Carbon routes to Copenhagen – and beyond

Reflections as an observer of the missed chances at COP15.

Glenn Campbell on BBC Newsnight tried to belittle any part Scots participants might play in Copenhagen ahead of the UN Climate Change Summit. I retorted that if it brought the biggest polluters the USA, China, India and Brazil to the table that would be a first. I also pointed out that Scotland’s world leading targets gave us every incentive to develop our huge renewable energy potential without delay despite Scotland’s pitch at Copenhagen being sidelined by UK Labour for petty parochial reasons.

Scottish media coverage took the same disparaging tone of the Scottish government presence. Sour comments in the press followed the pledge by Green co-leader MSP Patrick Harvie to pay out of pocket extra costs to take the train the Danish capital. In the event he was accompanied by Graeme Cook, chief environment researcher for SPICe at Holyrood. I was a late sub for my colleague Shirley Anne Somerville. So Cathy Peattie and I along with our Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change TICC committee clerk Alastair Macfie used more CO2 to fly on Sunday 13 December from Edinburgh to Amsterdam thence to Copenhagen as that was ‘cheaper’. Of course a direct flight would have saved some more GHG emissions. In the time it took to gain parliamentary approval sleepers on trains were booked up requiring an overnight stop in Cologne for Patrick and Graeme. Also Cathie and I did have the party whips awaiting our return unlike Patrick.

The transport system in Denmark is a joy. A 20 minute journey by comfortable electric trains runs every 25 minutes between Copenhagen airport and Malmö in Sweden where our hotel was booked. The UN had block-booked five night stays for all accommodation. We could only stay three, but the Parliament still had to pay for five!

Monday 14 December

Malmö centre is a haven of pedestrian and cycle friendly old streets with old Swedish gothic kirks next to swish shops. Bicycle parking is huge. The rail station packed with frequent trains hugely well used in this university town.

On retracing our rail trip to Ǿrestad and one Metro stop to the Bella Centre the scale of our problems emerged seen from high above the surrounding streets. Near stationary crowds queued all day in the hope of accreditation. It soon emerged that the queue for entry to the UN summit premises was even longer! We took our place and stuck it for 20 freezing minutes while engaging with would-be observers. Graeme Cook decided to queue on.

Richard Dixon of WWF Scotland approached us and described the near impossibility of access. We decided to walk back to Ǿrestad and cut our losses by Metro to Islands Brygge where the Scottish Low Carbon Mission events were held in a bright and cheery gallery complex or Koncersal named after a living Danish artist Mogens Dahl.

Friends asked me before we left Edinburgh what we might hope to achieve. In my view whatever international contacts I could make in Copenhagen would strengthen understanding of Scotland’s world-leading climate busting law. In tandem I would seek as much direct communication with activists from other lands to cement ways to cooperate whatever the outcome of the UN summit talks.

The Scottish Mission Day proved an inspiration. We rubbed shoulders and ideas with dozens of British Council climate champions from a slew of countries, with the Edinburgh University Climate Masters, students from a another dozen lands. Stand out moments included these student speakers’ abilities and enthusiasm. Each of them dispelled our ifs and buts. Above all Mary Robinson, former Irish President and UN human rights commissioner cut to the quick.

The painstaking document building of the past two years had just been trashed in the Bella Centre. Her theme of climate justice: engaging wider society was heart rending. Some 39 references to gender issues had been painfully negotiated into the first draft. After all 70% of small farmers in developing countries are women. How could they cope if Africa is allowed to fry? Prof Alan Miller chairing the session apologized that no other women appeared on the panel!

At the snack lunch and pre-dinner reception I talked with a young Uzbek climate champion Guzal Sultankhodjayeva. Her mission was education with a sustainable edge. A Swedish professional Kaj Wôgdahl works in climate-proofing buildings and he shared some thoughts on the complacency of the Swedish government. It could consult the Scots Government to refresh its targets. I made domestic contacts too and considered it profitable start. A key stunt [according to The Guardian later in the week] was the 20-20 Malt Whisky brought from Scotland. At 42° proof it neatly set out our reduction target. Also present wearing a kilt was Michael Marra of Stop Climate Change Chaos Scotland. We were both determined to highlight the Scottish ambitions as visually as possible.

During the evening reception a frozen Graeme Cook arrived after seven frustrating food and drink-free hours in the queue to get in touching distance of accreditation. He determined to get up at 5 next morning and try again. Indeed he was to succeed. Patrick did the same later in the day and he too got his burgundy lanyard and yellow Non-Governmental pass.

Tuesday 15 December

Alastair, Cathie and I visited the Klima Forum in downtown København. Patrick and Graeme had been there two days before as they arrived ahead of us. I was peeved at missing José Bové the French anti GM activist. They complained there was no French translation that night. Hopefully I could have got the gist.

We hoped to enter auditorium for the Climate Leaders Summit 2009 as sub-national governments around the world made their pitch to aid a global climate deal through highlighting their own work. Scotland, Ontario, North Rhine-Westphalia, Victoria, São Paulo, Quebec and California were on the bill. All we heard from Scots media was that Gov Schwarzenegger had pulled out and snubbed Alex Salmond. The event was chaired by Helen Clark, former New Zealand premier and UN Development Administrator. Bulky brochures from ‘The Office of Tony Blair’ littered the press area.... However these governments are world leaders and the official UN agreements in future will follow their lead. Check their website: www.theclimategroup.org

Around twenty demonstrators were ejected by a big police presence just before we arrived. Otherwise security was relaxed. We watched a couple of speeches on monitors and chatted to BBC Scotland radio journalist David Miller who tried throughout the week to reflect what was actually being discussed at the UN Summit and in satellite meetings. We then wandered through the people’s summit stalls and events. The green, blue, orange and purple halls beckoned. Resisting the wiles of the orange hall I found gold dust among the NGO displays in the purple hall.

There I spied a huge poster with a picture of two dozen combine harvesters reaping, or raping the broad pampas lands; captioned ‘Chemical no-till agriculture can never be a carbon sink! – Change the System – not the Climate – Rural Reflection Group of Argentina. Rapidly I had found out that they were the contacts used by GM Freeze. I met Jorge Eduardo Rulli and Stella Maris Semino. Pictures were taken and a quick exchange of mutual understanding gained. What a chance to set up a meeting between the NFUS and these concerned farmers from Argentina whose land is trashed to grow GM soya that feeds our pigs at home. I blogged my intentions for such an encounter that same lunchtime in a Danish version of Costa Coffee.

News that Graeme had got accredited cheered us. We still awaited Patrick’s progress but ‘radio silence’ continued. He had apologised in advance for missing our planned meetings with Dansk Cyklist Forbund DCF and the City of Copenhagen traffic department. Our TICC committee enquiry on healthy travel was much enhanced by the NGO and Council officers we met. Lise Bjørg Pedersen the DCF political officer outlined the campaigns that had boosted cycling facilities and attitudes to reach the 37% of journeys to work and school in the city by bike.

Niels Tørsløv director of the traffic department of the city council’s technical and environmental administration revealed how over seventy years the cycling city had evolved. Wet snow was falling as we walked to these meetings but he assured us that an average 80% of normal cycle journeys were taken in winter conditions. The city cleared snow and ice from cycle lanes ahead of the roads!

The Scottish five were re-united at nearby Sam’s Bar with news that Patrick had also gained entry to the Bella Centre under our Global NGO grouping [Global Legislators for a Balanced Environment]. We had to skip the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association reception and he and I headed for an inaugural meeting of the Climate Parliament in an old seaman’s bar in Christianshavn.

Parliamentarians from Iceland to India, Italia to Escocia shared ideas about a huge network of energy grids across Europe and other world regions. Our host was LibDem MEP Graham Watson and his team. Among those I met were the Liberal deputy mayor of Ixelles in Brussels, a Norwegian Conservative MP and the illusive Rafael our GLOBE phone contact in the pyrrhic accreditation process at the UN summit. I had the longest discussion with Italian MEP Vittorio Prodi from Bologna. His great hope was to harness solar energy from the Sahara and pipe electricity to southern Europe. In return he wants biomass to green the former bread basket of the Roman Empire in Tunisia and Algeria.

Over a typical Danish dinner of fish courses and meat we debated in a small wood lined room whose walls were covered in photo mementos of Danish sail training cadets who hold regular reunions on the premises.

All too soon we departed with two female Flemish and Swedish MPs for Malmö. I had a hair’s breadth chase to catch the 11.48pm train as Patrick chatted to the guard as I bought a ticket. Had we all been accredited, travel passes would have been received.

Wednesday 15 December

We all agreed that no early morning heroics were in order. We all checked out and headed to Copenhagen. Patrick and Graeme, who was leaving by sleeper that night aimed for the Bella Centre again. I returned to the Klima Forum. After lunch we headed to the airport to take the aerial sausage machine back to Edinburgh. Earlier Alastair met Patrick and Graeme photographing the Little Mermaid – unable to gain access to the Bella Centre.

Politically it became clear that the summit was in deep crisis. Those of us who did not gain access to the hallowed UN summit knew as much as those who were accredited. Watching TV in the Danish capital pictures of small demos corralled by increasingly tetchy riot police gave a depressing confirmation that global gatherings follow a pattern no matter how well-intentioned the negotiators.

Aftermath

As the ‘Copenhagen Accord’ was cobbled together all the hopes of 40,000 folk from across the planet who had converged on Copenhagen were severely dashed. The UN plenary session that crashed the gavel on a stitch up between the USA, China, India, South Africa and Brazil gained grudging, dog-tired assent from the EU and others.

The Bella Centre could only hold 10,000, a number that was reduced for observers to 90 on Friday 18 December. The frustrations of activists were palpable and totally justified. President Obama, as the FT pointed out on Wednesday 15 is US president, not world leader. The opaque refusal of China to accept targets never mind verification of emission reductions has been highlighted. However villages, towns, regions and countries across the globe are set to show the way.

From Scotland’s perspective the EU targets of 30% reductions by 2020 must be adhered to. Our green renewables revolution can transform our economy and can provide a platform for exporting technologies as well as power. Our contacts with like-minded legislators and activists must underpin a legally binding World Climate Change Treaty as soon in 2010 as practicable, most likely in Mexico next December.

There can be no back sliding to accommodate the benighted attitudes found among US legislators and employers who see only unnecessary cost in a shift from ‘business as usual’. Yet the BBC Scotland poll 61% of respondents agreed or tended to agree that they believe their behaviour and everyday lifestyle contributes to climate change.

That gives encouragement to stick to our SNP Government position. With unanimity the Scottish Parliament passed our world leading climate law. By signing a partnership with the President of the Maldives Alex Salmond indicated that Scotland intends to work at home and with those abroad for whom climate change is a life or death matter.

There’s much to do to make a start. But the haunting words of Louisiana ‘swamp rocker’ Tony Joe White linger in my mind after the Copenhagen climate trip. His 1991 album contained the title track that concludes:

Who’s going to tell the children?

How the rivers used to flow crystal blue

We keep leaving scars on mother earth

And move in closer to the truth.

Scottish solution to Scotland's needs

A DECADE ends and another begins. We look back and peer forward, so what can we divine from our recent past and what resolutions should we make in the New Year?

For all Scots the metaphor is rightly that of the glass half empty or the glass half full. Physically for many of us the issues of obesity and alcoholism have come to dominate this decade in our well-off land. This neatly contrasts with starvation and want in much of the poor world, particularly Africa and Asia where deserts grow and oceans rise - the galloping horsemen of climate change apocalypse which add a searing threat to self-inflicted ill-health here at home.

As ever I see positives for our future. It came as no surprise that the trade cycle would end in slump around now. Each eighteen years the same issues arise. What came as the greatest surprise was the extent that globalised banking was up past its neck in so much bad debt. To learn from experience we need different forms of tax in future at local, national and international levels to capture the unearned wealth we lost through under-regulated and socially useless banking practices.

Property speculation is usually at the root of such ill-advised investment; this time sub-prime entered the global vocabulary. Land value taxes could even out the financial peaks and troughs. Also a transaction tax, or Tobin Tax – named after a Nobel Prize winning American Economist in 1981 - on international bank deals could fund the £300 billion the poor world needs now to tackle their urgent climate issues. Will David Cameron back Gordon Brown and other EU leaders to press the issue at the G20?

A UK age of austerity is certain. What a pity the Church of Scotland minister’s son Gordon Brown forgot that the biblical seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine. Thanks to my friend Prof. James Mitchell of Strathclyde University for spotting that useful analogy. Whoever governs the UK after the General Election next spring has to slash the huge borrowings incurred by the London Government to bail out the bankers. Why should we have to suffer?

Readers should have experienced how aspirations in various parts of a very different UK that has developed in the past ten years. That’s why TV debates between three Westminster political leaders do not fit the diverse nature of these islands today. Scotland, Wales, the north of Ireland and London have legitimate and growing confidence as distinct law making nations, provinces and world city. Failing to reflect that growing diversity in Westminster politicking and media coverage is deliberately blinkered, arrogant and tries to ignore these diverse realities.

Remember in 2007 how the Scottish Government instigated a Broadcasting Commission that exposed the glaring bias against coverage of Scotland from London and confirmed the vast under-funding of Scots TV production by Scots in Scotland. If the UK is to mean anything by 2020 it has to give each devolved area its head to be all they can be. There is scant evidence that the broadcasting bosses have changed their metropolitan mindset.

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Looking out from our snowbound land I am so proud of Scotland’s participation in the Climate Leaders Summit in the Klima Forum at Copenhagen. What a stark contrast to the shambles I witnessed at the Bella Centre in Copenhagen in the United Nations attempts to create a worldwide climate treaty. Note the title Climate Leaders, that’s where Alex Salmond was welcomed. Among his commitments such as 50% of Scotland’s electricity from clean renewables by 2020 he also made a pact to work with the Maldives, that island nation which clings on to land no more than two metres above sea level. He joined leaders from Ontario, North Rhine-Westphalia, Victoria, Sao Paulo, Quebec and California to strike a global deal between sub-national governments. Each of their targets show what we are doing and where we lead the nations at the UN top table will need to follow.

Earlier I talked of appropriate taxes for this climate change age. May I say we need carrots as well as sticks. But first, when you have energy for sale, be it oil or electricity there must be benefits to the producers and those whose resource is utilised. Recent TV shows have highlighted the deliberate downplay of Scotland’s oil resources since the 1971 discoveries in the North Sea. Their revenues have fed London’s policies which have never put Scotland’s sustainability first.

Just this week the Secretary of State for Scotland with a propaganda office based in Whitehall tells us again we could not make a go as a country with full tax powers because oil revenues won’t bridge the gap in current spending. Creative arithmetic can tell you anything, just like the bankers and their collateralised debt obligations.

London’s proud record is such that Scotland has always lagged behind the UK average in growing our economy. They have proved to this day that Scotland having discovered oil is the first nation to get poorer as a result.

That need not be so in future. We can complete the powers of the Scottish Parliament. We can vote for a Scottish solution to Scotland’s needs. So getting out and voting in the British General election this spring is essential; voting in our proposed independence referendum in the autumn even better. It is not a wasted vote for SNP whose target isn’t No.10 Downing Street. All other parties refuse to allow Scotland to flourish for it is an inconvenience to their selfish interests.

There’s much to do in the New Year. Enjoy the festivities and turn the good feelings of 2009, the Year of Homecoming, into 2010 the year to bring home full powers to the Scottish Parliament and let all parts of Scotland flourish in a climate savvy world. Bliadhna Mhath Ur! A Guid New Year tae you and yours.

www.robgibsonmsp.blogspot.com

Getting our ducks in a row

Pictured with fellow CC Committee Member Cathy Peattie, visiting with Politisk Chef (Chief Political Officer) Lise Bjorn Pedersen of the Danish Cyclists Forum viewing the modern attractive bikes on sale in Copenhagen

This week I was privileged to attend the Copenhagen Conference as a Climate Change Committee Member from the Scottish Parliament. Be it noted that my colleague Shirley Anne Somerville was slotted in but had to call off. The huge task for this planet is to measure how we in Scotland can contribute to the international debate and also make progress in this country to achieve the goals that we set ourselves in the world leading Climate Change Act passed in June.

As I said in Parliament last week, the phrase "getting our ducks in a row" comes to mind. In the 1980s, Dr Salter was developing wave power. Had he been given the go-ahead, wave and tidal power might have been developed at a much earlier stage. The science has been talked about for several decades but is only now being developed. London-based Government agencies scuppered Salter’s ducks so it is important that we get our ducks in a row now.

We have a fantastic opportunity. As Jim Mather, the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism said in welcoming the Wood Mackenzie study backing renewable energy development: "We enjoy a vast array of potentially cheap renewable energy sources and harnessing that potential will create thousands of long-term jobs while reducing emissions." I wholeheartedly agree.

Where powers over the development of those energy sources lie is a crucial issue that can act as a drag on development. Remember that we are working at a competitive disadvantage in relation to energy distribution in rules made in the Thatcher period and which is unfit for purpose. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets OfGEM proposals with which we have had to deal are costing us millions a year more to produce power here compared to south-east England. This makes it difficult to help Scotland, let alone Britain, to reduce its emissions as quickly as we might do. We need to change those conditions. Sustainability is at last being built into UK law. I hope that that will change the form of regulation in our favour.

The body that the London Parliament hardly ever seems to hold to account is the Crown Estate, the tax collectors of the seas who make a lot of money for the London Treasury. Meanwhile they are taking far too long to put in place the licences that will help us to develop tidal and wave power and offshore wind farms in areas such as the Pentland and Moray Firths. The processes are complex—the Crown Estate has to see that licensees can deliver. However, the fact is that the Crown Estate is not within the control of the Scottish Parliament, we need to get that control.

I am full of praise for the work of the North Scotland Industries group. Its chief executive, Ian Couper, told its annual general meeting this week:

"By 2013, I want the North of Scotland and the Islands to be recognised as the renewable energy centre for Scotland and the UK ... This is where the majority of activity will be happening for the UK and we need to blow our trumpet a bit more, to make more people aware of our strengths in this sector."

We should not only blow our trumpet but make the case that we must have the powers over the development of the sector that will aid the process. It is up to members of the Scottish Parliament to confront some of the issues that are holding back development. It is for that reason that I mentioned UK bodies that are guilty.

Additionally, an issue raised in the energy section of The Press and Journal last week criticises the failure of some of our well-known high street banks to put up money for the energy development. Some banks like HSBC are investing, but we must ensure that banks that are based in Scotland such as RBS and HBOS and which take deposits from Scotland are seen to be using that money for developments in offshore renewables. After all, renewables pose far less risk than the way in which the banks gambled our money in the past. It is important that that focus is kept on the banks.

Despite the mixture of powers currently shared between London and Edinburgh, the EU's policy for renewables development— a possible 30% reduction in GHG by 2020—provides us with a lot of opportunities. It is up to Scots to ensure that North Sea grids are eventually laid at a later stage after the overland grid is upgraded and carry the precious endless clean electricity to our markets.

Imagine a city of half a million people saving 90,000 tonnes of CO2 every year due to cycling instead of car and bus journeys. That's what Copenhagen achieves through a staggering 37% of journeys to school and work being done in the saddle.

I've learned so much of practical benefit to us back home at the Climate Change Summit, or more precisely on the fringes and through arranged meetings in the city. So why can't we do such ground breaking health promoting travel here? No reason why not. The Holyrood Committee enquiry into cycling and walking has to be practical for our climate. So its a sobering thought that 80% of normal cycle journeys continue in winters in Denmark. They just clear the snow from cycle lanes before they do the roads.

Much more from me and the Copenhagen experience next time. Merry Christmas when it comes.

