I have these nigerian friends....

[Malky]

Perhaps someone could answer the question I posed?

Why?

Malky

[minto]

Perhaps someone could answer the question I posed?

Why?

Malky

Why not?

[Govangirl]

people who seem to think they are some kind of forum mafia.

Horse, can I borrow your head tonight to put in 'minto's' bed?

[minto]

Why bother? No wonder most people don't register and post on here. To be ridiculed by people who at the end of the day will make no difference to what happens in Kintyre.

Govan Girl "I've done this, that and everything". Surprised you don't have a horse's head already.

[Govangirl]

'minto' or whoever you are you seem to be harbouring a hidden agenda. Perhaps you'd like to declare it and be done with it?

[smokynuk]

Why are two or three people who clearly have no ties to Kintyre so interested in what is going on? Why do you have to poke your nose in to everything that is discussed? I thought about registering last week to join in what I felt was a sensible thread about taking Kintyre forward only for it to be ridiculed by people who seem to think they are some kind of forum mafia.

I suppose it isn't different from living here in Kintyre. I've seen the very village I grew up in change dramtically by pompous gits who move here from down south thinking they can just sell up move to Kintyre and try and change the way it is run!

minto, just because this is known as the kintyre forum doesnt mean people with no ties to the area cant post. For example i have an interest in the american election campaign, although i am not american. Does that mean i cant express an opinion on the matter?

As for being ridiculed, well my experience is theres a big gap in what people consider as ridiculing and what people consider just making light of the discussion specifically in this forum. My advice is take things with a pinch of salt

With regards to "forum mafia" although i am not a member of any affiliation of that nature, i guess there are regular posters on here (not me) and they do form friendships with other people who post comments which is only natural i suppose and happens in any forum.

[Malky]

Why bother? No wonder most people don't register and post on here. To be ridiculed by people who at the end of the day will make no difference to what happens in Kintyre.

And you will?
From your post earlier about the 'pompous gits' who have the audacity to move into your village I get the impression you are more likely to complain and blame rather than do anything constructive.

Malky

[katya]

I have been involved with OK (on and off) since they formed here, and as far as I am aware the money from individuals was in pledges only and no money changed hands.
The reason I wanted to be part of it initially was that I felt it was such a worthwhile programme and could be such a major benefit to the area. I left Kintyre to study and travel, but chose to move back here, at which point I wanted to start my own business. If something like Opportunity Kintyre had been in operation several years ago then I might have been able to realise my goal.
I have spoken to many people about ok and the issue has appeared in the Courier on lots of occasions (as well as the amount of people that panel members have introduced to the facilitator), and am surprised when some people have never heard of it.

[minto]

'minto' or whoever you are you seem to be harbouring a hidden agenda. Perhaps you'd like to declare it and be done with it?

No hidden agenda, what's yours?

[LO]

I don't know why I bother but for the sake of all the conspiracy theorists let's try and clear this up once and for all.....

First of all, nobody scared me off the thread - the idea that I would run away from Bobbie's next question actually had me chuckling for most of the weekend. Nothing personal Bobbie, but sometimes I think you need to get a life......

As someone else pointed out, from time to time there are some fairly emotive threads on here that are interrupted by extremely weak attempts at humour and sometimes this comes across as very toxic and offensive to other readers. The Nigerian jibe was a cheap shot and insults the intelligence of many people who are committed to working for Kintyre in whatever way they can.

As previously stated, OK is a Government sponsored pilot project (there was a BIG clue there) and to this end, any fees due to The Sirolli Institute come from the Scottish Government. No money pledged or handed over in Kintyre has found its way into the coffers of the "wicked" Sirolli Institute.

The initiative was introduced by the previous Scottish Executive and has been taken forward by the present Scottish Government with a view to evaluation once the three pilots have run there course. There appears to be genuine political goodwill for the scheme right across the spectrum and if it is judged to be successful (In anticipation of the question, sorry, I don't know what the criteria for this will be) it may be rolled out further. I'm sure at some point it will also come under the scrutiny of the Audit Commission and we will see whether or not the whole thing has been a scam.


The pledges previously mentioned are used locally in Kintyre and solely for the operation of Opportunity Kintyre, a company owned by the members of the community who are involved in the project. The £50K that was mentioned was pledged over 3 years and is a token gesture towards meeting the costs of the Enterprise Facilitator (directly employed by OK) and other costs associated with running the business. The bulk of these costs are once more met by the Scottish Government and external funding sources.

