the Forth Road Bridge tolls is set to be finally put into use – as a visitor attraction. Bridge bosses want to make more of the spectacular views of both bridges from their headquarters in South Queensferry. They are planning a £1 million revamp of the rundown car park which would see a new surface, landscaping and picnic areas installed in a bid to make the most of the area. A new cafe is also planned for an empty retail unit next to the car park. And there are also proposals to convert the unused office block next to the FETA headquarters into a bridges visitor centre. The offices were built for bridge operator FETA in 2006 as part of a £5m package of works to revamp the bridge's toll booths but are only partially used following the decision to scrap tolls by the Government."

Is it just Carnegie or would FETA be better to focus on using what limited powers is still has left to the run the Bridge and roads around it as well it can, rather than getting ahead of themselves and spending public money on "non-core" activities? The "picnic areas" could come in handy though for motorists stuck in any future traffic jams approaching the Bridge because of FETA's appalling approach to maintaining it.

Three Towers Or Two?

So Fifers can look forward to getting their shiny new Forth Road Bridge by 2016 and it will have three towers, according to latest press reports.

"THE ENGINEERS appointed to design and build the new Forth crossing are confident it will be ready in 2016. Consultants Jacobs Arup, who have worked on projects including the Channel Tunnel, the Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong and, closer to home, the Upper Forth Crossing, said the deadline was ambitious but possible. Ground investigations and dialogue with landowners have already started and next month the riverbed will be drilled to test the conditions for securing the bridge’s three towers."

The sooner the better as far as Carnegie is concerned given the problems again today which resulted in the Forth Bridge being closed when a van overturned.

Bumping Along.

Carnegie must ask what exactly is the point in Fife Council giving people something they obviously don't want?

"TWO west Fife councillors have been accused of failing to listen to the people they represent. The accusation comes after almost 200 objections were ignored and plans to introduce speed bumps in Charlestown and Limekilns were approved. A total of 193 people wrote to Fife Council to oppose the move but councillors last week voted to approve the £30,000 traffic calming measures."

Overruling one or two unrepresentative objectors in the name of the public good could be justified but not ignoring representations from such a massive number of people. Fife Councillors and Fife Council don't always know best, whatever they think.

Sounds Like A Plan.

"A NEW single Local Plan for West Fife is being developed to shape the development of all land and buildings in the area. The Local Plan will set out a detailed picture of where and how new developments will be and show what is proposed for West Fife communities over the next 10 years ... This new Local Plan will cover the area from Kincardine in the west to Aberdour in the east and will replace the three existing local plans for these areas.Before any decisions are taken and the Local Plan is prepared, Fife Council's development services want to gain people's views and comments on how they would like to see their towns and villages develop over the next 10 years.Eight weeks of consultation will begin on May 19, with residents given the opportunity to view an "Issues and Options" paper accompanied by a CD including details of potential development sites in the area."

Well, tired, like Carnegie, of Fife Council's Planning Department, now's your chance to get involved. There's no excuse.

On the Buses.

So, "DUNFERMLINE’s new bus station finally opened this week but not without teething problems. The new terminal on Queen Anne Street opened on Monday morning and early-bird commuters were the first to alight the services – once they figured out where to go."

How about heading for the nearest bus stop and alighting for a mystery tour Fife style?

Carry On Campus.

So Carngeie reads that his college has its eyes on taking over the former mothballed Motorola semiconductor plant at Dunfermline.

"CARNEGIE COLLEGE expects to hear “in the next couple of weeks” if its hopes of moving to the site of the mothballed Hyundai plant can be taken forward. The Press reported exclusively in January that the college had being eyeing the eastern expansion site with a view to relocating from its current building at Halbeath."

It's a nice idea, but can a college, no matter how illustrious its name, really afford to take on a £2.4 billion facility. More to the point, is this really the most productive use of such a major use of industrial infrastructure?

Taken to the cleaners.

"TAXPAYERS have picked up a cleaning bill of nearly £5,000 for Gordon Brown ... The disclosures were laid bare yesterday by the Commons authorities who, after a two-year legal battle, released some of the expenses requested under Freedom of Information laws ... Nevertheless, publishing all receipts may explain some of the mysteries. One is why Mr Brown's cleaning bill went from £2,380 in 2003-4 to £4,981.04 in 2005-6, at a time when EU enlargement should have brought even more competition in the market."

So Fife's PM Gordon Brown claimed five grand to have his house cleaned or "repaired" depending on which paper you read, following the arrival of a new son.

There are more questions than answers on this one. Wouldn't it be nice to have the public pick up the tab for your household expenses?