Blogging from Copenhagen 5

(Photo: One stop from Bella Centre where the Queues stretched to all day.)

Tuesday afternoon meetings with cycling federation and city adminstration in Copenhagen were fruitful.

Imagine a city of half a million people saving 90,000 tonnes of CO2 every year due to cycling instead of car and bus journeys. That's what Copenhagen achieves through a staggering 37% of journeys to school and work being done in the saddle.

I've learned so much of practical benefit to us back home at the Climate Change Summit, or more precisely on the fringes and through arranged meetings in the city. So why can't we do such ground breaking health promoting travel here? No reason why not. The Holyrood Committee enquiry into cycling and walking has to be practical for our climate. So its a sobering thought that 80% of normal cycle journeys continue in winters in Denmark. They just clear the snow from cycle lanes before they do the roads.

Also the Climate Parliament gathering in Christianhaven brought elected parliamentarians from Iceland to India and from Scotland to Sweden in a discussion on huge energy grids to serve all of Europe. There's so much to discuss on this it will require a longer note.

Meantime Patrick managed to hold the train for 1 minute to let me get a ticket and sprint down the ramp to catch the 11.48pm train to Malmo. Now I can say I've been to Sweden and Denmark three times each, on subsequent day. A frequent visitor on a superlative electric train service.

More on snowflakes and Klimaa Forum later. Can't see the big talks making substantial money available to make this accord on Friday a truly historic event. We'll see...

RG

Blogging from Copenhagen 4

Patrick waited 3 hours in queue to get into Bella centre today. Cathy, Alastair and I went to Klimaa Forum instead, mixed with press, chatted to David Miller of BBC Scotland.

Climate Leaders Summit is in full swing. No entry for many, but saw speeches on screen in press area, then visited huge expo with worldwide groups. Very ecclectic.

Among stalls in the purple hall I met Argentinian Grupo de Reflexion Rural. Many pictures taken. They are the source of our GMO info from Argentina. Delighted to meet Scots MSP - they feed Anthony Jackson with info for GM Freeze and also into SNP.

We can arrange a meeting for Stella Semino who lives in Denmark but travels to UK. The big issue is GM soya fed to pigs in Scotland and across Europe. A meetng between Argentinia rural group and NFUS would be most interesting indeed.

Have been able to collect a bagful of materials on many subjects for Xmas reading.

RG

Blogging from Copenhagen 3

Our day in the outskirts of Copenhagen at Morgens Dahl Konceral had big highlights. In particular, Mary Robinson 2030 Project Catalyst - if Cop15 isn't a success for developing countries then it's not a success for the developed countries! A multi-sectoral approach to climate change is essential.

Also the Climate Masters from Edinburgh Uni brought youthful rigour to the scene. Later a young South African woman from their group told me that it was great for young people to be heard and influence grey haired deciders.

News from Bella Centre bad as Graeme spent 6 hours queuing for accreditation and failed. Organisers have been unprepared for such numbers. Exhibitors, speakers, even ministers can't get in! A radical rethink on organisation needed and later in the week it's likely to be even tighter. So we will aim at events downtown including activist Klimaa Forum if time.

Already good contacts have been made and Climate Parliament tomorrow will focus on electric grid issues. Right up my street. Skip o snow outside. Speak again soon, promise of some 20 20 whisky that is 42 proof to toast our guests.

RG

Blogging from Copenhagen 2

Queues for Bella Centre impossible. 25,000 registered for 15,000 places. Rationing delegates will happen. Looks very difficult from here. We left Graham Cook to get himself registered. We shall see.

The Scottish Government do is well attended, with 150 from countries across the globe. All are sporting 42% Saltire badges. Hopng the 20-20 whisky makes an appearance. Now expecting snow.

Blogging from Copenhagen

Got in last night as part of the Climate Change Committee delegation of the Scottish Parliament - here with Convener Patrick Harvie as well as Cathy Peattie.

There was a slight skiff of powder snow at the station on arrival. They added 6 extra cars to accommodate half the planet en route for climate central in Bella Centre, Copenhagen.

Last night was beatiful and central Malmo is quality - pedestrianised and swish.

Graham and Patrick were able to hear Jose Bove at Klimaa Forum a big activist hangout near main station in the Danish capital.

Expect queues for registration but already conversations overheard of delegates and observers earnestly attempting to address the biggest chance of global action ever.

Keep you posted from Scottish Mission today.

RG

Much needed boost for broadband announced

Today the Scottish Government announced an upgrade of 71 telephone exchanges to improve online services. This is a timely announcement and one I will welcome in the chamber of the Scottish Parliament when 'Broadband for Rural Scotland' is debated this evening.

Due to high broadband take-up, a number of telephone exchanges in rural areas of Scotland have not been able to accommodate new users because of capacity constraints and today's announcement will go a long way in relieving that strain.

I am extremely pleased to see a number of small settlements throughout the Highlands, in particular Durness, the Craigs, Gillock, Lyth, Tongue, Berriedale, Kinbrace, Rosehall, Scourie, Westerdale, Achiltibuie and North Erradale, as well as many throughout the Islands, have been identified for upgrade.

At the beginning of this year I issued an report on the findings of a broadband consultation I conducted throughout my constituency. The numbers of hard pressed families and businesses operating with inadequate speeds and provisions, or even no internet at all, is simply insufferable in today's modern age.

Upgrades in these acutely identified areas will go some way in improving the situation, though the job of increasing capacity, reach and speed in Scotland's rural areas is still far from finished and requires BT to offer equal access as enjoyed by city dwellers.
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Full details of the 71 exchanges to be upgraded follows:

Argyll and the Islands - Coll, Colonsay, Gigha, Jura, Pirnmill, Kilchattan Bay, Kilfinan, Machrie, Pennyghael, Sliddery, Whitehouse

Ayrshire - Craigie, Straiton

Caithness and Sutherland - The Craigs, Durness, Gillock, Lyth, Tongue, Berriedale, Kinbrace, Rosehall, Scourie, Westerdale

Dumfries and Galloway - Bargrennan, Durisdeer, Marrburn

Forth Valley - Inversnaid, Trossachs

Inverness and East Highland - Advie, Glenferness, Laggan, Scatwell

Lanarkshire - Elvanfoot

Lochaber - Ardgour, Glenborrodale

Lothian - Garvald

Moray - Drummuir, Mulben

Orkney - Birsay, Hoy, Papa Westray

Renfrewshire - Loganswell

Scottish Borders - Grantshouse, Longformacus, Abbey St Bathans, Borthwickbrae, Lempitlaw, Stobo

Shetland - Burravoe, Fetlar, Gutcher, Fair Isle, Out Skerries

Skye and Wester Ross - Achiltibuie, Duntulm, Kinlochewe, Staffin, Uig, Killilan, Loch Scavaig, North Erradale, Tarskavaig

Tayside - Strathardle, Amulree, Bridge of Balgie, Bridge of Gaur, Butterstone, Trochry, Tummelbridge, Fern and Menmuir

It's time to put a positive slant on Scottish history

PROMOTING pride in Scots at home and abroad was one of four key aims of the Year of Homecoming, which was enthusiastically celebrated in Caithness and across the land.

Many have commented on its general success among a Scots tourist industry facing the depths of world recession. Alas this has not silenced politically motivated critics who see conspiracy and mismanagement in every SNP Government action.

The successful Homecoming campaign culminated in the final fling around St Andrew's Day. There were well-attended events all over, making this the best celebrated patron saint's day so far. Simultaneously, Your Scotland, Your Vote was published to offer analysis and a road map to increased powers for the Scottish Parliament allied to a referendum late next year on the choices.

It would be remiss of an SNP Government to ignore the route to independence. Also it is inevitable that unionist parties seek to kill the bill. However, 2010 will see the fallout from the British General Election by June. Then Scotland's unmet need to build a sustainable future will be centre stage.

My job in the Scottish Parliament is to seek the most practical ways to promote a lead role for the Far North in this new Scotland. To succeed we need tax-raising powers, borrowing powers and a tax office based in Scotland to collect these. Otherwise Scotland will remain a puppet on the London Treasury strings.

What's best in your mind - Treasury diktat or to cut the strings of remote Treasury manipulation to take normal national decisions like normal nations? www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/293639/0090721.pdf

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BEING comfortable with your history is about as important as teaching it.

As I discovered in a recent debate in the Scottish Parliament on Scottish history in schools, some are more comfortable and aware of it than others. Emotions ran high; some perceptive and eloquent things were said along with some reactionary statements and downright misinformation.

I won't re-run the whole debate but a couple of crackers stick in my mind. Labour's Des McNulty said that he didn't like referring to Scottish history as "our" history. One wonder's whose history it is then? He also said of the Enlightenment that it was the European Enlightenment and not the Scottish. If you follow Mr McNulty's rationale then the Italians should actively down play their role in the Renaissance.

The French philosopher Voltaire declared (in the 18th century), "we look to Scotland for all our ideas on civilization". Is that not something that should be known, investigated, understood (and yes celebrated)? Only a curmudgeon with a chip on their shoulder would want to down play that!

Lib Dem Margaret Smith made the cardinal sin of calling the battle of Culloden a Scotland versus England affair (although to be fair she did correct herself later); but said that funded visits to Culloden would give the perception that the Government was funding visits to a battlefield where the English fought the Scots. All the more reason, I would say, to get children to Culloden so that they learn that it wasn't.

One concern constantly raised by members was that Scottish history shouldn't be an exercise in painting England in a bad light. I couldn't agree more! But it got me thinking about the how other countries are portrayed through history in their schools.

Here the only times in history that we learn of other countries, especially in Europe, is in terms of opposition - Norman invasion, Napoleon, World Wars, for example.

Yet we co-operated with bodies like the Hanseatic League, and France in the Auld Alliance, had treaties with Norway and took part in the Scots/European Enlightenment (and Renaissance for that matter). The Scots that built St Petersburg and the Scots diasporas which inhabited Warsaw in the 17th century get little airing.

Scottish history surely should show the good and bad of our past, our glories and disasters. We are not perfect, but which country is? The trick is to know the story, and to move on from it to learn and be relaxed with it.

I am glad that the Scottish Government has decided that our history is something worthy of retention in the curriculum. I doubt there are many countries where a debate on these lines would be needed.

A TV debate last Monday explored the adequacy and presentation of the BBC TV Scotland's History series that culminates this coming Sunday evening. Heavyweight academics have been involved in unseemly spats over Neil Oliver, the presenter, his style and the script.

I was so pleased to watch the balanced panel discussion led by Sally Magnusson on St Andrew's Night. The studio audience joined in a reasoned and hopeful debate, echoing the need for more history in our schools. Why not watch it on the BBC iPlayer if your broadband can support it.

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I ATTENDED two of the bigger events in the Final Fling - last Friday Ceol nam Feis in Eden Court and last Saturday Hands Up for Trad in Dumfries. The supportive atmosphere in traditional music was showcased at its best. Scots, Gaelic and English languages blend and mix the versions of old music now played by cool young players and singers.

BBC Alba broadcast the event for the second year of a contract. Who will do it in Perth next time? Ceol nam Feis is not seen on the TV screen. If either were at peak time like the X Factor, a whole new audience would demand more.

Over half the prizes came to the Highlands and Islands, over half the performance slots were from North musicians. Yet these parts of Scotland only make up around 10 per cent of her population.

Over 900 people packed into the DG1 centre in Dumfries. Next year Perth has been chosen. Should Caithness now be considering a bid soon afterwards?

Let's make a legacy of the Mod another musical extravaganza based, naturally, on the talent playing our native traditions in a new century in this carrying stream.

Charter of Rights for People with Dementia

Earlier in October I and my other Parliamentary colleagues helped to launch Scotland’s first ever Charter of Rights for people with dementia and their carers in the Scottish Parliament.

There are currently more than 69,500 people living in Scotland who have been diagnosed with dementia. Alzheimer Scotland has projected this to increase to 127,000 by 2031.

The Charter was developed by the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on Alzheimer’s, which brought together MSPs and external organisations, including Alzheimer Scotland, the Mental Welfare Commission, the Scottish Human Rights Commission, Crossreach and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

The final document is the culmination of over half a year’s work, including a series of roadshows throughout Scotland which brought together service users, medical professionals and care home staff.

People with dementia and their carers, family members and friends, have the same human rights as every other citizen. However, it is widely recognised that, in addition to the impact of the illness, they face cultural, social and economic barriers to fulfilling these. This Charter aims to empower people with dementia, those who support them and the community as a whole to ensure their rights are recognised and respected.

During a debate on the Charter in the Scottish Parliament in October, the Scottish Government confirmed that they would accept the document in its entirety.

I want people in the local area to give their support to the Charter by signing up online at http://www.dementiarights.org/support-the-charter/

The publication of a Charter of Rights for people with dementia and their carers is long overdue. In recent years numerous reports have demonstrated that levels of care for people with dementia are simply not at a high enough standard.

This Charter should be used both as an empowering tool for service users, and also serve as a framework for care homes, hospitals and other organisations when developing services for people with dementia.

I would ask that readers visit http://www.dementiarights.org/support-the-charter/ and pass the message along to their friends and family to help back this Charter.

Celebration of musical talent

AS St Andrew's Day approaches, the SNP's National Conversation has kept its pledge to produce exciting proposals for an independent Scotland in all policy areas.

There's a gulf between the SNP's trust in the Scottish people through a referendum and the hypocrisy of Unionists who refuse to allow the people a vote. Talk of future referendums is a fudge with LibDems the deepest puzzle, pledging, as they do, a UK-wide poll on EU membership but none on full powers for Scots.

Of course we need to feel confident to grasp the opportunities. Two sides of that coin inspire us here.

First the young musical spirit of our nation is on display in the Ceol nam Fèis concert in Eden Court today (Friday). Our young talented traditional musicians exemplify that national spirit in its best cultural light. Well done Rita Hunter for producing this magic showcase for Fèisean nan Gaidheal.

Many of these youngsters, having found out more of their roots through our Fèisean, want to get trained and educated then come and live in their native area in future. That's a key reason for me to champion the Scottish Green Energy Revolution that can create many lifelong jobs and income for communities across the north.

St Andrew's Day could herald an early liberation of Nigg for renewable equipment production if Highland Council sticks to its policy of compulsory purchase for the yard.

Additionally the Crown Estate Commission CEC is poised to announce which leases will be granted for Pentland Firth marine energy projects. Ross-shire businesses like Isleburn can be in the hunt for the fabrication work and counter redundancies in the area. Also the CEC should do us the courtesy of making their announcement of the winners here in the north, not in London.

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MSP'S Gut Feelings is a collection of recipes from members of the Scottish Parliament in aid of Marie Curie.

It was launched earlier this month at £9.99 with support from the Bank of Scotland - for copies contact me. Many of us contributed to support this key cancer charity. My original idea is called Penne and Puddings. It features slices of haggis and black pudding - naturally I recommend Cockburn's of Dingwall - on a bed of penne pasta and sautéed leeks. Very "Scot Nat", quipped one Labour colleague. Support excellent local produce I say. I'm glad to add that the Scottish Parliament Burns Supper has chosen Cockburn's haggis for the third successive year for next January's event by popular request.

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DOOR to door calls and questionnaires by the Energy Saving Trust in Alness have asked all householders needing advice to contact 0800 512 012. The lines have been red hot. In the last few months Caithness has had similar treatment from this Scottish Government backed schemes. Houses are being treated and advice as to grants made available.

I caught up with Alan Grant the EST outreach engagement officer for Highlands and Islands at the Taste of Tain event which I had the pleasure of opening. He was delighted by the public response so far. It shows what every household can do to cut fuel bills, stop drafts and cease to "heat the sky". Let's make St Andrew's Day a modern celebration of our emerging national self-confidence. Although climate change knows no national boundaries each nation must take responsibility.

Let's take our place among the nations as responsible citizens.

The Copenhagen Conference needs to replicate the pioneering Scottish Climate Change Act.

Coming to terms with the consequences if our planet is allowed to overheat also can usefully cut our fuel bills.

Paying the price of cheap drink

SERIOUS alcohol abuse was highlighted at the regular face-to-face MSP briefing by NHS Highland last Friday.

At a minimum price of 40p per unit of alcohol, "own brand" whiskies and vodkas, gins and cheap ciders, excluding the likes of Bulmers Original and Magners Irish Cider, would be considerably dearer. Moderate drinkers of well-known brands would not have to pay more.

Other experts have backed the Scottish Government in seeking a minimum price for popular low-cost drinks. We know that wines, beer, cider and spirits are 30 per cent cheaper now than 10 years ago. Also that liver disease and ill-health statistics due to excess consumption are rocketing here in Scotland. So what is to be done?

Dr Emilia Crighton, convener of the Faculty of Public Health in Scotland, insisted that there was an "overwhelming case" that cheap drink was damaging Scotland's health.

As the evidence stacks up week after week, those politicians who oppose minimum pricing look increasingly irresponsible. The issue here is ending a situation where three-litre bottles of chemical cider are sold for £3, or 700ml bottles of industrial vodka for less than £7. These are the products favoured by problem drinkers and are exactly the ones that will be targeted by minimum pricing.

Minimum pricing of alcohol has a broad support base among medical experts, the police and the pub trade. Even the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in England, the UK Government's expert advisory body on medical treatment, strongly backed minimum pricing as a way of reducing consumption among harmful and hazardous drinkers.

I very much welcome the intervention by a senior Liberal Democrat MP and front bencher at Westminster, in which he fully supports minimum pricing of alcohol. Speaking at a "business in sport and leisure" conference in London (reported in The Publican on November 12) Don Foster, the Lib Dems' shadow culture spokesperson, said: "I truly believe the time has now come to be looking at a scheme for minimum pricing." This directly contradicts the stance of the Liberal Democrat leadership in the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Foster's comments echo remarks by the Liberal Westminster business spokesperson, Lorely Burt, who branded cheap supermarket booze the biggest problem and reiterated her party's support for minimum pricing.

In October last year, the UK Lib Dems produced a report on the UK's relationship with alcohol, which called for minimum pricing to be introduced. I hope that Mr Foster can come to meet with MSPs, including his own Lib Dem colleagues, in order to explain the importance of minimum pricing in tackling alcohol misuse. What do our Highland Lib Dem MSPs believe?

The coalition in support of minimum pricing is broad and growing, involving the police, health professionals, the licensed trade, the British Liver Trust and the four chief medical officers across the UK. Regrettably, the Lib Dems in Scotland are on the outside of this process.

Yet the scale of Scotland's alcohol misuse problem is shocking: 42,500 alcohol-related hospital discharges; 1500 deaths per year; soaring rates of liver cirrhosis; the eighth highest consumption in the world; and a 2.25 billion annual cost in public services and lost productivity.

Those MSPs in the Scottish Parliament who are not yet persuaded of the case for minimum pricing would benefit from hearing Don Foster's advice.

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A RECENT debate on the built heritage was mentioned in the local papers. In the debate I made a plea to preserve and interpret numerous pre-Clearances villages scattered across the North. Then Tory grandee Sir Jamie McGrigor waxed lyrical about the French-renaissance-meets-Scots-baronial splendour of Dunrobin Castle.

I remarked that Dunrobin Castle is well preserved by the family that owns it. Did he think that the Clearances villages that were created by the policies of such people's ancestors should be preserved?

He replied: "My colleague Jamie Stone mentioned Tain museum, which I believe is a museum to the Clearances." Although not entirely true the chamber was thoroughly amused to hear Jamie McGrigor continue, "of course, that (the Clearances) was one of the Lib Dems' original social engineering experiments." He was referring to the Dukes of Sutherland being Whigs, not Tories, the ancestors of today's Lib Dems.

