Tha e àraid da-rìribh leam cluinntinn gum bheil Riaghaltas na h-Alba ag iarraidh air Bòrd na Gàidhlig oidhirp a dhèanamh gus an taic dha oifigearan leasachaidh sgìreil Gàidhlig a chumail a’ dol.
Chan eil teagamh sam bith agam nach eil tuigse aig oifigearan an Riaghaltais, agus aig co-dhiù cuid de Mhinistearan, air cho deatamach ’s a tha leithid nan dreuchdan sin dha taic leasachaidh a’ chànain, ach càite an robh an lèirsinn sin nuair a chaidh an t-airgead a bha a’ maoineachadh nan dreuchdan a ghearradh? Chan iongnadh daoine a bhith tàmailteach a’ faicinn amasan bhrosnachail an Riaghaltais dha cànain dhualchasach Alba gan stèidheachadh air bunaitean ionmhais cho staoin agus mì-chinnteach. Rinneadh adhartas sònraichte a dh’aindeoin sporain a th’ air a bhith cho tana seach na bha ga mholadh aig toiseach leithid seirbheis telebhisean na Gàidhlig, agus uallach nan dleastanasan a chuireadh air Bòrd na Gàidhlig a thaobh Plana Nàiseanta an Riaghaltais dhan chànan. Tha seanfhacal a’ comhairleachadh gur fheàrr fuine thana na bhith gun aran idir, agus saoilidh mise gun tàinig toradh nach bu bheag à buidseat Gàidhlig gu math lag thar nan ceathrad bliadhna a chaidh. Feumar aideachadh nach robh fiù ’s an t-airgead sin fhèin air a bhith ann mura b’ e deagh-rùn agus taic chuid de sheirbheisich chatharra, Buill Phàrlamaid, agus Ministearan ann an Lunnainn agus an Dùn Èideann, agus tha iad airidh air taing. Le Bile nan Cànan Albannach aig Riaghaltas na h-Alba a-nise deònach togail air an adhartas sin dhan Ghàidhlig, agus taic is aithne cuideachd a thoirt dha Albais, tha fhios gum bheil e follaiseach gun iarr na h-amasan sin fàs susbainteach air buidseat na Roinne aig am bi uallach nan cànan. Am measg sgeulachdan na seachdaine nochd tuilleadh aithris mu chùis mhaslach Horizon aig Oifis a’ Phuist.
Mar a tha fiosrachadh a’ sùghadh a-mach dhan fhollais tha ìre na mì-dhòigh a chleachd oifigearan, agus theagamh stiùirichean àrd-ìre na buidhne, a dèiligeadh ri maighstirean agus bana-mhaighistirean-puist a’ sìor fhàs nas do-chreidsinniche. Bho chionn bheagan làithean thàinig fios gun d’ rinn a’ bhuidheann sgrùdaidh ionmhais ainmeil Deloitte rannsachadh air Horizon dha Oifis a’ Phuist a dhearbh gum faodte cunntasan oifisean-puist atharrachadh gun fhiosta dha luchd-stiùiridh nan ionadan sin. Ach a dh’aindeoin na fianais sgriosail sin air Horizon chosg Oifis a’ Phuist milleanan de dh’airgead poblach a’ leantainn air adhart fad dà bhliadhna eile le cùis dìtidh laghail an aghaidh dhaoine neoichiontach. Saoilidh mi nach gabh àicheadh gur e eucoir a bha ga dhèanamh air na daoine a bha gan dìteadh, agus tha fhios gum bheil ceistean doirbh aig na proifeiseantaich a bha an sàs ri fhreagairt a thaobh na bh’ aca de dh’ fhiosrachadh. Tuigear gum bheil uallach agus aonta dìomhaireachd air buidhnean a nì obair-rannsachaidh phroifeiseanta, ach nach saoileadh neach gum biodh uallach mhoralta ann cuideachd far am faiceadh iad fìrinn ga cleith is daoine gan dìteadh gu h-eas-onarach. Thèid neart thar ceart, ach ged is minig a bha an fhìrinn searbh ri h-innse feumar sin a dhèanamh!
I am sure that government officers and at least some Ministers appreciate the vital role of community Gaelic development officers, so why was Bòrd na Gàidhlig funding support for these posts cut?
It seems embarrassing that the Scottish Government is now asking the Bòrd to try to save the posts, but if it is expected to do this without reinstatement of funds some other aspect of Gaelic support must obviously suffer.
This is happening at a time when the government’s Scottish Languages Bill proposes building on the many successes with Gaelic development over the past 50 years, and it also plans to recognise and support Scots languages. Such cultural and linguistic aspirations will not happen without a significant increase in the budget allocated to the department responsible for these languages.
During this past week there have been further extraordinary disclosures relating to the Post Office Horizon scandal.
Despite a report by Deloitte confirming that the Horizon system could be accessed by third parties and post office branch accounts altered, the Post Office spent millions of public funds as it continued to prosecute branch postmasters and postmistresses for a further two years.
Such action, based on inaccurate evidence, seems criminal and it is little wonder that people are outraged and demanding appropriate punishment for those responsible.
One must also wonder if Deloitte might have had a moral responsibility to disclose the fact that the PO’s case was based on totally false evidence?
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