How niver, A was surprised ti read that oor provost was gaun to fight the proposals every step o' the way. A hev ti admit, A was in a muddle when a read what she was sayin'. For she's got a point.

It's no an easy yin is eet? She's absolutely right ti look ti protect the High Street shops, an' A ken she's weel kent be shopkeepers for shoppin' in the High Street. Ee cannae fault that an' av absolutely nae doobt in ma mind that her comments were weel intended, even if the article didni come across that way.

An' Av aye thought masel that it's no shops oo need, it's jobs. So what div oo dae? This seems ti be somethin' that deserves wider debate.
There's different twists ti the tale. A mean, there's bound ti be shops on the High Street that wull be affecteed. Mind, they've already got competition frae fower supermarkets includin' Iceland and Lidl, an' let's face eet, maist folk already dae their messages in the supermarkets. An Woollies is already away.

A'v been ti Sainsbury's whilst when av been places where there is yin. Some say its a wee bit mair up mairket. A hev ti say, A thought it was grand, bit then A wad hink the verra same o' the other supermarkets oo hev.

Bit folk dev like a choice. Plenty folk hied ower ti Gala ti dae their messages at Tesco or Asda. A hink ood be surprised how much gits spent be Hawick folk in Gala, an' no juist in the supermarkets. An' it's no that folk er disloyal in ony way, it's juist that it's another choice ti look at now an' again.

Div oo want Gala ti git everything at oor expense? Mibee a Sainsbury's wad actually help, especially if there er other retail outlets nearby ana, in competition wi Gala. Competition atween supermarkets isni a bad thing. It's the High Street that's the worry. Bit did oo no hev the
same scenario when Homebase opened at Galalaw and mair retail was actively encouraged there? The positive thing aboot this though it that Sainsbury's want ti come ti Hawick. For if oo were a dyein' ghost toon they wadni come near oo wi' a barge pole. Bit that's no the case ata. Bit what kind o' message div oo gee the retail world if oo fight thum when they want ti come here?

An' how div oo tell a' the folk that hev lost their jobs in the mills that oor rejectin' twae-hunder-an'-fifty new yins cos they're no in the High Street? No ti mention the likely boost ti the local economy durin' the construction stage. Unless of course oor cooncilors ken o' plenty mair jobs on their way. It seems ower guid an opportunity ti miss.

Like a said, it's no an easy yin. No an easy yin ata. What dis yow yins think? Now's the time ti write in an' open the debate. For it's what the folk o' Hawick want, that's maist important.