£3.73 made disparaging remarks comparing Ernesto Sirolli with Blue Chip companies which he obviously thinks should be coming here. This displays an astonishing ignorance of how economic development works in these parts. As I previously mentioned, OK is not the magic bullet for all our economic ills - far from it in fact - but it does have a role to play for the large number of small business ideas (possibly as high as 80%) that for various reasons do not make it into the "funnel" which in turn leads to support from the traditional public sector agencies. Enterprise Facilitation is about working at grass-roots/local level with the support of the enterprise facilitator and the wider OK Panel which meets on a monthly basis and provides valuable resources to individuals taking the first steps to establishing their own businesses. It's not for everyone, but it works for others. It's also very easy to knock...........

FInally, I would like to ask the following questions:

1.Given that the Scottish Executive/Government were committed to funding three pilot projects, were several hundred people in Kintyre wrong to support a bid to host such a project?

2. Should we have just sat back and decided this is a big scam let's pass on this and let some other dumb community get access to the funding and the opportunities that it might bring?

3. Should the twenty or so individuals from all walks of life who have driven this from day one, just not bothered instead of devoting days of their life to pulling this together and sustaining it against all sorts of odds? (Now that, Bobbie, is an investment that is worth discussing)

[Ship called Dignity]

I am glad you did bother LO, thanks.

Should the mods not split and merge the relevant postings to OK into one thread on local news?

[EMDEE]

LO

You have provided quite a bit more information there that would be good to have on the "Way forward for Kintyre" thread. Maybe it should be put there.

[Bobbie En Tejas]

Did anyone even bother reading my last thread? Oh, and the apology? I guess not.

I do have a life, Lo. And you know, I've been personally insulted a few times on here. The times you see me running to the mods aren't usually when I have been insulted, but when someone else has been insulted. I usually bounce back pretty well from the personal insults that people feel it is their right to throw because they live there and I don't.

Govan and I both add to this forum, whether some people like to think so or not. Too bad if someone doesn't think I belong here. I think I belong here. And if anyone has a problem with me being here... oh well..

Get a life.

[Malky]

LO, thanks for further info on this and you bother because you obviously care about the area

In answer to your 3 questions, no, no and no.

You have to remember though, that although many people had all the information about OK and were able to come to a decision about the merits of this project (or otherwise), lots of people really haven't a clue how it all works. Anyone who is in business for themselves or is thinking to setup a business will probably know all about OK but the ordinary person in the street will probably not. Perhaps the 'word of mouth' way of spreading the message is partly to blame for that.

Can I ask how many local businesses have been helped by OK? I've heard quite a few but no-one seems to be able to give me any examples. Perhaps that info is not yet available or may not be available until the project ends.

You mentioned the support (or lack of it) from the public sector agencies and I personally think that is an area that should be looked at and improved on. Surely the days of large grants to big companies to locate here has gone. These big companies never stick around so why on earth support them when there are so many smaller projects that could become sustainable and provide more permanent jobs. 'Big is better' doesn't work here.

Malky

[EMDEE]

LO, thanks for further info on this and you bother because you obviously care about the area

In answer to your 3 questions, no, no and no.

You have to remember though, that although many people had all the information about OK and were able to come to a decision about the merits of this project (or otherwise), lots of people really haven't a clue how it all works. Anyone who is in business for themselves or is thinking to setup a business will probably know all about OK but the ordinary person in the street will probably not. Perhaps the 'word of mouth' way of spreading the message is partly to blame for that.

Can I ask how many local businesses have been helped by OK? I've heard quite a few but no-one seems to be able to give me any examples. Perhaps that info is not yet available or may not be available until the project ends.

You mentioned the support (or lack of it) from the public sector agencies and I personally think that is an area that should be looked at and improved on. Surely the days of large grants to big companies to locate here has gone. These big companies never stick around so why on earth support them when there are so many smaller projects that could become sustainable and provide more permanent jobs. 'Big is better' doesn't work here.

Malky

I would agree with all of that, and hope that OK will be able to make a contribution to revitalising the economy. In feel that in particular, the last paragraph of your post would tie in with my own opinion, that it is very risky to finance the setting up of large companies to set up in remote areas like Kintyre, as it has become more and more expensive for them to operate in places like this. This is not a judgement on the motives of these companies in accepting public money, but a matter of reality. How many small businesses could be assisted in starting up with the money that is used in helping to bring just one major employer into the area? The risk element needs to be considered, and "all the eggs in one basket" avoided. What needs to be encouraged is the setting up of businesses producing local goods and services for selling in outside markets.The local "balance of trade" needs to be favourable before there will be any economic growth, and any area, or country that does not export will degenerate. I would suggest that there would, by necessity, need to be an encouragement of Tourism based industries, as this could be a major "invisible export" which has brought prosperity to other remote areas.