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LET me update you on a very positive social engineering experiment welcomed wholeheartedly by people in this area today. A couple of weeks ago, door-to-door calls by the Energy Saving Trust in Thurso asked all householders needing advice to contact 0800 512 012. The lines have been red hot.

Back in August, Lybster and its surrounding area had similar treatment from Powerdown Scotland, organised by the local co-ordinator Anne Sutherland. Both are Scottish Government-backed schemes. Already 20 houses in Lybster are being treated and advice as to grants made available.

I caught up with Alan Grant, the EST outreach engagement officer for Highlands and Islands, at the Taste of Tain event last Saturday, which I had the pleasure of opening. He was delighted with the public response. It shows what every household can do to cut fuel bills, stop draughts and cease to "heat the sky".

Alness is now getting the chance to have help assessing the best way to climate-proof each home, as Thurso did.

As our national day, November 30, draws near, let's make St Andrew's Day a modern celebration of our emerging national self-confidence. Although climate change knows no national boundaries, each nation must take responsibility.

Let's take our place among the nations as responsible citizens who have come to terms with the consequences if our planet is allowed to overheat, and do some useful work to cut our fuel bills.

TICC Visit to Glencorse

See photos below of myself and fellow MSP Patrick Harvey at the site of the Glencorse Water Treatment Centre in Midlothian. We visited as members of the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee to view the construction, due to be completed in 2011, and here about the centre's plans and capacity.

Scottish Water is building the new water treatment works , as part of the Edinburgh Drinking Water Project - a strategic programme of capital investment to build a new water treatment works and replace ageing mains and storage tanks providing water to Edinburgh and surrounding areas.

It's the Constitution Stupid

While most MSPs return to their constituencies on a Thursday night, I had three reasons to remain in Edinburgh last Friday. The first involved a seminar in the Chamber and Committee Room breakout sessions of Parliament. The subject was a report on mainstreaming equalities issues in our Holyrood work.

Keynote speaker Prof Ailsa McKay of Glasgow Caledonian University argued that the recession is no time to ditch fair treatment. Indeed women suffer low pay and more chances of redundancy in hard times yet they tend to spend money on family needs - not selfish wants - when they have it.

In the group chaired by Malcolm Chisholm on the work of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee I had the task to report back to the full chamber. Very trenchant debate took place in our group and uncovered big question marks about drop-out rates in the modern apprenticeship scheme which is a big Scottish Government investment in the economic recovery package.

A tourism executive explained how the disabled are being better catered for. The loss of the ‘walk away’ pound is not due to difficult access. It rests on attitudes among providers of services.

Also we need to recognise that paid and unpaid work adds to well-being. I suggested that the time is ripe to measure more than Gross Domestic Product. The SNP Government has introduced one of the first carbon audits in any nation, as previously reported. So we need measures of progress in equality, carbon reduction, happiness as well as income. There is never a better time to start.

Privately, at lunchtime that day, I told my stories about the drovers and their links to the cattle trade of America at the Storytelling Festival just up the Royal Mile. That evening I had great pleasure in joining the fund raiser in the Queens Hall for the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland TMSA. Their patrons Archie Fisher, Barbara Dixon and Sheen Wellington all sang, but the young trad musicians of the past few years are so skilled and sensitive. Great to hear their mixture of tunes, Scots and Gaelic songs sung and played in new forms.

Our young people embrace a confident blend of many strands of our national culture. I hope and believe that Caithness folk do the same despite the trench warfare over bilingual road signs in the columns of the Groat...

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Critical fire power directed at the SNP Government this week by the CBI and other parts of the ‘bosses unions’ have been alleged that the SNP recovery plans and our Budget proposals are against business interests. The devolved government can’t borrow so its first duty is to protect education and health services and local government from the blizzard of cuts caused by Labour’s recession.

If sustainable growth is to be kick started then London has to give a hand. Our block grant is cut for the first time since 1999. The Unionist parties have at least realised that, as we have to pay back this coming year the accelerated capital spending that the SNP Government speedily adopted last autumn, we need more of the same next year to make modest investments in apprenticeships, home insulation, affordable house building, etc. But above all the kind of borrowing powers that even councils have is denied to Holyrood. I say to those who call on the SNP to forget independence during a recession, it is even more important to get full powers to equal and better the woeful performance of the UK as the last country coming out of recession. Indeed I would say the economy will only improve when we get full powers of a normal nation. In short, it’s the constitution, stupid!

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Meanwhile with limited powers we are helping small and medium sized businesses with a new scheme. ScotAction and is the Scottish Government's skills support package for providing real financial support to businesses and individuals through the recession.

Many small firms have had to balance the need to keep their heads above water with the desire to continue to develop staff skills for the future. So those in the construction, engineering and manufacturing sectors, including renewables, who think that they may have to let their apprentices go should contact Skills Development Scotland for more information. The Scottish Government, with European Social Fund support, want to provide employers with £75 a week to help towards the wage costs of these apprentices so that they can continue in their training.

'Safeguard an Apprentice' demonstrates that the Scottish Government can deliver practical help to support businesses and individuals through the recession.

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The Banking Enquiry in Holyrood’s Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee resumed this week. We took evidence from the Office of Fair Trading whose evidence was damning as far as personal current accounts in British banks are concerned. The market has not been working well for customers as they pay high bank fees and receive poor service. The feeling is that beleaguered banks are charging way above previous rates to recoup losses caused by their speculative old ways. Rebuilding consumer confidence is our aim but when you see the way Messrs Brown and Darling overrode the OFT report against the Lloyds HBOS merger last autumn you have to ask key questions once again.

If Labour saved the banks from total collapse, why did they let them get into that state in the first place? When you see Government ignoring advice on drugs from its scientists, is there a culture in London Government that needs to change?

In its way the EU single market begins to offer some relief. In return for huge bail outs to Lloyds and RBS Commissioner Neelie Kroes has ordered them to break up sections of these ‘too big to fail’ conglomerates. Thanks to EC competition rules Mr Darling must comply to give more choices for customers in High Streets from Thurso to Truro. And about time too.

RG

Migdale Confirmed

The Scottish Government has given the go-ahead for a new hospital in Migdale.

The SNP Government is delivering as opposed to scaremongering, the tactic of choice by the opposition parties unable to find any other way of operating. Indeed, I was bemused by recent reports suggesting the hospital would not be replaced and this unfounded scaremongering has of course caused subsequent concern in the local community. It's time for more circumspect opposition in the future.

The SNP Government has delivered for the people of Sutherland whilst our opponents can only spread scare stories. There was no danger to the hospital whatsoever.

I am glad that I can end this nonsense over claims surrounding Migdale hospital. Elderly people have been genuinely concerned regarding what they have been reading and hearing in recent weeks. In the end it was for nothing and I look forward to a new hospital which will deliver for the people of Central Sutherland.

Direct action from the SNP Government will deliver this hospital for the people. Years of prevarication and delay which marked the Liberal Democrat and Labour years of Government in Scotland delivered nothing..

I can reassure the people who have intimated their concerns regarding the future of the hospital that it will be built. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Nicola Sturgeon for her longstanding and consistent support for this project.

Tyres' dual function

It's time to seriously consider using recycled tyres in engineering projects. On Monday I had the chance to meet with Dennis Scott at the Northern Tyre recycling centre, an Evanton-based outfit that takes tyres from across the region and compresses them (around a hundred forty at a time) into bales which can then be used in flood defences as well as foundations for roads, buildings, embankments and dams.

The recent flooding was a portent of things to come and Councils are going to have to become more adept and innovative at dealing with the problem. Using tyre bales which are produced at Evanton would be a way to help shore up flood defences and stabalise embankments which could slip in heavy rain.

What we have seen over the weekend and in recent months is unfortunately the future. Increased rains will lead to increases in flooding coupled with destabilasttion of cliffs and embankments. Erosion is going to be a real problem as the climate change era intensifies. That is why councils and other organisations need to heed this sustainable low tech solution.

From what I have seen in Evanton there is no doubt that this is a simple device which works. It also has the benefit of making use of old tyres, lessing the need for landfill and also reducing the amount of fly tipping.

Indeed this is already proven technology - as the road from Syre to Kinbrace proves. The tyres act as a foundation for the road making sure that it doesn't sink into the peat. There must be many miles of roads in the Highlands, Islands and Scotland which have that problem. So a simple solution such as recycled tyres is welcome.

I would encourage Highlands and Islands Councils, and others across Scotland, to seriously consider using recycled tyres in engineering projects.

"I was greatly encouraged by my meeting with Dennis, his enthusiasm and drive is making sure that the technology and ideas are spread far and wide. The enterprise has a dual function of making use of waste whilst providing good quality and long lasting materials to make a real difference to engineering projects that save cash and recycle unwanted tyres.

Questions HIE over land unit

I've gained assurances from HIE that it remains strongly committed to both its Community Land Unit and community land buy outs.

On Wednesday morning (during Scottish Government budget scrutiny) the Holyrood Economy energy and Tourism Committee, of which I am Deputy-Convener, heard from acting CEO Sandy Brady that community land buy outs can contribute to regional competitiveness and that HIE has flexible funding available should major new buy outs arise - even though HIE meets only a fraction of the total cost which has been paid by the National Lottery since the land fund was created.

The Big Lottery has indicated that there have been fewer buy out applications since 2006 (11 from the HIE area to date) compared to the 82 funded for land and buildings from 2001 to 2006 at £12.4 million.

When I asked Sandy Brady about the number of supporting applications that had been lodged, he denied that there was any loss of momentum.

There is an urgent need for the Big Lottery to deliver support for the Embo football team in their bid to turn Skelbo forest into forest crofts.

When I quizzed HIE they did not agree that the Community Land Unit was acting as a gate keeper for the Big Lottery but is doing its best to promote sound applications it receives.

Statistically in this phase of land buy outs it is important to note that 32 of 91 grants made by the Big Lottery involved applicants who had previously received a grant under the Scottish Land Fund (before 2006).

I have previously sought clarification from the Big Lottery as to their attitude to community land buy outs from their Scottish chair Alison Magee.

She assured me in a conversation at the Sutherland Summit six weeks ago that there was no change of emphasis from the approaches of the Scottish Land fund into the era of Growing Community Assets (GCA) post 2006. Community activists were quoted recently as saying the there was a 'lack of momentum' due to Scottish Government disinterest. My analysis of this phase of land buy outs and development suggests that these criticisms are inaccurate.

I will be monitoring progress with great care. If communities feel aggrieved then I need to know. However the availability of £18 million still to be allocated from the GCA Fund before mid 2010 suggests that land buy out applications should be stepped up to test the system.

We need greater recognition of clearance villages

Following reports of lack of interest by Historic Scotland in better listing and interpreting pre clearances villages I've written to the Culture Minister Mike Russell seeking clarification on Historic Scotland's policy toward categorization and promotion of these clearance village sites.

The issue was raised during debates on the reasons for the Diaspora at the Highland Homecoming Festival last weekend and whilst I was attending the final performance of Highland Homecoming's 'Flight of the Arctic Tern' (which in itself was a commemoration of the clearance emigrant Alexander Gunn), I was approached by the Mackay Country Group, (who themselves have pioneered a clearance trail around the Ceannabeinne Township near Durness) regarding the issue.

Having written myself 'The Highland Clearances Trail' which documented villages like Ceannabeinne in order to attract visitors to the sites directly associated with the Clearance it's an important issue that deserves more consideration.

There are many such sites which deserve to be listed, interpreted and remembered as part of our national story. In every part of Scotland and particularly the Highlands and Islands there are dozens of such sites. Historic Scotland has done much good work to celebrate pre-historic sites such as World Heritage Orkney. But villages inhabited for centuries before the Clearances forced their people to scatter need action. I have visited many of these. Good examples include Lorgill near Glendale in Skye; Rosal and the dozens of other settlements in Strathnaver; Badbea on the Ord of Caithness; and Crakaig near Calgary in Mull.

I look forward to renewed efforts by Historic Scotland to safeguard such sites from inappropriate development and prepare appropriate interpretation of a key parts of our history.

It would be a great legacy to leave from the Year of Homecoming to have more information on where people's homes used to be. It is also important to let people know that the wild landscapes that they travel around in the North and West are in fact often man made. The piles of stones strewn across the landscape bear testament to the fact that many people used to live here and were it not for greed and ignorance still would.

The Stakes are high for Scotland

THE SNP annual conference returned to Eden Court Theatre in Inverness for the first time in several years.

Overspill space for those unable to get seats in the main auditorium had to be provided when Alex Salmond made a statesman's address on Saturday afternoon.

The fight to carve a sustainable future for Scotland is focused on two events next year – the looming UK election before June and the SNP's proposed referendum on the Scottish constitution planned for later in the year.

Like others, I was vox pop fodder on the BBC Politics Show. Asked who I preferred as next UK prime minister, I answered that I disliked both choices, so a strong wedge of SNP MPs will be needed to extract support for Scotland. In any case, a hung parliament would be most useful and in Scotland we should be the drivers towards the independence referendum while unionists of all colours will be passengers.

It is no idle jest. The stakes are high for Scotland; will we be a member in waiting in Europe or a backward region of an ailing middle-sized country with a near worthless currency?

Efforts in Inverness and across the land, from the Far North to the Borders, are set to educate and inform voters of the stark choices before them. The SNP does so from a steady and improving voter base, even compared to our score in 2007. Having won the Euro election this year cements the growing support for far more self-government for our nation.

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THE conference kicked off with a ringing endorsement of our world-leading climate change law.

We deplore the London Government's refusal to allow a Scottish minister into the UK delegation to the vital Copenhagen conference this December. But many themes on tackling greenhouse gas emissions peppered the debates, speeches and fringe meetings. The vexing truth is that organs of London Government have been slow to back the renewable development which can transform the seas around Caithness and mitigate climate change though a green-energy revolution.

Firstly, the transmission charging regime of OFGEM is now subject to EU competition scrutiny. That's because it discriminates against producers the further from London that you go. My colleague Alyn Smith MEP has backed Scottish Government, HIE and local demands to slash the access tariffs to the grid. Does Gordon Brown care?

Secondly we are appalled that the Crown Estate Commission has announced it will delay till February the decisions as to who gains project licences in the Pentland Firth.

My colleague Mike Weir MP tells me even Westminster has no leverage. John Thurso has protested and I must make two points – one, what expertise does the CEC bring to decide who is best to let loose tidal and wave machines on the rip tides and eddies of the Firth? Two, it is dawning on many others what I have long believed, that the Crown Estate should be taken under democratic Scottish control and transformed to suit Scottish needs.

I detect a groundswell of support here as the CEC effectively delays vital decisions that could reduce our natural advantage for marine energy development – in whose interest? We need to campaign hard for a speedy solution.

Far North MSP Rob Gibson addressing the SNP annual conference, held at Eden Court in Inverness.

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HERE'S an update on the greening of the Gibson home. Previously I won a prize from Friends of the Earth in an MSP competition for future planning to climate-proof our house.

This month the work started on a climate-friendly extension with a green sedum roof. Also a solar water system is being installed to cut our water-heating bills. The garden is like a battle zone, with a seven-tonne digger, piles of breeze blocks, sand, cement and huge heaps of top soil near engulfing the hazel and gean trees beside our rickety compost bin. I'm hoping my new study cum ceilidh lounge will emerge a fine wooden structure with top-grade insulated glass panels before Christmas.

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OUR SNP conference breaks out in the evening to ceilidhs and Young Scot Nats Karaoke. But also those who like to sing found a friendly hotel lounge and 50 of us indulged in a range of songs from Scotland and far beyond.

We were joined by folk from a' the airts, from Barra to Buchan and Orkney to Ayrshire. Among them was Fiona J. MacKenzie from Dingwall, a Mod gold medallist four years ago. She also closed our conference in a packed auditorium in Highland Homecoming style with an emigration song from Assynt, in Gaelic, and "Scots Wha Hae", in Scots of course.

The combination goes so well wherever you hear it. So let me recommend Fiona's most recent project. Her daughter, clarsach playing singer Katie has teamed up with Shona Donaldson to record the songs of Robert Burns in Scots and English.

It's called The Lassies Reply and uses the Gaelic title for sisters, Púr.

Christmas stockings from Thurso to Tayvallich would be graced by receiving this modern take on our national bard in our national languages by two such talented lassies.

Let's debate Highland Hospice's financial loss

Pictured: Myself with Maria McGill, Chief Executive of Highland Hospice

I've lodged a motion for debate in the Scottish Parliament urging action from the Scottish and UK Government to help compensate Highland Hospice after it lost £658,832 following the collapse of an Icelandic bank.

Due to the nature of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme criteria some wealthy individuals have been repaid after the UK subsidiary of Icelandic bank Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander went into administration last year. It's also important to note that despite a Westminster Treasury Committee recommendation that all charities be compensated, it still has not happened.

Paying over £25,000 in interest along since the September 2008 collapse, Highland Hospice has only managed to recover £132,294, leaving a black hole of £526,538 in its accounts in contrast to the Christie Hospital in Manchester, a situation in which the Prime Minster directly intervened, resulting in their full compensation. I understand that the reason why the Highland Hospice it has not being bailed out by the UK Government is that the new Third Sector Resilience Fund (introduced by the Scottish Government) would count against it. However I also understands that Highland Hospice does not qualify for the fund.

Therefore the Scottish Government must re-asses the criteria for the resilience fund and I call on the UK Government to fairly recompense all charities including Highland Hospice.

I hope that this motion attracts enough cross party support to allow it to be debated in Parliament. The palliative care carried out by the Hospice is invaluable and unique. It delivers great dignity to those in their final moments of life. And acts as a great comfort to their families and friends. It is important that it is not allowed to end. I hope that both the Scottish and UK Government can take action that makes sure that the excellent care provided by the Hospice throughout the Highlands and Islands can continue.

Further, I have lodged a series of written questions with the Scottish Government asking if the resilience fund can be restructured to allow applications to be made by organisations which were affected by the collapse of the Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander bank. I will report back on those answers when they are recevied.

A copy of my motion for debate follows for reader interest and comment:

Fair Treatment for all Investors in Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander

That the Parliament recognises that many charities lost large amounts of money when the UK-based subsidiary of Icelandic bank Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander was placed in administration by the UK Government in 2008; notes that the Highland Hospice, the only hospice serving adults with incurable life-limiting disease in the Highlands and acknowledged as the centre of specialist palliative care expertise in the region, was one of these depositors; considers that, due to the arbitrary Financial Services Compensation Scheme criteria, some wealthy individuals have been compensated for their loss in full and that, due to a direct intervention by the Prime Minister, the Christie Hospital in Manchester, a registered charity, was fully compensated but that Highland Hospice has not been compensated for its loss, despite a Treasury Committee recommendation for charities to be recompensed, and understands that this is because the UK Government has stated that this would affect the general help provided to the third sector by the Resilience Fund launched earlier this month by the Scottish Government; understands however that Highland Hospice does not meet the criteria of the Resilience Fund, and would therefore welcome both a review of the Resilience Fund's criteria and that the Scottish Government make representations to the UK Government to fairly recompense all charities and enable Highland Hospice to continue to provide invaluable palliative and end-of-life care throughout the Highlands of Scotland.


Copy of my written questions to Scottish Government also follow below:

To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for charities to receive funds from the £1.7 million Third Sector Resilience Fund.

To ask the Scottish Executive who will be responsible for the dispersal of funds from the Third Sector Resilience Fund.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether applications to the Third Sector Resilience Fund from organisations that have been affected by the collapse of the Kaupthing Bank will be given special consideration.

