Step into just about any hostelry in Scotland on a Saturday afternoon and you can expect to find the broadest imaginable range of opinion.
From what coloured shirts the best football team wears to widely varying views on the latest twists and turns in top TV soap operas, everybody has their own point of view.
However, on stepping into Ye Olde Hotel in Leuchars one does not find any such divergence. In fact, everybody is singing from exactly the same hymn sheet and the message is crystal clear keep the RAF in Fife.
Everyone in the friendly pub is talking about the threat to Scotland’s bases, and all agree Leuchars must be retained.
Among those enjoying a lunchtime tipple on Saturday was pensioner Arthur Dobie. He has lived in the area all his life and once worked at the RAF base as a mess hand.
It is a time Arthur remembers fondly, and any mention of a threat to the site sparks an emotional response.
“The RAF is synonymous with Leuchars,” the 69-year-old said. “It would be a disaster if the base was closed down. Shops, businesses and schools would all be affected it would be a great loss to everyone here.
“Everybody in the area is right behind RAF Leuchars, but nobody knows what is going to happen,” Arthur continued.Decision”In my opinion, the government has probably already made up its mind the sooner they let everybody else know the better.”
Barmaid Becky Walker is the daughter of an RAF serviceman and has made Leuchars her home. Not surprisingly, she is also desperate to see the Fife base retained.
“Closure would be a huge disappointment,” the 24-year-old told The Courier, from the bar of the hotel known locally as Hendies.
“The RAF base brings everybody in Leuchars together you never hear a bad word about the place. It would be a like a ghost town round here if it was shut down.”
David Braid admits it has been a tough time for many people in the area, describing the recent closure of the nearby Guardbridge paper mill as a “hammer blow.”
“If RAF Leuchars shut down it would be really hard to take,” the 39-year-old said. “A lot of people who worked at the paper mill eventually managed to get jobs at the base, but it was a hard slog. If it closed now it would be a real double-whammy.
“Scotland is already losing RAF Kinloss, so in my mind there is no doubt that both Lossie (RAF Lossiemouth in Moray) and Leuchars should be retained.”
The support for RAF Leuchars among tipplers in Ye Olde Hotel is unanimous. Whether the government is similarly convinced remains to be seen.
A decision is expected in the summer.To show your support for RAF Leuchars, leave a comment below or click here.