Latest news with #Millport
Times
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
I don't know how to reach an Iran I'd like to visit, but it's not like this
I often think about a particular sketch in Limmy's Show. Limmy walks into a ticket office, hands a photograph of Millport to the clerk and asks if she knows how to get there. 'You get the train to Largs and from there you get the ferry,' she says. The comedian explains he already knows how to reach that destination. What he wants to know is how to get there: the specific period of time when the photograph was taken. I experience that feeling, or an approximation of it, when I look through my dad's old photo albums. He grew up in pre-revolution Tehran, a cosmopolitan city that was happy for its own cultural heritage to co-exist with western art, music and ideas. When we visited Paris a few years ago my dad drew parallels between the French capital and his home city as he remembered it. Bob Colacello, the editor of Interview magazine, travelled to Tehran with Andy Warhol in 1976 — Warhol was creating pop-art portraits of the Iranian royals — and said the city reminded him of Beverly Hills, 'except that they had Persian carpets by their pools' (and more luxuriant moustaches, I'm sure). My dad's family didn't have a private pool, nor would they have needed to for their lives back then to seem remarkable now. It's the ordinary stuff I find extraordinary. They could listen to any music they liked. Drink alcohol. Dance in nightclubs. Wear what they wanted. Everyday pleasures since driven underground by an oppressive regime. When I see photos of my Mamanjoon, my dad's mum, smiling outside with her hair uncovered and her legs bare beneath a knee-length skirt, I catch a glimpse of the Iran I'd like to visit some day. One shaped by freedom, not fear. I don't know how we reach a version of that place, but what's happening right now is not the answer. I'm leading a much more sheltered existence than the residents of Inverness, who have objected to plans for a new 26-seat community sauna on the grounds that it will become the site of 'mad late night sauna parties'. Have I been doing saunas all wrong this entire time (pretending to self that I'm 'going for a swim' then leaving the leisure centre with five laps under my belt and a wooden seat imprinted on my arse)? Apparently so. In New York, 6am sober sauna-raves are now a thing for wellness-seeking types, and a few early-evening equivalents have sprung up in London recently too. It's not the noise I'd be worrying about, Invernesians. It's the smell. I bet Noel Edmonds would be into a sober sauna-rave. Haven't watched his new TV show yet but will be treating myself to it this week after seeing a clip of him reclining on his crystal bed. Everyone is ribbing his woo-woo health routine, but I'll be taking notes. The glowing skin, the lustrous mane — he's our answer to Kris Jenner, and he's done it without a scalpel. Also on this week's agenda: a trip to Kelvingrove for a gander at nine previously unseen works by Alasdair Gray. I wonder how many decent aspiring politicians are discouraged from pursuing careers in politics by the volume of online harassment they would have to deal with as part of the job. New figures show that abusive social media posts directed at MSPs have tripled in the past year. Parliamentarians must be scrutinised, obviously; criticism and open debate are essential to progress. But it is possible to hold politicians to account without attacking them. The anonymity offered by social platforms is part of the problem, but laziness plays a role too. Far easier to dash off a post calling an MSP an effing moron than take the time to articulate yourself thoughtfully.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Scottish islanders battling second home tax force council to reconsider: Could more follow suit?
A Scottish Island may be about to force a u-turn over the decision to impose double council tax on second homeowners. Residents of Great Cumbrae, a small island off the west coast of Scotland, have been left outraged by the tax, according to reports in the Telegraph. North Ayrshire Council is now reviewing its decision to impose a 100 per cent council tax premium on second homeowners amid the backlash. Residents argue the tax will hurt the local economy due to its heavy reliance on tourism. Roughly one third of all properties on the island are second homes, while one quarter of its 1,400 residents work in tourist related jobs. Cameron Inglis, the Conservative leader on North Ayrshire Council, told the Telegraph that the reaction from residents had been 'fiery.' Residents on the island of Great Cumbrae argue that the second home tax will hurt the local economy due to its heavy reliance on tourism Pictured: Millport, Great Cumbrae Island 'We are asking second home owners to pay double, get nothing in return, so that we can balance our budget gap,' said Inglis. 'The whole thing has been pushed through so that supposedly rich people can plug a budget gap. The whole thing is a sham. It's smoke and mirrors.' Meanwhile, Alex Harvie, chairman of the Cumbrae Community Council said the double council tax would reduce income across the island and potentially 'start a spiral of decline' as facilities fall into disrepair. An impact assessment found the council tax hike would strip £500,000 off the island's £12.9million annual GDP. It remains to be seen as to whether this will be the first of many challenges faced by councils over the 100 per cent council tax premium. The majority of Scottish councils have now doubled council tax on second homes and three quarters of local authorities in England and Wales have also done so. Second homes for council tax purposes are defined as furnished properties where nobody lives, or where the owner has their main residence elsewhere. It means many second home owners in England paying the typical Band D council tax of £2,171 are seeing their annual bills rise to £4,342. Holiday hotspots such as Cornwall, Norfolk and Somerset are among those introducing the tax, in a bid to make homes more affordable for local people. For those who own second homes that are in a more expensive bracket, the costs could be astronomical. For example, someone who owns a Band H home in Salcombe - a second home hotspot in Devon - will see their council tax double from £4,716.42 to £9,432.84. Have you been hit by the second home council tax hike? Get in touch: editor@ Best mortgage rates and how to find them Mortgage rates have risen substantially over recent years, meaning that those remortgaging or buying a home face higher costs. That makes it even more important to search out the best possible rate for you and get good mortgage advice. Quick mortgage finder links with This is Money's partner L&C > Mortgage rates calculator > Find the right mortgage for you To help our readers find the best mortgage, This is Money has partnered with the UK's leading fee-free broker L&C. This is Money and L&C's mortgage calculator can let you compare deals to see which ones suit your home's value and level of deposit. You can compare fixed rate lengths, from two-year fixes, to five-year fixes and ten-year fixes. If you're ready to find your next mortgage, why not use This is Money and L&C's online Mortgage Finder. It will search 1,000's of deals from more than 90 different lenders to discover the best deal for you.