EC intervention over UK transmission charges welcome

It is welcome news that the European Commission is to write to the UK Government seeking clarification of their transmission charges for renewable energy.

The EC took action following a question from SNP MEP Alyn Smith asking whether the charges which see renewable energy projects in remote areas paying more to use the system, contravenes new EU directives on discrimination against peripheral areas.

Recent estimates of transmission charges show that Shetland, Western Isles and Orkney face a charge of £20 whilst Highland is around _ that figure. Renewable projects in the South conversely, such as West Berkshire and Hampshire, receives a subsidy for production.

First and foremost clarification is needed on the issue. These charges are iniquitous and put in real danger the renewable revolution that could transform the economic future of the Highlands and Islands and Scotland.

It is in the continent's interest that Scotland is given a level playing field when it comes to the production and transmission of renewable energy. In an era of climate change and with issues of energy security at the fore it is ludicrous to have in place prohibitive charges in the very area where the vast bulk of that energy is produced.

The Highlands and Islands are well known for their potential in renewable energy, yet the transmission charges actively work against this. The latest move from the EC is encouraging and I hope they will realise the burden that these charges cause and force the UK Government into a climb down. It has long baffled me how the UK Government can justify these charges.

I hope that members of all parties, especially those from the Highlands and Islands, will support my motion on the issue, copied below for readers' interest and comment, and the intervention from the EC. I hope that they join with the SNP in calling for the UK Government to scrap this discriminatory system so that renewable energy producers in the North and West have a fair deal.


S3M-05037 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): End Discrimination in Transmission Access Charges: That the Parliament welcomes the intervention of the European Commission over the UK Government's iniquitous transmission charges that are considered to discriminate against producers of renewable energy in remote areas; notes that recent figures estimate that under these charges renewable energy producers in Shetland and Orkney pay over £21 per kilowatt hour to use the system while in some areas of the south of England a similar venture would receive a subsidy of around £7/kW, and considers that these charges are unfair and represent a risk to a viable renewable energy future for Scotland, especially the Highlands and Islands, which in turn jeopardises potential jobs as well as economic and scientific advancement.

Scottish Parliament written answer and question confirming the discrimation in charges:

Estimated cost of transmission charges in Scotland and cost and subsidy of charges in England and Wales.

S3W-27749 - Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP) (Date Lodged Friday, September 25, 2009): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average national grid transmission charge is in each local authority area.

Answered by Jim Mather (Tuesday, October 06, 2009): The generation zones used by National Grid to calculate transmission charges do not precisely match local authority boundary areas. However, according to National Grid estimates taken from their Seven Year Statement* published in May 2009, National Grid estimate average transmission tariffs for generation in each local authority area in Scotland, England and Wales are as follows:

Local Authority - Average Generation Tariff (£/kW)

SCOTLAND
Aberdeen City 21.5887
Aberdeenshire 19.5926
Angus 16.8710
Argyll and Bute 14.8222
Clackmannanshire 14.4797
Dumfries and Galloway 12.4227
Dundee City 16.8710
East Ayrshire 13.6017
East Dunbartonshire 16.8710
East Lothian 13.6017
East Renfrewshire 13.6017
Edinburgh, City of 13.6017
Eilean Siar 21.1042
Falkirk 14.4797
Fife 14.4797
Glasgow City 14.2367
Highland 19.8546
Inverclyde 13.7977
Midlothian 13.6017
Moray 21.5887
North Ayrshire 13.6017
North Lanarkshire 14.0407
Orkney Islands 21.5887**
Perth and Kinross 15.6754
Renfrewshire 13.7977
Scottish Borders 13.6017
Shetland Islands 21.5887**
South Ayrshire 12.4227
South Lanarkshire 14.0407
Stirling 15.1148
West Dunbartonshire 13.9937
West Lothian 14.0407

ENGLAND AND WALES
Bath and North East Somerset -1.6032
Bedfordshire 2.1105
Blackburn with Darwen 6.1423
Blackpool 6.1423
Blaenau Gwent -1.6032
Bournemouth -3.2820
Bracknell Forest -1.3867
Bridgend -1.6032
Brighton and Hove -1.3867
Bristol -1.6032
Buckinghamshire 0.3619
Caerphilly -1.6032
Cambridgeshire 3.1542
Cardiff -1.6032
Carmarthenshire 0.2537
Ceredigion 2.1105
Cheshire 3.1542
Conwy 5.7534
Cornwall -6.6838
Cumbria 6.1423
Darlington 9.8537
Denbighshire 4.1979
Derby 2.1105
Derbyshire 3.1542
Devon -4.9829
Dorset -3.2820
Durham 9.8537
East Riding of Yorkshire 6.1423
East Sussex -1.3867
Essex 1.1825
Flintshire 4.1979
Gloucestershire -0.2931
Greater London -2.7034
Greater Manchester 5.1701
Gwynedd 5.1938
Halton 6.1423
Hampshire -2.3343
Hartlepool 9.8537
Herefordshire 0.2537
Hertfordshire 0.3261
Isle of Anglesey 6.8725
Kent 0.2545
Kingston upon Hull 6.1423
Lancashire 6.1423
Leicester 2.1105
Leicestershire 3.1542
Lincolnshire 4.1979
Luton 2.1105
Medway 0.2545
Merseyside 5.1701
Merthyr Tydfil -1.6032
Middlesbrough 9.8537
Milton Keynes 2.1105
Monmouthshire -1.6032
Neath Port Talbot -1.6032
Newport -1.6032
Norfolk 3.1542
North East Lincolnshire 6.1423
North Lincolnshire 5.1701
North Somerset -1.6032
North Yorkshire 7.9980
Northamptonshire 2.1105
Northumberland 11.7277
Nottingham 2.1105
Nottinghamshire 3.1542
Oxfordshire 0.3619
Pembrokeshire -1.6032
Peterborough 3.1542
Plymouth -6.6838
Poole -3.2820
Portsmouth -1.3867
Powys 0.2537
Reading -1.3867
Redcar and Cleveland 9.8537
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff -1.6032
Rutland 3.1542
Shropshire 2.1105
Slough -1.3867
Somerset -3.2820
South Gloucestershire -1.6032
South Yorkshire 4.1979
Southampton -3.2820
Southend-on-Sea 0.2545
Staffordshire 2.1105
Stockton-on-Tees 9.8537
Stoke-on-Trent 2.1105
Suffolk 2.1105
Surrey -0.5661
Swansea -1.6032
Swindon -1.4949
Telford and Wrekin 2.1105
Thurrock 0.2545
Torbay -3.2820
Torfaen -1.6032
Tyne and Wear 9.8537
Vale of Glamorgan -1.6032
Warrington 6.1423
Warwickshire 2.1105
West Berkshire -1.3867
West Midlands 2.1105
West Sussex -1.3867
West Yorkshire 6.1423
Wiltshire -2.0906
Windsor and Maidenhead -1.3867
Wokingham -1.3867
Worcestershire 2.1105
Wrexham 2.1105
York 6.1423

*Information to existing and prospective new users of the GB transmission system to help them assess opportunities for new or additional use of the grid system.
**Shetland and Orkney will have additional offshore tariffs once the offshore Transmission Operator tender process is complete, however these tariffs have not yet been determined.

Clydesdale Bank’s new £20 bank notes enter circulation

The first of Clydesdale Bank’s new world heritage bank notes will entered circulation on the 19th of October. The new £20 notes are now available in Clydesdale Bank retail branches and the majority of ATMs across the country.

The £20 note features iconic images of the historic mill house New Lanark on one side and Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, on the other.

Clydesdale Bank’s new world heritage note collection showcases the best of Scotland’s heritage, people and culture and is the first time in over 20 years the Bank has launched a completely new set of notes.

Introduced to mark the year of the Homecoming, the front of each new note will honour a prominent and innovative Scot while the reverse will feature one of Scotland’s five World Heritage sites.

Clydesdale Bank is the largest issuer of notes in Scotland, with over £1.1bn in circulation in any given week.

The new notes will be the first in the UK to use a new ‘depth image’ hologram security feature.

Collectable notes from the new collection were part of Clydesdale Bank’s recent auctions of rare and valuable bank notes, where a £1 note sold for £9,000 breaking the previous world record for the sale of a Scottish bank note. In total, across the two auctions, the Bank raised over £200,000 for charities across the UK.

The designs on the rest of the notes are:
• £5 Featuring Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, on the front and St Kilda on the reverse.
• £10 Featuring Robert Burns on the front and The Old & New Towns of Edinburgh on the reverse.
• £20 Featuring Robert the Bruce on the front and New Lanark on the reverse.
• £50 Featuring Elsie Inglis, a suffragette and surgeon, on the front and the Antonine Wall on the reverse.
• £100 Featuring Charles Rennie Mackintosh, architect and designer, on the front and the Heart of Neolithic Orkney on the reverse.

SNP back further progress on land reform

At last weekend's annual SNP Conference, I was pleased to have two resolutions on land reform backed by an overwhelming majority of the delegates. The resolutions call for the speeding up and increases in community buyouts as well as new information on who owns Scotland .

In presenting each motion to Conference I also urged, and would do so again now, the agencies which are responsible to speed the land reform process. HIE must make a speedy commitment to back its Community Land Unit and ensure it is funded. Also, it has to be far more pro-active to support volunteers who apply for funds and stop giving the impression that it is a gate keeper for the Big lottery.

The Big Lottery itself has applications for buy outs, such as the one from the Embo football team, to set up forest crofts in Skelbo woods. The Big Lottery says it is carrying on best practice from the Scottish Land Fund days but that has to include buying government owned land for community uses and I will be writing them to seek clarification on the progress of the Embo and other bids.

This is still very much a live issue for the SNP. Overall, the SNP conference underlined the party's long held commitment to thorough land reform. At Eden Court the delegates endorsed my proposals to seek compulsory registration for all land holdings over 100 acres on the computerised land register. Means to identify and ban secretive offshore trusts from owning Scots land was called for. Enforcing residency obligations on overseas and absent land owners of large tracts of Scotland can ensure they are registered and accountable for their actions - this was also approved overwhelmingly.

Land reform in Scotland still has a long way to go. However the resolutions and support of the SNP show that we are well placed to take it forward. There is an appetite in the Scottish Government to make sure that all Scotland's assets are put to their best use, land is prime among these, I look forward to further progress on this issue and copy both resolution below for reader comment:

RG

32 Community Buy-Outs
Conference notes the low numbers of community buy out approvals and calls on the Big Lottery Fund to end its presumption against funding the purchase of government land.

34 Land Reform
Conference calls for the preparation of land reform measures by the Scottish Government to make optimum use of Scotland's basic natural resource in keeping with the principles of sustainable development. Conference recognises the slow pace of land registration through the National Registers of Scotland and seeks consideration of mechanisms which will speed up the process including means to identify beneficial owners of large areas of Scotland and the consideration of compulsory registration by landowners for all holdings of 100 acres and above. Conference also seeks an assessment of the practicalities of enforcing residency obligations on all land owners from overseas and gathering evidence on means to ban offshore trusts and companies and private trusts from owning land in Scotland

Growing mood of optimism

Published in the Ross-shire Journal

THIS week's SNP Annual Conference returned to the Highlands now that Eden Court Theatre is all in fine working order. The mood of delegates from all over Scotland after two-and-a-half years in minority government at Holyrood is one of quiet optimism. The SNP could not have found itself in government at a more difficult time with the credit crunch bearing down on government spend. Britain tightens our belts without us deciding which notch on the buckle.

The opportunities presented to the Highlands to be at the centre of a major strand in our economic recovery are a great plus.

Renewable energy aplenty on and offshore can help drive the steep targets we all agreed to set when the Climate Change Act passed unanimously last June. But just to underscore how petty London Labour can get, a request for a Scottish minister to join the UK delegation to the UN Climate Summit this December in Copenhagen has been turned down.

The Conference backed the calls for Scotland to have the borrowing powers of a normal nation and the rights of all peoples to decide our constitutional future by a referendum held under internationally verified conditions. We are discussing recovery for our financial services industries. We need a seat at the top table in Europe as a full member state that affects many domestic issues. Since LibDem, Tory and Labour conferences have all attacked the right of Scots to make far more of ourselves, we in the North know that a new vibrant future for our nation has to be decided here. After all with huge natural resources, a strong record of educational excellence and growing self-confidence, our nation can at last come into its own.

TALKS are being held with the Transport Minister on the railway crossings issue. Members of the Transport Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, of which I am the only Highland member, agreed to receive a report as the facts become clear on the Halkirk accident. Also I fully back the aims of the motion raised by my colleague Willie Coffey for debate. It points out the complexity of the regulatory regime.

The Parliament regrets the continuing loss of life at railway level crossings, most recently at Halkirk in Caithness and, in January 2009, at Gatehead in Kilmarnock and Loudoun; notes the large number of organisations involved in the investigation of rail accidents and incidents in Scotland, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the British Transport Police, Scotland's eight police forces and the Office of Rail Regulation, and considers that, following the Review of Fatal Accident Inquiry Legislation being conducted by Lord Cullen, a modernised system of fatal accident inquiries can contribute to greater coordination and scrutiny of any inquiries, including the implementation of any recommendations, by whichever agency, following such tragic incidents.

Solutions are not as simple as placing barriers on ungated crossings. Have the cameras at the three Dingwall crossings had any effect? Only when we get a reasoned response to tragic accidents such as those at Delny and Halkirk and Kilmarnock will we see the way ahead.

I welcomed the Invergordon incinerator protesters' visit to Holyrood along with other groups round the country. Their call is for thorough repair, reuse and recycling of waste. Similarly Dennis Scott of Northern Tyre Recycling UK Ltd., Evanton suggested to me the use of bales of old tyres to provide road foundations as another proven carbon reduction tool. Highland Council could lower the carbon intensity of road building over boggy ground.

Murphy is a political tourist with warm words

CAITHNESS Transport Forum (CTF) met last Friday, as ever purposefully, with updates on how to make the county more connected in the coming years.

However, part of the rail report hit raw nerves concerning the tragic deaths of three elderly car users at the Bridge Street level crossing at Halkirk.

On my way to the meeting, relatives of one of the deceased raised hopes that solutions to rail crossings can be found. Another less temperate e-mail demanded to know whether I support the erection of barriers at every ungated crossing in the North.

The general mood of the CTF was one of restraint. Let's wait and see what the rail accident investigators report. But there has been no shortage of comments in the press and TV.

I have taken a long-term interest in the safety of our railways and level crossings. There are a small number of trains per day on the Far North line but there are issues about low sun in drivers' eyes and questions arise as to whether rail crossing equipment always works. In the current Halkirk case, klaxons were heard as the warning lights engaged.

We owe it to those who perished to get it right. However, fully-gated crossings come at a price of £1 million plus. So investment of that scale would deflect from improvements to rail timetables, tracks and signalling.

Lives lost are beyond price, but I do hope that both road and rail users can be spared future trauma. Particularly the train driver and the families of those killed.

*

WITH no parliamentary pairing system as at Westminster, unless members of all four big parties are on business, we in the SNP are unable to attend constituency events such as the Caithness Regeneration Conference last Thursday.

John Thurso MP invited the Secretary of State for Scotland, Jim Murphy MP, to address the gathering. As I predicted, the latter was merely a political tourist with nothing but warm words to offer those present.

The previous afternoon I made the closing speech on behalf of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee in the parliamentary debate following the Scottish Government's response to our year-long energy enquiry.

That had included a visit to Orkney and Caithness involving members of four parties and was followed by the publication in July of the Scottish Government's Renewables Action Plan, which addresses costs and timings of projects and harbour developments to deliver the renewables bonanza.

In a personal capacity, I noted that the opportunity for the Highlands requires the Beauly to Denny power line.

Once it has been installed, the North of Scotland, which in the past has received social support, can be a huge contributor instead. We are now at the cutting edge of Scottish society and can take forward work that is of national and international importance. The committee saw that if developments in the Pentland Firth are to proceed, we need harbours and other transport infrastructure in place because that will determine what equipment we put in the sea.

A shared determination to ensure the delivery of the sustainable energy made the debate on Wednesday, September 30, a major benchmark, giving a united voice.

*

WE had our first star witness at the economy, energy and tourism committee's banking enquiry on Wednesday, September 30. Love him or hate him, Robert Peston, the BBC's business editor, is big news.

I asked him if root-and-branch reform was proposed by Gordon Brown's Government to make it clear where discussions take place between the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the Bank of England and the treasury, and would we be able to see a lot more transparency of regulation?

Mr Peston replied that it is not simply a question of tweaking the rules, but that since the crisis there has already been one quite big regulatory change: the Bank of England has been given the power to take over a failed bank, which it has done.

This allows the deposits to be hived off and kept whole and is an important step in the right direction. Many would say that it was long overdue.

He continued: "When it comes to the systemic issues, it is not 100 per cent clear to me who is in charge, or rather, who will be in charge when the bill becomes law.

It is unsatisfactory that, at the moment, the systemic issue falls between the Bank of England and the FSA. There must be oversight of the system as a whole.

"When excessive risks are being taken, it is hugely important that they are monitored and that judgements are made and acted on. However, it is unclear to me whether, after the legislation has been passed, we will be clear enough about precisely where the buck stops," said Mr Peston.

A Holyrood sketch in The Times the following day suggested that I tried to lead Mr Peston into political point-scoring by inviting him to criticise Mr Brown for not putting in place sufficient regulation of the banks. I believe I succeeded.

Read at your pleasure further details of the committee meeting with the full transcript found here: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/eet/or-09/ee09-2502.htm

*

I AM delighted that Cabinet Secretary for Education Fiona Hyslop has announced that every pupil in Scotland will be taught the key personal finance skills they need to be successful in the future.

While many schools have excellent practices in place, provision for pupils is variable.

So Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) is to produce a delivery plan which will ensure good-quality financial education is delivered to every pupil in every school in Scotland through the new numeracy curriculum.

Meanwhile, in my column, published on August 14, I said that the digital TV switchover would be free for those over 75, the disabled and blind or partially sighted.

In order to clarify this point, while some groups of people mentioned qualify for a free switchover, it is possible not all will. This can be confirmed through the "Am I eligible?" section in the switchover literature. The standard charge for the scheme is £40.

New info on non lecture

New information has come to light and it seems the advertised lecture due to be given by the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England Charles Bean at UHI Millennium Institute this month was never going to take place, despite it being publically advertised, I've just learned.

This only renews my calls for a representative from the Bank of England to give evidence to the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee of the Scottish Parliament banking crisis inquiry.

It seems the Bank of England had never sanctioned a public lecture by Mr Bean in the first place but WILL meet privately with business people at various points in Scotland - just not publically.

The central fact still remains that they refuse to come to the Scottish Parliament and be accountable to it. Their information would be a vital part of the committee's findings yet for reasons only known to themselves they refuse to attend.

I call for them yet again to recognise these unprecedented economic times, that they are open and transparent to the institutions of Scotland and that they appear in front of the Committee, which has had good will and co-operation from many agencies, institutions and individuals north and south of the border.

In search of Mr Bean the Banker

As Deputy Convenor of the Economy Committee I have a number of times over the past year requested the presence of the Bank of England to give evidence and speak to the comittee as part of our inquiry into the banking system.

I am now bemused to learn of the disappearance of the Bank Of England's Depute Governor, Charles Bean, from a lecture he was due to give in Inverness.

Only earlier this week I challenged Mr Bean, or any of the Bank's other senior representatives, to appear in front of the Committee only to receive a snub reply that they refused. This is in stark contrast to the Office of Fair Trading, the Financial Services Authority and UK Financial Investments who are all set to give evidence at the inquiry.