Schools Out.

"FIFE COUNCIL has been caught out by an “extraordinary increase” in the number of nursery and school kids in Dunfermline’s eastern expansion (DEX) after it sold land earmarked for a new school to a housing developer. And Dunfermline South Lib Dem councillor Dave Walker has called for an investigation into why land allocated for a third primary school in DEX was released by the council for housing."

Carnegie thinks that Fife Council has managed to do it again. Selling off land that was needed to build a school. The response of Council officials was:

"At Monday’s City of Dunfermline area committee meeting, council officer Mary Stewart confirmed that there were sufficient sites reserved for schools in the original masterplan and that the number of school-age children moving into DEX “wildly exceeded” the council’s projections. She added, “In the intervening years, for reasons I’m unable to ascertain, the site was released for housing. It (the young population) has created a far greater demand for schools where there’s now a capacity issue in the expansion area.”

That'll be the noise of head scratching then?

Cock-up.

So Carnegie reads of yet another cock-up by Fife Council's Planning Department.

"ANGRY councillors say they have been "hamstrung by a failure in the planning system". Approving plans to build 49 homes on the site of a former town ice rink, Glenrothes Area Committee was forced to admit it had missed a chance to include a toucan crossing in the development. Planning team leader Stuart Wilson said the provision of a pedestrian crossing had been raised earlier in the process, but it had not been formally included as a condition when outline planning permission for the development was given."

It could have been worse. Fife Council's planners have a record of getting it wrong. And it isn't getting any better.

Cashing up.

So Fife Council has removed the ability of Fifers to make cash payments at 22 Council offices.

"People who want to settle bills with Fife Council are no longer able to pay by cash after a policy change. The authority has stopped accepting cash payments at its 22 local services centres for payments like council tax, housing rents and social care charges. A deal has been agreed with PayPoint which allows users to pay their bills in some shops and post offices. "

Carnegie can't really understand why the Council has stopped handling cash payments and is instead making it arguably even more difficult for at least some of its residents who want to make payments in cash at a nearby council office. It makes sense to give people more payment options but not at the same time as you remove the main method of paying, i.e. by using cash, especially for items like rent and council tax, even more so for the elderly and those without bank accounts.

City Lights.

"THERE’S been a fresh call for the name of Dunfermline Town railway station to be changed to recognise Dunfermline’s city status. Dunfermline and West Fife MSP Jim Tolson believes Dunfermline Town Station should be renamed ‘Dunfermline City’ in timetables and on signs. And he has written to First ScotRail to prove Dunfermline’s status as a city. He has sent the company historic evidence, such as a royal charter and old army maps, that he says proves that Dunfermline is a city."

Much as Carnegie loves his home town and birthplace, even he would be hard pressed to support the renaming of Dunfermline as a "city" given that its population, if nothing else, is much smaller than that of many other towns across Scotland. He realises that there are strange criterion about having a cathedral, college, and so on meaning that you can be called a city, but he thinks that is perhaps taking it too far - no offence to the Dunfermline Press.

Dunfermline should be content with being what it is. A "city" tag won't change that nor will renaming the town's railway station.

Mr Brown's Schooldays.

Carnegie reads of a bit of an embarrassment for Fife PM Mr Brown.

"GORDON Brown's old school has gone from bad to worse, says an inspectors' report. Kirkcaldy High was battling to regain its reputation after its 2006 report card showed poor success levels and teaching quality, as well as a bad attitude towards work. The school motto "Usque conabor" (I will try my utmost) was used by Brown in his first speech as PM. Now teachers have been told they "must do better" after inspectors confirmed Kirkcaldy's performance had dropped even further."

Given Mr Brown's accelerated performance at Kirkcaldy High School, the fact that is alma mater isn't doing do well after over ten years of a Labour Government must be a bit annoying.

Taxi.

Carnegie reads the latest pronouncement from one of Fife's elected representatives.

"WEST FIFE taxi drivers are being asked to smarten up and belt up by Fife Council in a bid to improve standards of service. Gerry McMullan, chair of the council’s regulation and licensing committee, says he wanted taxi drivers to go the extra mile for customers. According to the West Fife and Coastal Villages councillor, this could include always having a clean car and maybe even wearing a shirt and tie."

Are we really suggesting that the average Fife punter who gets in a taxi will really be that interested in whether their driver is wearing a tie or not? They will be more concerned that taxi get them to their destination safely and quickly. Not whether they are wearing a tie. As for wearing seatbelts all the time there are good reasons why taxi drivers don't have to do that under the law, not least for their own safety. It's worrying when Councillors come out with this "nanny state" nonsense.