As it turns out, just following their refusal, Mr Bean has since cancelled the speaking engagement in Inverness without explanation. It is a shame as well as I would have liked to ask him in person why he or anyone else from the bank refuses to appear in front of the committee.

Their information would be a vital strand in the overall inquiry which has already taken evidence from the BBC's Robert Peston, and will receive written from the Treasury as will addressed by the Financial Services Authority in due course.

It beggars belief that they can make themselves available all over Scotland but not in the country’s Parliament! This is an important inquiry, but without an examination of the Bank of England’s role in recent economic events we cannot get to the bottom of what happened in the industry and, more importantly, focus on the future.

Real change for rural housing is needed

I took the opportunity in the Rural Housing debate in chamber today to call for an end to rural clearances and a return to rural re-settlement. The debate was prompted by the rural housing report of the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, encouraging the Scottish Government to encourage more housing in rural areas.

I am glad that the matter had been brought to the fore under an SNP administration. As in the last Parliament myself and Richard Lochead, the now Cabinet Secretary for Rural affairs, were blocked by other committee members for introducing such a report.

Real change to the planning system is needed to help deliver more homes in rural areas. When local plans come up for production, the proposals are put forward by the planners, who have an holistic view— in theory —about how settlements ought to operate, and why it is more economic to have people living in small areas so that dwellings can be serviced more easily. We have to challenge that view; the SNP believes that there are issues around the way in which village envelopes are currently structured, and that has to change. Why should a person have to have a job in agriculture to live and work in the countryside? We must find a way around that.

Arran, for one, is a prime example of why change is needed for the whole of Scotland…One applicant there is trying to get a plot for his son to live and start a business. The plot is based 10 minutes from Brodick pier. North Ayrshire Council has denied the application as they stated that they did not think that the site was 'appealing' enough for the applicant. It's remoteness and the use of mechanical transport would distract from the appeal of the area and it would set a precedent which would be 'undesirable'.

Rural affordable housing has been allowed to become further out of reach to the general population for generations. This report is a start and I welcome it. However, there needs to be greater practical change in planning departments for a real difference to be felt and made. Repopulating rural areas is something which will breath new life into the country and is an aspiration worth achieving.

Feel free to read my speech from Wednesday's debate here - http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor1007-02.htm#Col20318

Comments and thoughts always welcome on this page!

Holding the MoD to account

North West Sutherland Councillor George Farlow and I have written to the Ministery of Defense following up on last Wednesday's accident on Laxford Bridge. The MoD must take responsibility for this incident which nearly killed 3 soldiers and debilitated a lifeline road into the north of Scotland.

Their insurance money should be used in full to repair the bridge and substantially improve its approaches, especially given their long-term and continued use on this route. In the meantime, HGV traffic serving ports of Lochinver and Kinlochbervie face a detour of 50 to 100 miles because only vehicle under 7.5 are able to use the damaged bridge right now.

George and I are asking that the MoD act positively, and give something back to the community it utilises so heavily. The wear and tear which the MoD's exercises put on an infrastructure in the North West, which it was never meant to bear, is worrying at the least. I fear that there could be further instances such as those that happened last week which could have far worse consequences. It is time that the MoD takes responsibility for the pressure it puts on the roads and bridges of North West Sutherland. Repairing, strengthening and improving Laxford Bridge is a good way to start.

Such responsibility is not without precedence. Local authorities regularly put demands on developers to upgrade infrastructure before planning permission is granted, so it asking the MoD to upgrade the infrastructure to complement their uses, the transport of 1,000 pound gun transporters for example, is a reasonable ask.

MoD must take responsibility

Life in NW Sutherland has been dramatically disrupted by the potentially fatal accident at Laxford Bridge involving a Ministry of Defence articulated lorry last Thursday (1 Oct.)

The parapet at Laxford Bridge on the A838 was destroyed, the bridge is barely operable, and three soldiers nearly lost their lives. The background to this accident of course being the MoD's continual use of the road for hauling and delivering 1000 lb bombs for firing at Cape Wrath. The exercises are detrimental to our wildlife and breeding bird numbers, crofters continually suffer stillborn lambs when there is bombing during lambing, and now, when we are trying to extend the tourist season, Cape Wrath is closed to the public - the other obvious, yet consistently ignored, detriment being the clogging of this lifeline artery on the Highland roads network due to heavy MoD use.

The MoD uses this route to take enormous amounts of equipment north to the bombing range at Cape Wrath and this pinch point hits hardest where the main road from the south, the A894, meets the road from Lairg and the Inner Moray Firth before both going north to Durness and Kinlochbervie.

North West Sutherland Councillor George Farlow has called for the MoD to pay up - to dual track this demolished bridge and the short section of single track road so that it is made safe for all to use and the communities in remote Highland gain from this unfortunate incident.

I fully support George's calls and I will be writing to the MoD to seek a full explanation and agreement by them to pay full costs so that local people are not out of pocket and any environmental damage as well as damage to the bridge is made good as soon as they can. The Royal engineers are always touting for bridge building activities. They are needed urgently now to fix Laxford Bridge. It's not a lot to ask and certainly, with the bridge now demolished, an obvious reparation for the most recent damage done.

The Links Fair, Golspie

On Saturday I had the great pleasure of opening a new green office space in Golspie, appropriately dubbed 'The Links', and take part in the first ever Links Fair.

The Links was first approved to be built in October 2007, with the Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead formally cutting the first sod. It is the new home for five public bodies - Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate, Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Community Energy Scotland.

Included on the Fair's agenda were “Roots and Flutes” musical entertainment by Bob Pegg, The Green Machine mobile Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime display manned by The Northern Constabulary, nest box making and willow sculpture activities, a demonstration of “greenwood” working, a native tree stall, mountain bike activities (bikes included!) and a venison burger bar provided by the Forestry Commission with venison from their own properties.

The Links Fair was the perfect event to not only provides an opportunity for local people to see the new Government office facilities in East Sutherland but also raise awareness of environmental issues and show the importance of the environment to many Scottish Government objectives.

This building represents a partnership of public bodies who all aim to provide a more efficient and effective service by providing easy access to information and advice; a consistent and responsive service, and delivering a service which focuses on customer needs. And as I am told, staff working in The Links are already noticing the benefits of having partner agencies “next door”.

The rural agencies under one ecologically friendly purpose built roof is an example for other parts of Scotland.

Pictured: Visiting with Fiona Cameron, Development Officer for the Leader Programme in Caithness, at the Fair.

Thurso Groaties Take the Biscuit

http://www.reidsofcaithness.co.uk/

It's official, Reids of Caithness in Thurso has won the gold star award for their treacle and toffee biscuits in this year's Great Taste Awards.

This local company has been running in the area since the 60's and it was a pleasure to extend my, and the Parliament's, congratulations to their accomplishment in an official motion (below). I made sure to deliver a copy of this to Reids over the weekend and shake their hand (and hopefully taste their biscuits!) in person.

The Great Taste Awards have been described as the Oscars of the food world and this comparison demonstrates just how important this award is. I wish them every success in future ventures and sincerely hope this is the start of many more accolades in the future!

S3M-04946 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): Thurso Groaties Take the Biscuit— That the Parliament congratulates Reids of Caithness, in Thurso, for its win in the 2009 Great Taste Awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food; recognises the hard work and innovation that goes into devising products of a high enough standard to gain a gold star, such as Reids’ Groaties; further recognises the commitment of the Reid family to the baking industry in Caithness since the 1960s and wishes them every success with their business in the future.

Visit from Thurso High

As an MSP I often get the pleasure of meeting with students in Parliament that have travelled down from my constituency to see the building and its operations.

On Thursday I got to meet with the students of Thurso High and explain to them a little bit about an average day for me and answer any questions they had. It's encouraging to connect with Scotland's next generation of leaders, and now that the Parliament has made free and very available all tours throughout the building, I expect to have this opportunity even more so in the future.

We are not too wee to achieve sustainable growth

THIS week the word "cuts" has dominated the language of politics in Scotland and across the UK. As the British parties enter their autumn conference season, we see each interpret what they wish us to see.

What a pity that each in turn – Lib Dems, Labour and Tories – do not recognise that demands, with which they say they agree, for more powers in Holyrood stem from a deep-rooted injustice. That injustice is the unionist denial of a right of Scots to vote in a referendum to have tax-raising powers all normal countries possess.

Lib Dems keep telling us local people should decide. But they face both ways as usual as their leaders showed in Bournemouth earlier this week. When it comes to Scots, they deny a referendum bill is our right. No doubt they will show this by opposing the bill the SNP Government seeks to introduce on St Andrew's Day.

When finance minister John Swinney introduced his draft Scottish budget last week it marked the first real-term decline in spending for 17 years. Even Labour academics agree that a cash-term increase is a real-term decrease.

The Scottish Government wants to keep up the work of ending the recession so we need the right to bring forward more funds from next year's budget to build on the investment made this year. This year's acceleration amounted to £347 million and helped housing, construction, enterprise projects and colleges, among others, to accelerate the economy and safeguard 8700 jobs.

Will Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who told the G20 ministers to keep going with government economic stimulus to revive the world economy, tell us we don't need it in Scotland? Of course none of that would matter if we had the borrowing powers of a normal nation. But the UK parties, including the Lib Dems, don't want us to be normal at all.



THE Scottish Government has become the first administration in the world to produce a carbon assessment alongside its budget. In a unique move, John Swinney published the first Carbon Assessment of the Budget for 2010/2011 together with the draft economic budget itself.

The Scottish Government recognises that climate change will have far-reaching effects on Scotland's economy, its people and its environment and is determined to play its part in rising to this challenge.

Mr Swinney said: "By publishing our Carbon Assessment of the Budget, we are taking a significant and, to some extent, experimental step towards recognising carbon implications in the budget process."

I am not aware of any other government in the world committed to delivering this work with their budgets and, once again, Scotland is proving to be a world leader.

In a practical way, this is aided by strong support for low-carbon renewable energy development which we will debate in parliament on Wednesday. This debate very much affects us in Caithness. With the regeneration conference in Wick due the day after the parliamentary debate, I am sure of the commitments of the Scottish Government.

Power production is still controlled by Westminster and the National Grid has rejected a scheme proposed by Scottish and Southern Energy, backed by others, to make grid access easier in Scotland.

Therefore, questions persist as to the fairness of a system that places charges 10 times the cost in Caithness as they do on would-be producers in London. Who can ignore this drawback and what messages we will hear when London Labour sends its representative up north? Can Jim Murphy put economic recovery through renewables deployment before an outdated, Thatcherite model of competition for grid access?



HERE's a sobering thought from across the North Sea. Three quarters of Norway's voters turned out last week and narrowly re-elected the Red/Green coalition government of Jens Stoltenberg. Firstly, it was the country's lowest turn out for decades and, secondly, voters resisted the blandishments of a Norwegian clone of Maggie Thatcher who wanted to dip into the oil funds to reduce taxes on health and education.

The national oil fund was created in 1990 to secure investment for Norwegians in future generations. It is second or third in the world among sovereign wealth funds – worth £259 billion and growing. That easily dwarfs the UK public debt burden of £175bn.

That's why Scots should closely question why the oil and gas wealth, mainly generated in the Scottish sector of the North Sea should have been used to prop up such a rake's progress in the UK economy led by unrepentant City bankers. Britain, unlike Norway, also has huge personal indebtedness due to easy credit for over a decade as well as UK Government spending which failed to save in the good times for any likely downturn. Greed and light-touch regulation has met its nemesis in the crash of sub-prime property in the USA. And the global economy pays a huge price.

Why, oh why, should we in Scotland listen to the London Government's excuses any longer? Surely the way to go is to match savings with borrowings in the old-fashioned way? Surely investment in making renewable energy, wholesome food and a return to training for the necessary skills must be the priorities?

Who is best placed to achieve sustainable growth, London or Scotland? We are not too wee, or too poor, or too stupid to do it. Do Norwegians think like that?

Diageo debate

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): Among his remarks, the cabinet secretary urged us to learn from the Johnnie Walker decision and to look to the future. We must consider that the decision has arisen from Diageo following a consolidation agenda.

In 2007, Diageo announced the investment of hundreds of millions of pounds in a huge new malt distillery at Roseisle on Speyside and in the development of Cameronbridge and Shieldhall, but that was before the world recession. At a time of flattened demand, there is a difference between the sales progress of white and brown spirits. As Wendy Alexander said in the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee on 9 September:

"The issue then was the loss of brown spirits to white spirits—demand was growing much more quickly for vodka than for whisky". —[Official Report, Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, 9 September 2009; c 2340.]

We have to ask ourselves what Diageo's priorities are. In August, it stated that net sales had increase by 15 per cent. Smirnoff sales were up 17 per cent, Captain Morgan sales were up 29 per cent and Johnnie Walker sales were up 4 per cent. The debate must take into account the effects of Diageo's priorities on the company's thinking and on people throughout Scotland.

A farmer who lives close to me, Hector Munro of Foulis, said in a recent letter that there are "large surpluses of malting barley in both UK and Europe plus World grain stocks" are "generally higher than they have been at any time in the past decade ... Faced with this scenario and with no regional protection for Scottish malting barley, the vital ingredient of that iconic-branded product, Scotch Whisky", which he grows, his business is in doubt. We need to take account of the way in which Diageo's demand for products affects people such as our barley farmers.

Diageo has a range of distilleries, including 15 small distilleries in Speyside. In volume terms, they do not add up to the production of its main competitors—Glenfiddich or the Macallan—hence the idea of developing Roseisle. Will we see a consolidation of malt whisky distilling if world demand for brown spirits continues to move more slowly than demand for white spirits?

As a Scottish distiller, Diageo needs to show sustained loyalty to the complete process of whisky distilling in Scotland. As Wendy Alexander also said at committee:

"The right analogy is with French wine production, and the real issue, which the GMB raised, is whether bottling in Scotland is compelled. Because of the influence of some of the large players in the industry, the Scotch Whisky Association does not support bottling in Scotland, which is astonishing ... The big strategic decision on whisky is whether there is a move to insisting on its being distilled and bottled here. It is interesting that the trade body for Scotch whisky does not favour that position." —[Official Report, Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, 9 September 2009; c 2341.]

This is the danger in which we find ourselves.

Can we in the Highlands and Islands expect to see consolidation in malt distilling, as has happened with grain distilling? When Guinness took over DCL, it said that it would not cut the number of distilleries. However, the question of cutting the number of distilleries in regions of Scotland and consolidating production has not been removed.

With mega-distilleries replacing the diverse regional nature of our iconic whisky industry, Diageo has to be asked what positive legacy it will leave for Scotland. Is what is good for the Diageo business model also good for Scotland? What level of value will be retained in Scotland? As a previous speaker said, that must be maximised.

I am concerned when Diageo makes statements such as:

"The company has created a flavour map to categorise whisky by taste rather than region in an attempt to demystify the drink and attract new customers."

Scotland wishes to retain the regional nature of whisky production and bottling. We do not wish to be left with a bad taste in the mouth from Diageo's business decisions.

Edinburgh celebrates Catalan National Day

I had the pleasuer of meeting with Xavier Solano, Head of the Catalan Delegation to the United Kingdom on the 16th. The occassion was a gathering in Our Dynamic Earth, Edinbrugh where for the first time the Catalan National Day was clebrated officially in Edinburgh. A fine selection of Catalan wine, tapas, sausages and cheese famed in the Catalan nation greeted the gathering.

Realtions with Catalunya were formally forged by the previous administration in 2002 and the longstanding cooperation between the SNP and Catalan autonomous government were cemented by Parliament Minister Bruce Crawford who greeted the Catalan Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of the Government of Catalonia on the evening.

Sutherland Summit

Cllr George Farlow and I took a very active part in the Sutherland summit held in Lairg on Monday 14th September. It was probably the most representative meeting of Sutherland folk ever held and developed a range of ideas following a mind mapping session led by Jim Mather MSP Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism and Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham. There was much enthusiasm and food for thought and action throughout the day.

John O'Groat Plans would be a boon

Photo: An aerial impression of what John O'Groats could look like if the new masterplan is implemented.
(Source: John O'Groat Journal)


Well the £15million blueprint designed to breath new life into the derilect John O'Groat Hotel and surrounding area was warmly welcomed by owners and residents alike.

This third attempt to get a viable plan for John O'Groats - but it seems acceptable and ambitious. I believe that step by step its recommendations can be developed.

I fear though that we will not see immediate progress if there is no compulsion on the owners of to modernise it. The council and HIE need to act in the interests of the local community by placing developments into local and committed hands.

RG

The two recent articles give further impression:

http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/7210/_A315m_price_tag_for_Groats_vision.html

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1389786?UserKey=

Waste Aware Scotland campaign

www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk

I had the pleasure of helping Waste Aware Scotland, the Community Recycling Network for Scotland and their Highland campaign partners launch their new furniture reuse campaign on the 11th of September at the Eastegate Shopping Centre in Inverness.

Too appropriately, the Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead was their to help launch the campaign as well.

How sensible it is to donate the old furniture you no longer use, in order that a less fortunate family or person has access to these perfectly functional goods. It's an easy yet dramatic difference to make, to help those who are more vulnerable in our communities, as well as lessen our impact on the environment, by donating good quality furniture to reuse organisations like Waste Aware and the Community Recycling Network, instead of sending it to an untimely demise at landfills.

There are many exemplary reuse organisations across the Highlands, and if you have any furniture that no longer serves purpose in your household, get in touch with any one of those below to pass it onto someone who would put it to good use:

• Blythswood Care is headquartered in Evanton and operates an international network of 56 charity shops, including 18 in the Highland region. Three of these shops sell large items of furniture (Inverness, Evanton, Wick) and others sell smaller household goods. It also diverts large quantities of textiles, books, CDs and bric-a-brac and provides emergency food parcels.
  
• HomeAid Caithness is a community-based reuse charity with a shop and warehouse space in Thurso. It operates a referral system for providing emergency furniture packages to homelessness and social work referrals. The project is also expanding its reach to include the west coast communities of Lochinver and Kinlochbervie.
  
• New Start Highland is the main furniture project operating in and around Inverness. It provides a range of support services to people moving into social tenancies, including providing furniture and home starter packs. It also runs two community shops, with more in development.
  

Slainte Blas!

S3M-04809 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): Slainte Blas — That the Parliament applauds the start of the fifth Blas Festival, taking place throughout the Highlands from 4 to 12 September 2009; notes the contribution that the festival makes to cultural and community life in the region and the emphasis placed on the Gaelic language; recognises the variety of venues used, ranging from Eilean Donan Castle to community venues such as village halls the length and breadth of the Highlands, making it a truly local and grassroots festival that offers a unique taste of Highland and traditional culture; congratulates the organisers and participants, including artists from Nova Scotia, for an excellent opening weekend, which saw the premier of Blair Douglas’s Gaelic mass at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Inverness, as well as a host of concerts in a range of venues across the region; recognises the importance of this festival in the annual cultural patchwork of Scotland, and encourages further support from funders and satisfied audiences for the future of Blas.

Pride over Megrahi decision

THE opposition party leaders in Scotland have been finding ways to oppose for the sake of opposition the compassionate release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber.

While they persist in putting up a smoke screen, their masters in London have clinched deals in Tripoli over oil and gas contracts.

It makes you even more proud of Kenny MacAskill's due process and compassionate Scottish response to a legal situation crafted originally by the UK, USA and Libya in which a show trial and imprisonment on conviction in Scotland were agreed in return for normalisation of trade with Colonel Gaddafi.

The news that Nelson Mandela backs the Scottish Justice Secretary confirmed the faith of reasonable people in this small nation. We are backed by a world figure who brokered the trial under Scots law in the Netherlands. So Mr Megrahi's plea to die among his family is logical in Scottish terms if not in that of the vengeful United States.

I have received many communications on this issue, the vast bulk like those who recorded their views in the Ross-shire Journal poll backed the Scottish Justice Secretary. Now we need an international enquiry that can satisfy the families of the Lockerbie victims and a world seeking the truth.

*

HIGHER history in Scottish schools will include a compulsory section on Scottish history for the first time in 2011. The paper covers, the Wars of Independence, Reformation, Act of Union, 19th Century migration and the impact of the First World War on Scotland.

The omission of the Highland Clearances is said by some to be controversial. However (and I say this as someone who has studied and written extensively on the subject) I am not sure if the benefits of the Scottish Diaspora can ignore the downside back home or the fight back in the 1880s of the Highland Land League. Teaching about the Clearances in the context of the modernisation of Scotland can take place earlier in our schools as few students reach the Higher exams.

Picking aspects of a thousand years of rich, vibrant and colourful history is an unenviable task. There will always be important parts which cannot be covered fully, the Enlightenment and the formation of Scotland by the Picts and Scots spring to mind.

However the very fact that there is a compulsory Scottish element in the new higher is a victory. Scottish history had been discouraged and shamefully ignored by successive governments. A country that has no idea of its history has no real sense of itself. The SNP Government has started to change that and I hope that Scottish History will become a bigger part of Scotland's education, not at the expense of World or European history but as a key part of it.

*

THE middle of a recession isn't the best time to raise tax on fuel duty but yet again the Prime Minster and Chancellor have raised the fuel tax by 2p per litre this week.

The same Chancellor whilst holidaying in the Western Isles last year expressed his shock at the price of fuel. I wonder what he would say now? Readers in remote and rural areas of Ross-shire understand the curse of high fuel prices for they will suffer the most. This (Gordon) Brown tax is no green tax. It will hit households and businesses especially haulers in the north. The UK Government should help businesses at the moment not hit them where it hurts.

I heard that this tax increase will gather over a billion pounds. How much of it will be given to improve public transport in Scotland?

Be Waste Aware

S3M-04783 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): Waste Aware Scotland-wide — That the Parliament expresses concern at the reported £1 billion worth of food thrown away in Scotland each year, equating to an average of £550 per year thrown out by each household; notes that over two thirds of what is binned could have been used if it had been stored properly and if meals had been better planned; highlights the work of Golspie Recycling and Environmental Action Network, a community-based social enterprise recycling firm in Sutherland, and other good examples around Scotland that set a benchmark to promote positive community awareness on waste minimisation, and encourages Scottish families and households to be wiser with their waste, one of the many simple ways to reduce their carbon footprints and save money.

World Development Movement new report

S3M-04767 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): Power of Scotland Renewed — That the Parliament notes the publication by Friends of the Earth Scotland, the World Development Movement, WWF Scotland and RSPB Scotland of a new report, The Power of Scotland Renewed; welcomes its findings that by 2030 renewable energy could meet between 60% and 143% of Scotland’s projected annual electricity demand, even when avoiding sensitive wildlife and landscape sites; believes that this demonstrates that centralised power plants can be rapidly replaced by more decentralised forms of generation; further believes that this vindicates the view that a new generation of nuclear power in Scotland is not needed, and calls for priority to be given to energy conservation and renewables and the supporting framework required to decarbonise electricity generation.

To view the report: http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/powerofscotland_renewed.pdf

Caithness Summer Football Champs

One more round of congratulations to the team and supporters. RG

S3M-04749 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): Caithness Summer Football Champs— That the Parliament congratulates Wick Groats Football Club on its successful 2009 season in which it won the Caithness County League Division One, won the Wick League, won the David Allan Shield, reached the semi-finals of the Highland Amateur Cup and produced the County Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year; congratulates young player/manager Stewart Ross on taking the team from the second division two years ago and leading them to such success; further congratulates Staxigoe United FC on winning the Caithness County League Division Two and the Steven Cup in its first year and Thurso Swifts FC on winning the Eain Macintosh Cup; recognises the importance of summer football in the far north for all ages, and wishes all the teams involved a restful winter and an equally exciting season next year.

Glendale Life

The Glendale trust have today written to Highland Council requesting continued access to the Borrodale School buildings for a permanent heritage exhibition

The Glendale Trust have written the following letter to the Highland Council:

"I write with reference to your kind permission to allow “The Glendale Trust” to have been given access to the portacabin at Borrodale School from the 17-29th August 2009 to host a heritage exhibition and to seek permission that we can continue to use this resource to benefit the community from an education perspective.

The exhibition has been an unqualified success that has had an extremely positive impact on the community of Glendale.

We have been able to cover a wide range of subjects for example the issue of land reform and the relevance of Glendale to the struggle for crofters rights through the land league, the activities of the Glendale martyrs and the evidence given to the Napier Commission here in Glendale.

We have also been able to showcase important crofting records that we have obtained that go back to the beginning of the 19th Century. There is a significant display on the war dead of Glendale from both world wars as well as artefacts from that time.

I am also pleased to say we have a significant display on Borrodale School itself as well as covering the people of Glendale.

The exhibition has proved popular with locals and visitors alike, with a steady stream of people visiting the school over the two week period.

We were particularly delighted to welcome a group of pupils who came to visit from Dunvegan primary school to look over the exhibits, to watch some film archive we have from the 1920s and 1930s as well as to hear the tales of our older generations who were able to inform them of times gone by in Glendale.

As well as the main exhibition we have also put on special events such as a talk by local historian George Macpherson and a film night which was attended by more than sixty people.

I am sure you will agree that what we have put together is a very important historical record, albeit one we can build on, of life in Glendale and of course a resource that has much educational merit.

What has also particularly pleased us has been the response from the local community, with many individuals spending a considerable amount of time at the exhibition, many of whom have made multiple visits.

Having established the heritage exhibition over a two week period and having had such an overwhelming positive response from the community it is our intention to build on this initiative.

The Glendale Trust will be developing a business plan with a view of obtaining funding that would allow us to mount an exhibition on a permanent basis and to build on the knowledge and appreciation of our local history including a resource that would allow locals and visitors to study the genealogical links to the people of Glendale.

In this regard I write to formally request if it would be possible for The Glendale Trust to be granted access to the school buildings in order that we can continue to showcase this material for the benefit of the community of Glendale?

The trust would suggest that this would be good use of this facility that would result in the premises continuing to serve a broad based educational purpose and of course creating good use of what is currently an empty building.

Granting of such access would allow us to continue our work to build up the exhibition.

Ian Blackford,
Chairman
The Glendale Trust.


*S3M-4720 Rob Gibson: Glendale Life—That the Parliament congratulates the Glendale Trust for mounting a heritage exhibition, displayed in Borrodale school, on the life of Glendale people in the last 200 years; commends the content of the show donated by many whose families and work have enhanced the life of this corner of the Isle of Skye; recalls the important part played by Glendale folk in the crofters’ struggles of the 1880s and its unique place in the establishment of the people’s right to live on their own land, and welcomes the growing support to retain Borrodale school as a heritage centre for the area.

Outrage over Megrahi release is illogical

THE political reaction from unionist politicians in Scotland has been all too predictable. They play partisan politics with the decision of the Scottish justice secretary Kenny MacAskill to send the Lockerbie bomber home to Libya as an act of mercy for a dying man.

They ignore a wide range of support from enlightened opinion across the parties and from many UK relatives of the Lockerbie victims. Had Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi died a martyr in prison in Scotland, no doubt they would have condemned that decision too. That is unless they had been in power.

The moral outrage of unionists here is as illogical as the hysterical reaction of many US citizens quoted on Fox TV and the country's FBI chief, Robert Mueller.

Yet look at US blogs and there is considerable support for Scotland's justice secretary and his compassionate decision.

I have had a couple of dozen e-mails and messages. Overwhelmingly, they echo the words of one constituent last Monday. Writing to me before the recall of parliament for Mr MacAskill's statement and questions, he said: "Could I say that I think a brave decision was taken last week, with which I fully agree.

"The events in Tripoli were unfortunate but the fact that the justice minister could act in an individual way unfettered by outside pressure is admirable."

Several round-robin e-mails expressing the opposite view have appeared. Only two or three from the Highlands and Islands.

The silence from London during the crucial decision time needs to be explained. I noted from The Guardian last Saturday that the foreign secretary David Miliband was keener to reject any hint of UK complicity in Megrahi's release than on explaining the UK's position.

He was cross questioned on BBC Radio 4's The Today Programme and insisted that the UK Government would not interfere with the Scottish decision.

He explained: "It would upturn the devolution settlement, which says very clearly that the justice secretary in Scotland should make this decision."

Who can disagree with Julian Borger in The Guardian that "the British Government had just secured the unexpected bonus of being able to please its new Libyan partners while ducking responsibility for the release of a convicted mass murderer"?

While Blair and Brown were seeking oil and gas contracts for Shell, BP and BS, a cross-party delegation of US senators led by John McCain, the defeated Republican presidential candidate, met with Libya's leader on Friday, August 14, in Tripoli to discuss the possible delivery of non-lethal defence equipment. Associated Press reported that visit and Washington's offer of military equipment was another sign of the improving ties between the former long-time adversaries.

Mr McCain said: "The status of human rights and political reform in Libya will remain a chief element of concern. However, ties between the United States and Libya have taken a remarkable and positive turn in recent years."

*

LAST weekend, I attended the unveiling of a monument at Lyness to the Arctic convoys during the Second World War.

In contrast to the criticism of Scotland by the US Government over the Lockerbie issue, high-ranking dignitaries from Russia stood shoulder to shoulder with Scottish, Belgian and other allied citizens at the new memorial.

In wartime the naval escorts sailed from Scapa Flow to protect merchant ships assembled at Loch Ewe. Three thousand seamen and a 100 out of 800 allied ships were lost supplying the Soviet Union with the materials that underpinned the country's victory against the Nazis. The hazards of the convoys to Murmansk were appalling. We rightly remembered the sacrifice made in the cause of freedom.

The Russian consul general for Scotland, Sergey Krutikov, presented medals on behalf of his government to two surviving Orkney veterans of the convoys.

These were given to applause from the 300 people present. Among them was a convoy veteran Sandy Manson, from John O'Groats, another comrade who sailed to Russia on HMS Matchless.

I have made many friends from Russia and, in particular, from the oil province in Siberia in recent years. The chairman of the local parliament, or duma, shared the task of unveiling the monument that forms two great standing stones shaped like the prow of a ship.

We plough safer waters today and share economic aims with our northern neighbours. That future was assured by our kin who fought for that freedom. It's up to us to build sustainable links that rule out conflicts in Europe in future and include our Russian friends in the recovery of our economies in today's world.

*

IN a week of political discord several MSPs will be hoping to strike a note of harmony at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe tomorrow.

Myself, Thurso-born Green MSP Robin Harper, Labour's Pauline McNeil as well as Jamie McGrigor, of the Tories, will be taking to the stage at theatre workshop to perform a concert in aid of ChildLine.

It is a fantastic opportunity to perform at the world's biggest and (probably) best arts festival, and it is a great charity to raise money for.

So if you are around Edinburgh tomorrow, or know of anyone down there, then the theatre workshop at Stockbridge would be worth a visit. I can't guarantee that you won't be disappointed but it should be good fun!

Outrage over Megrahi release is illogical

THE political reaction from unionist politicians in Scotland has been all too predictable. They play partisan politics with the decision of the Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to send the Lockerbie bomber home to Libya as an act of mercy for a dying man.

They ignore a wide range of support from enlightened opinion across the parties and from many UK relatives of the Lockerbie victims. Had Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi died a martyr in prison in Scotland, no doubt they would have condemned that decision too. That is unless they had been in power.

The moral outrage of unionists here is as illogical as the hysterical reaction of many US citizens quoted on Fox TV and the country's FBI chief, Robert Mueller.

Yet look at US blogs and there is considerable support for Scotland's Justice Secretary and his compassionate decision.

I have had a couple of dozen e-mails and messages. Overwhelmingly, they echo the words of one constituent last Monday. Writing to me before the recall of Parliament for Mr MacAskill's statement and questions, he said: "Could I say that I think a brave decision was taken last week, with which I fully agree.

"The events in Tripoli were unfortunate but the fact that the Justice Minister could act in an individual way unfettered by outside pressure is admirable."

Several round-robin e-mails expressing the opposite view have appeared. Only two or three from the Highlands and Islands.

The silence from London during the crucial decision time needs to be explained. I noted from The Guardian last Saturday that the Foreign Secretary David Miliband was keener to reject any hint of UK complicity in Megrahi's release than on explaining the UK's position.

He was cross questioned on BBC Radio 4's The Today Programme and insisted that the UK Government would not interfere with the Scottish decision.

He explained: "It would upturn the devolution settlement, which says very clearly that the Justice Secretary in Scotland should make this decision."

Who can disagree with Julian Borger in The Guardian that "the British Government had just secured the unexpected bonus of being able to please its new Libyan partners while ducking responsibility for the release of a convicted mass murderer"?

While Blair and Brown were seeking oil and gas contracts for Shell, BP and BS, a cross-party delegation of US senators led by John McCain, the defeated Republican presidential candidate, met with Libya's leader on Friday, August 14, in Tripoli to discuss the possible delivery of non-lethal defence equipment. Associated Press reported that visit and Washington's offer of military equipment was another sign of the improving ties between the former long-time adversaries.

Mr McCain said: "The status of human rights and political reform in Libya will remain a chief element of concern. However, ties between the United States and Libya have taken a remarkable and positive turn in recent years."

*

LAST weekend, I attended the unveiling of a monument at Lyness to the Arctic convoys during the Second World War.

In contrast to the criticism of Scotland by the US Government over the Lockerbie issue, high-ranking dignitaries from Russia stood shoulder to shoulder with Scottish, Belgian and other allied citizens at the new memorial.

In wartime the naval escorts sailed from Scapa Flow to protect merchant ships assembled at Loch Ewe. Three thousand seamen and 100 out of 800 allied ships were lost supplying the Soviet Union with the materials that underpinned the country's victory against the Nazis. The hazards of the convoys to Murmansk were appalling. We rightly remembered the sacrifice made in the cause of freedom.

The Russian consul general for Scotland, Sergey Krutikov, presented medals on behalf of his government to two surviving Orkney veterans of the convoys.

These were given to applause from the 300 people present. Among them was a convoy veteran Sandy Manson, from John O'Groats, another comrade who sailed to Russia on HMS Matchless.

I have made many friends from Russia and, in particular, from the oil province in Siberia in recent years. The chairman of the local parliament, or duma, shared the task of unveiling the monument that forms two great standing stones shaped like the prow of a ship.

We plough safer waters today and share economic aims with our northern neighbours. That future was assured by our kin who fought for that freedom. It's up to us to build sustainable links that rule out conflicts in Europe in future and include our Russian friends in the recovery of our economies in today's world.

*

IN a week of political discord several MSPs will be hoping to strike a note of harmony at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe tomorrow.

Myself, Thurso-born Green MSP Robin Harper, Labour's Pauline McNeil as well as Jamie McGrigor, of the Tories, will be taking to the stage at theatre workshop to perform a concert in aid of ChildLine.

It is a fantastic opportunity to perform at the world's biggest and (probably) best arts festival, and it is a great charity to raise money for.

So if you are around Edinburgh tomorrow, or know of anyone down there, then the theatre workshop at Stockbridge would be worth a visit. I can't guarantee that you won't be disappointed but it should be good fun!

A little catch up....

Above: Here I am on barge on the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change committee away day, Edinburgh Quay to Ratho and back. 25.8.9

Above: Me on the PS Waverley on final cruise off isle of Arran 27.8.9 The world's oldest seaghoing pasddle steamer deserves full support that museums and archeology get. If summers don't improve the Scottish leg of its duties will reduce; that's because passengers are more numerous on the English south coast and in the Thames. I discussed the prospects with Capt Clark and other directors of the company on board off the east side of Arran.

Travelling on Waverley is an experience to be recommended and unlikely to be forgotten.

I visited the Alness allotments at Milnafua on their open day in mid-August. The success in the past year attracted a visit from rural Minister Richard Lochhead in June as well. the fruits of their labour are a most attractive advert for the town and its enthusiasts. Would that each community had the same opportunity to grow their own.

*

I also travelled to Orkney on 20th August for a visit to the new offices of the Centre for Nordic Studies in Kirkwall. There I conducted a surgery and attended a joint meeting between Russian business people and Orkney Islands council.

S3M-4721 Rob Gibson: Nordic Studies Centre Expands—That the Parliament commends the UHI Millennium Institute’s Centre for Nordic Studies in Kirkwall for its expansion to new premises on Kiln Corner and in Scalloway in the North Atlantic Fisheries College; notes its vital role in promoting and preserving all the indigenous cultures of the Highlands and Islands by including Norse, Scots and Gaelic elements in its courses which include the literature of Orkney and more widely the literature of the Highlands and Islands, and welcomes the distance learning ethos of the UHI Millennium Institute that contributes to the international reach of this dynamic centre of learning

*

On Saturday 22nd I attended as a representative of the SNP Government the unveiling of the memorial to the Russian Arctic convoys of WW2 on Hoy at the old naval base of Lyness. The friendships struck by representatives from Ugra, the Russian Consul to Scotland and representatives of VTB investment bank as sponsors of Russian Hour TV will be the basis of economic partnerships between Scotland and Russia to come.

It was a great dsiplay of remembrance for the most hazardous convoys in WW2. And reaffirmed the friendship and possible trade between Russia and Orkney.

Photo: At the point of unveiling - shows Vasily Sondykov, Chairman of the Duma in Ugra Province unveiling Russian side of the 'ship's prow'. Cll James Stockan, Vice Convener of Orkney Islands Council on right unveiling UK side. Rob wearing green bonnet and kilt with the other Russian and Belgian dignitories behind.

Photograph taken by A. Korobko, Russian Hour TV, London

Thought I'd play a bit of catch up on the past few days....

Thought I'd play a bit of catch up on the past few days....

Here I am on barge on the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change away day, Edinburgh Quay to Ratho and back. 25.8.9

Me on the PS Waverley on final cruise off isle of Arran 27.8.9 The world's oldest seaghoing pasddle steamer deserves full support that museums and archeology get. If summers don't improve the Scottish leg of its duties will reduce; that's because passengers are more numerous on the English south coast and in the Thames. I discussed the prospects with Capt Clark and other directors of the company on board off the east side of Arran.

Travelling on Waverley is an experience to be recommended and unlikely to be forgotten.

Come to Scotland....the weather's fine

Published in the John O'Groat Journal
14 August 2009

AT motorway services en route to Scotland you can find postcards. Not just of the stunning scenery that awaits the intrepid travellers north of Gretna, Carter Bar and Berwick, but ones that show a great cloud bank into which disappears a car and caravan.

Welcome to Scotland is the motto.

But often the weather pattern is the opposite. We drove through torrential rain from Bristol to Preston on the way home from Brittany. Yet news pictures of Highland Games and agriculture shows, gala weeks and pop festivals like Belladrum in the past month show lucky breaks in the gloom. Meanwhile, friends tell me that on breakfast time TV there was a deafening chorus from people saying they will never spend another holiday in the UK. Did they ever consider coming to the Far North and west of Scotland?

Patterns are changing; coastal Brittany experiences much less reliable sun than I remember in the 1980s and '90s. Meanwhile typhoons wreak havoc in the Pacific Ocean, and Saharan Africa and Australia are in desperate drought. Climate is perceptibly altering and for the worst in many parts.

James Lovelock was interviewed in the Observer last Sunday. The 90-year-old scientist invented the Gaia theory that was ridiculed 30 years ago. Today it is close to scientific orthodoxy, i.e. the Earth is a self-regulating entity. Saving the ecosystem and the planet is mainstream and not now seen as immune to infinite amounts of human abuse. It can rebalance its atmosphere, etc, and humans had better watch out.

Lovelock controversially thinks nuclear power is safe and the infrastructure quick to build, and points to the CO2 impact of building windmills. But he does see tidal energy as a good thing that will take time. He considers flying far less of a problem than the CO2 given out all the time by us and our pets.

That's where government decisions and choices kick in. The Scottish Climate Change Bill, soon to become the most important act passed by the Scottish Parliament, will guide us in this country. Make no mistake... what we choose must set a good example or else our grandchildren will rue this day.

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GREAT ideas for practical means to tackle greenhouse gases (GHG) come from many quarters.

At the Black Isle Show last week, the NFUS president Jim McLaren was waxing lyrical about the potential of hydrogen power. Every farm should install wind or solar power and by electrolysis make hydrogen to run all the farm equipment. Most can be self-sufficient and pay back investment in a very few years.

We need to decarbonise our transport by 2025 to meet GHG reduction targets. So lots more diverse ideas will need investment very soon. Incidentally, it is very heartening that the Scottish Government invested 73 per cent of its spend on renewable energy projects in the Highlands and Islands. We can maintain a high percentage spent here as the Scottish Government Renewables Plan develops in the next two years.

But there is no need to wait till others catch up. The Innes family wind farm at Stirkoke offers one family benefit; local charities too will win while control lies with the residents themselves. That means more local income from power sold to the grid. The jobs which can emerge from this green revolution were discussed in detail when I introduced my colleague Keith Brown MSP, the Minister for schools and skills, to the North Highland College in Thurso this week. Communities and community benefit are just beginning to get discussed seriously. Careers in environmental and energy jobs are key to our prospects hereabouts.

Photo: Schools and skills minister Keith Brown (centre) at the Environmental Research Institute in Thurso with some of the team members and MSP Rob Gibson (second from right).
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Schools and skills minister Keith Brown (centre) at the Environmental Research Institute in Thurso with some of the team members and MSP Rob Gibson (second from right).

BETWEEN April and June next year the TV transmitters at Rumster Forest and Thrumster will switch off analogue signals and go completely digital. By December 2010 the Rosemarkie mast, which serves Inverness and the Great Glen, will be the last part of the North to go fully digital.

I am impressed with the pace of this huge engineering project which has not left us in the Far North last in the queue. Indeed London will be last of all.

Even a 1938 TV owned by the grandson of John Logie Baird worked with a Freeview digibox to pick up the new format. So few new TV sets are needed. I was briefed by Alan Cowie, erstwhile Grampian TV programme producer from Aberdeen. He is keen to give clear answers to all who are concerned. A postcode checker is found at digitaluk.co.uk or telephone at local rates to 08456 50 50 50 with your queries.

The switchover is free for those over 75, the disabled and blind or partially sighted. I want to help everyone get access to as full a range of TV as possible at the least cost. A far more powerful signal awaits and we deserve the best.

Since a Scot invented the medium, let's make good use of its digital future. Local digital TV services from Caithness could be produced and broadcast.

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ALL the talk at UK level this week is of food security. Hilary Benn wants us to help the world by becoming less reliant on imports. More concerning is his call to use GM seeds to improve yields.

In contrast, the Scottish National Food and Drinks Policy views natural agricultural methods as the most sustainable and sees no evidence that GM crops for animal feed or cotton show any consistent increase in yields.

Perversely, the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which is supposed to be at arm's length from government, undermines confidence in organic foods as against industrial crops. Also the FSA is set to soften up opinion in favour of GM foods in a year-long public engagement exercise.

This stems from London Labour ministers from whom the FSA is another arm of the discredited Westminster regime. With FSA Scotland singled out to return powers to Westminster in the Calman proposals, it is time all our MPs and MSPs were asked which side they are on.

Croft reform

An open letter from Rob Gibson MSP

Sir,

The last thing crofting needs in 2009 is another LibDem peddling Victorian platitudes. 129 years after the 1886 Crofting Act its strengths and weaknesses are all too apparent in today's conditions.

Those of us long involved in ways to make crofts viable and improve Highland land use don't need insults about lack of understanding of Highland issues. [letters 31 July] . Seeing the neglect, absenteeism and misuse of our most basic resource which the Highland Land League strove to save for the people 100 years ago, we need no potted history from Alan MacRae that ignores forces such as the wider economy, planning and food prices that affect crofting beyond Crofting law.

Let him remember that his LibDem minister Ross Finnie and four successive Labour deputies totally delayed and finally botched croft reform from 1999 to 2006. They were forced to set up the Shucksmith Enquiry which the SNP inherited. Awkward truths on the state of crofting and croft regulation were revealed.

The SNP seeks long-lasting solutions and is working with crofters and the Scottish Crofting Foundation to find the best way forward. During the passage of the 2006 Act the SNP voted with JF Munro to get a partly elected Crofters Commission. This was vetoed by the majority of Labour and LibDem MSPs.

Today we have the opportunity to make good the time lost to crofting by LibDem and Labour blunders. Insults are petty. It's time to make clear what active crofting needs in the way of transparent regulation without added burdens. Petitions are all very well, positive ideas to sustain crofting in the 21st century are much more constructive.

Yours,
Rob Gibson SNP MSP
Highlands and Islands
4 Grant St., Wick

Crofting historian says the system of land tenure faces fight for survival

Published in The Herald, 10 August 2009

Definitive endorsement from the crofting authority of the plans and efforts being made by this Scottish Government.

The historian who charted the origins and development of crofting is questioning whether the unique system of land tenure he has spent most of his adult life championing will survive much longer.

Professor Jim Hunter has become increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for crofting in the face of the bitter dispute that has erupted over successive governments' proposals for reform.

Mr Hunter, who has served as the founding director of the Scottish Crofters Union, is a staunch advocate of the relevance of crofting.

A debate has been raging since the previous Labour and LibDem Scottish Executive launched a crofting reform bill. The government was forced to abandon large sections of the bill in September 2006 and a committee of inquiry was launched into crofting under Professor Mark Shucksmith.

His report formed the basis of the current draft bill. Public consultation ends on Wednesday. Among the bill's provisions is the requirement that any house built on land taken out of crofting will have to be occupied as a principal residence for more than six months a year, an attempt to stem the demand for holiday homes that has long distorted the housing market in the Highlands and Islands.

However, the Scottish Crofting Foundation has attacked the bill as "oppressive" and the Crofting Rights Emergency Action Group, which was set up last year in north-west Sutherland, is campaigning against it.

Mr Hunter said: "More than 120 years ago, a British prime minister, William Gladstone, did something that none of his modern successors, whether in London or Edinburgh, would contemplate for a moment.

"He excluded the free market from large parts of the Highlands and Islands by taking away just about all the powers that landlords had previously exercised over crofts and crofters.

"Families who could previously be evicted by landlords with no more than a few weeks' notice were given perpetual security of tenure and their rents, formerly set at high levels by their landlords, were henceforth - and are still - fixed by a state-appointed tribunal."

However, Mr Hunter said the market had reasserted itself, with more people wanting to have homes in crofting localities.

"Understandably, many crofters are taking advantage of this, by selling their land as house sites or, sometimes, by selling, in effect, their crofts. Of course, the controls imposed on crofting in Gladstone's time are supposed to make this type of market in croft land impossible."

Mr Hunter continued: "When the Shucksmith inquiry team undertook one of the most exhaustive inquiries ever mounted into crofting, they were told over and over again by crofters that, unless this market in croft land was brought under the same sort of stringent controls that were long ago imposed on crofting landlords, crofting as we've known it for generations will soon cease to exist. I'm convinced that, without the sort of actions Shucksmith recommended and which the Scottish Government is trying to introduce, crofting of the traditional sort will soon be no more.

"It's virtually impossible for young people, often for local people of any age, to get into crofting. They're simply being outbid at every turn. So the question, at its most basic, is this: Do crofters wish to secure the future of crofting by subjecting it to renewed controls of the kind that have kept crofting in being for so long? Or do they want, as individuals, to have the right to profit from a less and less controlled market in croft land? Judging by what's being said by many crofters, there certainly isn't a consensus in favour of more, and much tougher, controls.

"If I had a croft and if I had the chance of selling chunks of it for large sums, I'm by no means certain that I'd prefer to keep that croft in existence for a future generation.

"If what's happening now continues, crofting has had it. That doesn't mean there won't be flourishing communities in the Highlands and Islands 50 or 100 years from now. But they won't be crofting communities, and crofting, by then, will be just as much a part of history as the days of clans and clanship."

SNP Contituency Reps Debate Croft Reform

Featured in the Northern Times, 7 August 2009:

Caithness Sutherland and Easter Ross delegates discussed the crofting consultation at the SNP Constituency meeting last Friday. The delegates from Invergordon, Tain, Rosehall, Helmsdale and Thurso welcomed the discussions previously held by members of the Sutherland branch which were led by Westminster PPC Cllr Jean Urquhart and Cllr George Farlow.

Crofting members of the SNP in each part of the constituency want to see reasoned changes to the draft bill. They felt that incoherent rejection of the serious points raised would not sustain crofting communities. The assurances from the crofting Minister Roseanna Cunningham that this was merely a consultation shows that SNP in Government listens to crofters.

Rob Gibson MSP told the meeting that the sensible suggestions coming from grazings committees which he has already seen confirm that thoughtful analysis rather than shoot from the hip language is needed. Members noted the appalling behaviour of attendees at several crofting consultative meetings were unrepresentative of the wider crofting community.

He said, "I am glad that the SNP government is committed to seek ways to end absenteeism, to maintain the crofting culture which underpin local grazing committees and aims to democratise the Crofters Commission."

Members also noted with satisfaction that other wider land reform issues may be debated at the SNP's Annual Conference to be held in Eden Court Inverness this October. Submissions from local branches contribute fully to the national debate.

Pesticides, nutritious food and the FSA muddle

An open letter from Rob Gibson MSP

Sir,

The FSA needs to explain pesticide effects to public and a co-convener of Holyrood's Cross Party Group on Food I would urge consumers attending agricultural shows [such as the Black Isle Show at Muir of Ord this week] to tackle the Food Standards Agency which takes a stall there. They should be asked why pesticide residues were excluded from the FSA's recent nutritional study on organic and conventional food when the main reason families buy organic is to protect the environment.

Clearly the Food Standards Agency needs to come clean about the real differences between organic and conventional food production. Their report last week showed no nutritional differences between the two but excluded contaminant content such as herbicide, pesticide and fungicide residues from the desktop review.

Yet new figures revealed in The Herald [3.8.9] show nearly half of conventional food bought by consumers contains significant traces of pesticides. The SNP Government has won wide support for a national food policy based on the natural methods widely practiced in this country. We need no muddying of the waters by the FSA which has given the nod to GM animal feed while undermining confidence in natural food.

Surely the body charged with food safety, the FSA, has to explain how its muddled behaviour affects the aims of Scotland's National Food and Drinks Policy .

The SNP has long fought for modern methods that avoid GM. We also question what effects pesticides have on bees and we find the gloating of commentators over the FSA report a last week a sign that farming methods fit for 21st century consumer knowledge will have to be far more inclusive and environmentally conscious. The NFUS should also address these same issues and accept that consumers are not fooled by the biotech agenda.


Rob Gibson

SNP MSP for Highlands and Islands
4 Grant St.

Wick

INVERGORDON INCINERATOR - NO TO WASTE!

Highland Council has registered a planning application to create a Waste Transfer Station in Invergordon at the location of the former British Aluminium plant. In addition to that application a private company Combined Power and Heat Highland Ltd has registered an application to build a Waste to Energy Incinerator at the former British Aluminium Plant Car Park. This incinerator will run 24/7 and process waste from all over the Highlands.

INVERGORDON COMMUNITY COUNCIL has objected to both these planning applications and created an electronic petition which they are urging the public to sign and support. Follow this link http://www.iintw.org.uk/ or click on the title above to register your support: INVERGORDON INCINERATOR - NO TO WASTE!

The Future is Electric

FOR many years now I have been making a pilgrimage to the town of Quimper on the south-west coast of Brittany in July to meet up with old friends and take in as much as I can of the excellent music at the Celtic Festival de Cornouaille.

Brittany has much in common with Caithness and the wider Highlands and Islands – a unique place with a largely rural community with a way of life very much bound to the land and sea. It is France's main agricultural area and plays a significant role in its fishing industry.

As you might imagine, the local produce is of great quality with an emphasis on natural production methods.

One morning, while venturing out to buy the croissants and local newspaper, I passed the van of the local charcuterie, which had emblazoned on the side a slogan which read, "Chicken raised the natural way – out of doors!" A salient point.

I thought about natural farming practices which are so successful in Caithness via the Mey Selection brand, as well as the Scottish Government's food-and-drink policy which is geared towards local and sustainable production.

The natural, local way to do things – there must be something in it. That is why I was perturbed to read a press release from the National Farmers' Union of Scotland.

In it they effectively called for a relaxing of the laws on the importation of GM soya and maize into the European Union. That is playing with fire. Less scrutiny of GM feed which comes into Scotland, or any other part of the EU for that matter, could play havoc with our precious biodiversity. What is needed is increased scrutiny of GM feed, not less.

Indeed a better course of action is to look at what is being trialled in our own country.

The Scottish Agricultural College has developed high-protein feed from home-grown legumes, which avoids the need to import soya from around the globe, while the Scottish Crop Research Institute has developed non-GM blight-resistant potatoes. Surely local research and development is the way ahead as opposed to a reliance on untested soya and maize from around the world?

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LAST week the new French industry minister Christian Estrosi visited Bolloré d'Ergué Gabéric battery factory near Quimper. He was there to tour the plant which will help revolutionise electric-powered travel.

As from September, the factory will produce lithium-metal-polymer batteries for the BlueCar, which is produced by the distinguished Italian car designers Pininfarina. Five thousand of these have already been pre-ordered and are expected to be on the road by June 2010. The plant expects to produce 100,000 batteries a year. At the end of the visit the minister also announced that the French government had ordered 100,000 of these vehicles for local governments to use around the country.

The batteries have also been trialled on trams in Paris as well as Germany. The results showed a 15 to 30 per cent saving in energy consumption. It is a stark message that the future of electric transport is becoming a reality in these parts of Europe.

Electric transport is exactly the route we need to take in Scotland and the UK and, yet again, Caithness could take the lead. The advanced ABSL battery factory comes to mind as it has similarities with the one in Brittany.

Like its Breton counterpart, the factory is a distance from the car producer but it is exactly the climate-change-busting activity that will be needed.

The Scottish transport minister Stewart Stevenson has urged motorists to make fewer journeys.

The next step is to prepare for all-electric vehicles. The year 2050 could see the end of carbonised transport on the roads in Scotland. The Far North should seek an early stake in that new market and help lead the way.

New report makes Nigg more vital than ever

A FULLY functioning Nigg yard in which to build and service offshore structures and vessel is all the more important with the publication of the The Power of Scotland Renewed report compiled by energy analyst Garard Hassan.

This says that by 2030 Scotland could be powered solely by renewable energy (with energy left over to export).

I am delighted that Enterprise Minister Jim Mather has been drafted in to help end the deadlock. Jim's energy and ability to identify problems and come up with solutions has marked him out as an outstanding minister.

A renewables revolution would undoubtedly shift the focus of Scotland (even the rest of Europe) northwards. However that revolution needs to be backed up by serious funding which would help put the infrastructure in place and support the burgeoning industry.

Yet that simple common sense approach is finding no favour with the Labour UK Government. Their recent action in blocking Scotland from accessing additional funding to drive forward the renewables programme is nothing short of scandalous.

Last week the UK treasury forbade the Scottish Government access to a £150 million fossil fuel fund which can only be accessed by Scottish Ministers for the purpose of renewable energy promotion.

It is a frustrating situation as their action put at risk a dynamic and prosperous future for the Highlands and Islands.

This action will do nothing to help Ross-shire or others areas of the north and west.

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A LOCAL hotelier contacted me recently with an idea on how to boost tourism numbers and improve environmental management.

From November to February tourists numbers are down and the main business is from those who shoot and fish. Red deer and salmon are a natural resource yet access to them is limited.

However the introduction of a universal gaming licence could help remedy that.

A licence could work along these lines. For example the licence could cost £150. A limit could be set on the amount of game/fish taken in a day. The hunter\fisher would be accompanied and instructed by a trained gamekeeper and the landowner would receive a bounty, say £50 for a deer, or £10 for a salmon.

This could result in more tourism, boosting local trade, and ensuring better land and game management.

A radical, revolutionary and original idea? No. It happens in Canada and most of our European neighbours.

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THE incident of the Marco Polo has raised a number of questions. I am sure that better co-ordination of public agencies will accrue following the outbreak of the winter vomiting bug.

However, that said, it is incumbent upon the owners of the ship to act in a responsible manner. Unless health services and other interested parties are aware of the full facts then it is difficult for them to act in an appropriate way with appropriate speed.

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LAST week I wrote to Patrick Harvie MSP (convenor of Holyrood's transport committee) asking the committee to make a submission on the consultation to the National Express rail services' franchise calling for the safeguarding of the Highland Chieftain service from Inverness to London.

UK Government Ministers have failed to give cast iron guarantees that no service will be cut or downgraded on the line. However, there is to be a public consultation on the future of the franchise.

Therefore I would urge business users and commuters who use and value this direct route to make their voices heard and make a submission to the consultation for the continuation of this excellent service.

Any further loss of direct routes to the Highlands would be a blow to the accessibility and connectivity of the area.

Confident Scotland is leading the way

THE latest session of parliament drew to an end in a blaze of publicity with the unanimous backing of Scotland's world-leading Climate Change Bill.

This legislation was praised by the "Terminator", and now governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said: "Scotland's ambitious and comprehensive targets encourage other nations to step up to the plate as we look toward an international agreement in Copenhagen, and it sends a message to the world that we must act now and must act swiftly."

I was also contacted by my former Breton intern Anne-Flore (who is now in Brussels) saying that at an EU climate change conference the day after our legislation was passed, the closing remarks centred on the world-leading targets being made in Scotland. Scotland was praised as an example to other nations of what should be aimed for.

Scotland leading the world in a positive direction... it's a great thing to think when you are in the chamber waiting for the ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of devolution to start.

My thoughts turned to the past, present and future. I suppose only a historian from the future could fully quantify what effect the restoration of some power to Scotland has meant for the people of the ancient nation. However, there does seem to be a sense of confidence and a better attitude – less downtrodden, more aspirational.

A few years ago it was very fashionable to talk about the Scottish Cringe. It's hard to define what this concept is exactly, but it effectively boils down to a lack of national self confidence. A culture of negativity and pessimism which pervaded Scottish society. It even led to Jack McConnell opening a centre to promote Scottish self confidence in 2004.

Did it work? Not too sure, but three years later the people of Scotland ignored the tired, old, relentlessly negative and pessimistic Labour, Lib Dem and Tory arguments against electing the SNP.

So perhaps the Scottish Self Confidence Centre had a part to play.

I suspect, however, that growing confidence and aspirations were organic, and the parliament has had a huge part to play in that. People saw what could be achieved and wanted more.

Ten years on, devolution has began to change mind-sets, both publicly and politically. More people in Scotland are supporting Scottish independence (the ultimate confident step). Even other parties, including the Tories, who fought hard to stop devolution in the past, now think that Scotland should have more powers.

There are very few people out there who have no faith in the competence of Scotland to run some or all of its affairs.

The Scottish Parliament, whether it be an independent or devolved institution, will continue to be the main focus in the country.

A while ago I remember hearing (from someone who had experienced both parliaments) that many back-bench Scottish MPs were beginning to think that the only show in town was the Scottish Parliament. I suspect this is more the case than ever.

We are in a process which is seeing Scotland becoming more comfortable with itself, more confident. The cringe, while not gone, is receding from the national psyche. Future generations will scratch their heads when hearing of the Scottish Cringe – devolution started that process of transformation, and I find it hard to believe that it will stop.

Be under no illusion, the passing of the world-leading Climate Change Bill is a sign of the country growing up. We are a positive example to the world.

Not bad going in 10 years.

Now we need to show that we can meet our aspirations.

The potential that lies off the grey coast will transform the fortunes of the county. As the 19th century saw populations flocking to the cities where the latest opportunity and energy were, I believe that the 21st will see a migration back to places like Caithness.

In the near future, Caithness will be at the cutting edge of energy production. The people of Caithness will help lead the world, backed up by new developments across the board including UHI.

World companies are already seeing the potential offered by such developments. Where the energy is the people will go. Caithness is ideally placed to reap a rich reward from such happenings.

However, for success to be more tangible and arrive faster there needs to be a repositioning of mind-sets throughout the nation towards the North.

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A CLEAR purpose and strategy in the crucible of war is a must. However, as fighting intensifies and casualties mount in Afghanistan it seems that there is a lack of that. This is a worrying situation for all but especially for the brave troops and their families and loved ones at home waiting.

Recently my colleague, SNP defence spokesman Angus Robertson, said that the elections in Afghanistan later on in the year should serve as a chance for a serious review into the strategy. The right strategy is the least that our troops, families at home and Afghan families deserve.

Events an anchor for community life

WICK HarbourFest brought out the sun and the smiles in a relaxed and welcome celebration to make an important Caithness Homecoming.

While the crowning of the herring queen harked back to the fishing of the past, the brand new marina development looks like it should have been there for years and indicates the ambitions of the harbour authority for the future.

I was delighted to join in the Friday celebrations and meet so many happy folk. My friends Andrew Anderson and family from Keiss made their homecoming like many others.

Among those I met was Gordon Gunn, the famous Wick fiddler, on Saturday evening further down the A9. His suntan was gained during a Saturday on the quays.

I hope that harbour plans will develop the numbers of sailing craft involved at future events as it's such a natural setting and anchor for community life. Well done Liz and David Richard-Jones and the whole team.

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TWO decisions last week in Holyrood lead Europe and the world. Firstly, the Climate Change Bill has passed all stages and been amended into the strongest of its kind. We will have action plans on every aspect of its measures to pass as secondary laws.

For example, an action plan will increase the total output of renewable heat to 11 per cent of demand by 2020. It's one per cent this year so that's a tough challenge.

So a successful scheme in Wick would contribute. Remember we have the wood and other biomass in Scotland and it isn't new technology on the continent.

The agreed Scottish target of 42 per cent cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases by 2020 relies on the Climate Summit in Copenhagen adopting much tougher targets. It will all change the way we live and I will chronicle these in detail in the coming months. That's because, as my colleague Brian Adam said, public engagement is as important as rules made in Holyrood if we are to succeed.

Secondly, on Tuesday this week, the outcome of the year-long Energy Enquiry by the economy, energy and tourism committee was published. It shows that an action plan for Scotland should play to our biggest strengths. These lie in renewables whose potential is of European significance.

On Monday, Scottish and Southern Energy announced that more large hydro power schemes like Glendoe on Loch Ness are now in the planning. This provides the chance to complement offshore wind and tidal power sources as they develop with clean power from the waters of our lochs and rivers. That's an elegant symmetry. For Scotland leads in these developments as France leads in nuclear.

Scotland can supply secure power to England as well as our North Sea neighbours on top of home needs. So there are three cheers for that route to secure, clean power which communities and businesses here can surely profits from.

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THE message from a record-breaking Royal

The First Armed Forces Day

I fully back the efforts in support of our armed forces personnel around Armed Forces Day and through Help for Heroes. Like most families in this country we have relations and friends serving today in places like Afghanistan. They need all our support.

I was invited to take part in the parade in Tain at 3pm on Saturday 27th June. Unfortunately the late arrival of my invite meant I had agreed engagements on the North Coast. But I will be glad to support the spirit of the day.

It is one of the anomalies of the UK that our armed forces have to rely on voluntary action of this kind. Meanwhile our taxes never seem to be spent on the top priorities such as ensuring an end to lack of equipment for our forces on the front line. Yet there has been no shortage of funds for the nuclear deterrent. But I am glad to see that despite an unsettled world the Liberal Democrats are at last seeking an end to Trident and even David Cameron is questioning its necessity in financially difficult times. The SNP has long called for it to be axed.

I recall a slogan we used many years ago - Support our Troops and Scrap Trident. The Scottish Government with its Minister for Veterans is helping to cushion the return of our heroes after their service to the nation and press the UK Government to close the nuclear bases on the Clyde.

Yours,
Rob Gibson SNP MSP Highlands and Islands
4 Grant St., Wick, Caithness

A world-leading Climate Change Bill

A wee thank you that I was delighted to receive -

Dear Rob

On behalf of Christian Aid, I would like to thank you for all the work that you undertook to secure a strong climate change bill. Christian Aid, alongside other members of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition is delighted at the strong interim target and many other measures in the legislation.

We are heartened that MSPs from all parties listened to the thousands of Scots, including many Christian Aid supporters, who campaigned for a strong climate change bill. As our new pal, Arnold Schwarzenegger said yesterday, "Scotland's ambitious and comprehensive targets encourage other nations to step up to the plate as we look toward an international agreement in Copenhagen, and it sends a message to the world that we must act now and must act swiftly."

Coming ahead of the talks in Copenhagen Scotland has also sent a signal to developing countries what can be achieved in industrialised countries with the right political will.

I hope you enjoy a good break over recess.

With best wishes.

Una

Policy and Parliamentary Officer
Christian Aid

Euro poll dealt Brown body blow

Published in the John O'Groat Journal & Caithness Courier

What a month in the break-up of trust in British politics as the European Union election results dealt a near-fatal blow for Gordon Brown’s reputation. Then he was forced into a cabinet reshuffle by serial resignations of key cabinet colleagues and MPs many up to their necks in sleaze were axed from standing again. His dither and deep unpopularity made Mr Brown seek succour in diversionary tactics. Let’s discuss democratic renewal he thought. We should sort out the MPs’ expenses row, get the economy on course and set up major commissions to report back sometime.

Transparency was to be the order of the day. A week later, however, a secret enquiry into the Iraq war was announced which gave the game away. Hanging onto power in the elective dictatorship that is UK rule was after all Brown’s default position. Fortuitously Sir Kenneth Calman’s year- long Commission into Scottish government reported earlier this week, Gordon ticked a box in his sham review of Westminster by adopting Calman which he claimed as ‘bold and realistic’.

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Let’s have a closer look at the aims of the PM and the Unionist-inspired Calman report. Its key aim is to show “how to improve the financial accountability of the Scottish Parliament, while preserving the economic Union and the social Union which define Scotland’s relationship with the rest of the UK.”

How does this help us in Scotland to get a sustainable economy, a growing population and build a future on our huge natural and intellectual assets? Does it provide real tax powers and access to revenues of oil and gas? It does not.

Incredibly the Unionist balancing act emphasises Scottish government accountability, not normal tax powers. Giving the Scots Government more room to vary income tax is not sought by any party. Refusing to offer Scotland more than borrowing powers that local government already has keeps the purse strings firmly in the Treasury grip in Whitehall. This epitomises Whitehall control freakery.

This report tries to counter the SNP government’s widely discussed National Conversation. This week the First Minister spoke with an audience of around 170 people in West Lothian. He suggested that the SNP referendum plans for independence would be published on St Andrews Day and hinted that Calman’s minimum improvements for devolution could form a third question. Gordon Brown has admitted that ‘it’s the constitution, stupid’ that we must address.

***

What put Brown and Calman in perspective was the Euro election results which were a historic SNP victory in Scotland. Here in the Highland Council area the SNP vote rose by 8.6% on 2004 Euro result. In comparison the Lib Dems were up 6.1%, Labour down 6.3% and the Tories down 2.5%.

The SNP are the only party to make a significant advance at the expense of Labour, with a ten point surge since the last European election – it was the biggest anywhere in the UK and double the swing from Labour to the Tories UK-wide.

Sadly the Euro turn-out was far too low to compare results with the 2007 Scottish poll which returned the SNP minority government in Edinburgh. Here in the Highlands and Islands SNP still has a clear lead over other parties. Our all-Scotland approach of matching policies to meet local needs in tight financial times is appreciated by a growing support for the party of Scottish Government.

Our MEPs Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith were re-elected. In truth we were close to gaining the third Euro seat out of six which could only strengthen further the voice of the Highlands and Islands. Alyn’s work on the Agriculture Committee in Brussels has been widely praised. Ian has held the line on repatriating parts of the Common Fisheries Policy to Scottish control and both have championed the new industries in marine renewables which will come good for many jobs in our area that will migrate from nuclear decommissioning to wave and tide power projects.

The other backdrop to Calman is the newly published poll of Holyrood voting intentions YouGov for the Sunday Times published last weekend. SNP has doubled its poll lead over Labour in the Scottish Parliament constituency vote since the previous YouGov poll in April – and puts the parties and MSPs who support Scottish independence within touching distance of an absolute majority in the Scottish Parliament: just five seats short.

This direction of travel in voters’ minds is for more powers to shape our lives by decision of the Scottish Parliament.

***

Getting on with good government, Richard Lochhead Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture unveiled a package of new measures to help livestock producers in fragile areas such as ours. The immediate 18% increases in payments to farmers and crofters in Less Favoured Areas hopes to stabilise sheep and cattle production. I’m sure this will help the quality products marketed through Mey Selections and also points to the need for cash to be targeted at producers instead of armchair agriculturalists who took Single Farm Payments decided at historic levels in 2001. They then cut production. This is tied up with another important issue, the steep decline of sheep produced from our hills and glens.

I know that a complex weave of estates with shooting policies, fuel costs, hauliers margins, the need for more local abattoir development and a closer targeting of scarce agricultural support funds all play their part. The general welcome for the SNP Agriculture Secretary’s proposals and understanding among farmers and crofters that they have allies in Europe is a sign that Scotland can weather the economic storm and produce more of the wholesome food our citizens need. Now to tackle the supermarkets which refuse to pay the proper price for such quality produce.

www.robgibsonmsp.blogspot.com

Gig review: Isle of Eigg Anniversary Ceilidh

The Scotsman

Published Date: 16 June 2009

-By Sue Wilson

VARIOUS VENUES, EIGG

IN A thoughtful speech on Saturday at the opening of Eigg's new Croft House Museum, MSP Rob Gibson reflected on the importance of continuity to communities such as this. Even while the island's 21st century crofters invest in solar panels and polytunnels, many of life's fundamentals here – as represented by the museum's evocative artefacts, testament to one family's history over the last century – remain unchanged.

In many ways, the same applies to the collective merrymaking that holds sway over Eigg the weekend before midsummer, at the islanders' annual celebration of having bought their homeland in 1997. This year's headlining band, The Chair, came all the way from Orkney to raise the roof of the community hall, mixing up Balkan, blues, funk and reggae influences with their frontline fiddle and accordion tunes. And they were followed by several hours of DJ Dolphin Boy's majestically maverick beats. Highlanders and islanders have been perfecting the art of righteous fun for centuries, and the profound, even primal conviviality underpinning Eigg's ceilidh felt truly, transcendently timeless. Come late Sunday afternoon, as the sun continued to beam down in defiance of all forecasts, and a lone bagpiper struck up outside the café, his choice of Gordon Duncan's gorgeously poignant The Sleeping Tune seemed only too appropriate.

The rest of Saturday's main gig had featured redoubtable regulars the JaMaTha Ceilidh Band, comprising the likes of mandolin ace Dagger Gordon, Andy Thorburn on piano and local percussion legend Eddie "Spoons" Scott, who kicked off a marathon night's dancing.

Next up was fellow Eigg resident Donna MacCulloch, leading a rock-style band on bagpipes, in a dynamic set of self-penned tunes. Once again, the material and instrumentation might have been novel, but the shared delight they engendered felt at least as ancient as it did modern.

'Liberation' hope for Nigg

I'M glad that the LibDem-led Highland Council regime has finally launched the last stage consultation on liberating Nigg from its long half life.

The SNP has argued at council and parliamentary levels for this from the start because Nigg is a key part of the fabrication base including the building of offshore windmill jackets. The proposals for around 200 such wind towers to function around the Beatrice oil platform will take several years to achieve. That's abundantly clear as the Economy Energy and Tourism Committee, of which I am vice convener, reaches its conclusions on our year-long energy enquiry. Scotland's clean energy options must be grasped firmly here or we could literally miss the boat.

*

IF the Euro elections show any one thing clearly it is a historic SNP victory in Scotland. Building on the 2007 result for the Scots Parliament our votes across the nation reached a new high watermark. Here in the Highland Council area the SNP vote rose by 8.6 per cent on the 2004 Euro result. In comparison the Lib Dems were up 6.1 per cent, Labour down 6.3 per cent and the Tories down 2.5 per cent.

The SNP are the only party to make a significant advance at the expense of Labour, with a ten-point surge since the last European election — the biggest vote increase in the history of the European elections in Scotland and one of the largest increases in any Scottish election. With the swing from Labour — at nearly eight per cent to the SNP — it was the biggest anywhere in the UK and double the swing from Labour to the Tories UK-wide.

Sadly, last Thursday's turnout was far too low to compare results with the 2007 Scottish poll which returned the SNP minority government in Edinburgh. But in Highlands and Islands the SNP still has a clear lead over other parties which shows that our all-Scotland approach of matching policies to meet local needs in tight financial times is appreciated by a growing support for the party of Scottish Government.

This also reflects well on the power of work put in by our MEPs Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith who were re-elected. In truth we were close to gaining the third Euro seat out of six which could only strengthen further the voice of the Highlands and Islands.

Alyn's work on the Agriculture Committee in Brussels has been widely praised.

Ian has held the line on repatriating parts of the Common Fisheries Policy to Scottish control and both have championed the new industries in marine renewables which will come good for jobs in our area.

*

ALONG with my colleagues on the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee we have ploughed through hundreds of amendments at Stage Two on the historic progress of the Climate Change Bill. Over the past three weeks we have built on the Government's framework and strengthened the Bill.

*

HELP from the group Stop Climate Chaos Scotland has allowed me to put stricter scrutiny in the bill to monitor the effects on our unique wildlife and blanket peat bogs and native forests of the north. Also along with Scottish Renewables I have been seeking ways to achieve an ambitious renewable heat programme to take us from the present one per cent of demand to 11 per cent by 2020. That's a steep curve but it mirrors the opportunities presented to create new green jobs and to decarbonise home and commercial heating.

*

IN debating our Scottish waste strategy in Parliament this week we do not need to go down the road of incinerators in every area. Highland Council officers, please note.

rob.gibson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Clarity needed on Highland Council Waste Strategy

I want to home in on the issues surrounding how each local authority area reduces the amount that we put out as waste and how they deal with each part of that.

In the case of Highland Council, I have to question whether there is any kind of strategy in place for the council to do that job. It is of long-standing concern to me that officers in councils like to find big solutions to solve problems. One incinerator can deal with an awful lot of problems, but it creates large problems, too. Unfortunately, we are completely unclear what the strategy of the Liberal-led Highland Council is.

To illuminate that further, I will provide an example. Since 2000, the Golspie Recycling and Environmental Action Network has ensured that it has had the highest level of collection and recycling of waste from kerbsides of anywhere in Scotland. That has been supported by several tranches of the council. The network offers recycling to 75 per cent of east and central Sutherland residents and has achieved an 82 per cent participation rate. It provides 17 full-time jobs and two part-time jobs, some of which have gone to people who would find it hard to get employment otherwise. It brings in £400,000 to the local economy every year, which, for 2,500 people, is very important. It extends its work so that the range of items that it recycles is greater than the range of items that the council collects at present. It can offer a similar collection service for businesses.

We must ask whether, if the proposed incinerator at Invergordon, some 20 miles from Golspie, is built, Highland Council will immediately cancel its arrangement with GREAN, because a stream of waste will be needed to fill the incinerator. We must ensure that councils, including the one in whose area I live, do not replace best practice with a far worse option. Councils need to consider what voluntary bodies and social enterprises can do that councils have not been able to achieve. Such thinking is fundamental to our ability to take forward a low or zero waste strategy.
If 25 per cent of waste in Scotland is to be dealt with in modern incinerators—the idea has the support in principle of the Sustainable Development Commission Scotland—where should those incinerators be? There are proposals to build incinerators in Peterhead, Invergordon, Dunbar, Irvine, Glenfarg, Elgin and Dumfries. What is the strategy behind the proposals? Have those towns gone for the idea because it seems to be a commercial possibility?

As the consultation on the national waste management plan is developed during the summer, we must ask questions that enable us to ensure that recycling and reuse groups such as GREAN, and not incinerators, are the top priority.

Nationalisation the 'curse of Scotland'

Published: 05 June, 2009

John O'Groat Journal

ARGUMENTS for and against nationalisation and privatisation are ever present in economic policy.

President Obama has taken a majority share, ie nationalisation, in General Motors as did the UK Government in Lloyds TSB, RBS and Northern Rock. Meanwhile Lord Mandelson is intent in part privatisation of Royal Mail, in the teeth of backbench Labour unrest and the SNP. Nothing is new under the sun as far as governments being forced to act in a depression. Looking back to the 1920s when many Scottish engineering firms, shipping lines and railway companies were merged, the disaster for Scotland was their control moving to London.

This was underlined by the first president of the SNP, Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham, whose long political involvement led him to co-found with Keir Hardie the Scottish Labour Party in 1888 and 40 years later the National Party of Scotland that became the SNP in 1934, of which Cunninghame Graham was first president.

During the recession of 1930 he had warned that nationalisation from London would be the "curse of Scotland". Despite his socialist outlook he saw what lack of local control would do. This was proven by nationalisation 10 years after he died in 1936. Railways, road transport and air services along with coal and steel were taken over by the state. I have lodged a motion in parliament to seek parliamentary and government support to arrange celebrations of the 160th anniversary of his birth in 2012, on May 24. More of which anon. (see motion at end of this post)

*

ON May 29, 1934, Captain Ted Fresson flew the first regular airmail flight from Inverness to Kirkwall via Wick. Last Friday,

on the 75th anniversary and on a glorious summer morning, I witnessed a de Havilland Dragon take off at Dalcross with an anniversary bag of airmail to remember that pioneer.

Our inter-island lifeline flights were founded by this adventurer of the air. The mails and the newspapers arrived within 24 hours as never before and all the skills of these pilots who flew in all weathers achieved a 95 per cent success rate in their timetable.

Along came British European Airways with the Labour Government's nationalisation in 1947.

It took over Northern, Highland and Scottish Airways in which Capt Fresson had played a huge part. They dumped Fresson immediately and their record never equalled his own thereafter.

Local knowledge and friendly farmers and hoteliers had provided Fresson with weather data.

But it took decades to build a reliable service to our islands. Thanks to the Second World War airfields, many new services were consolidated. Islanders know how vital these air routes were and are today.

When I took a rare flight from Edinburgh to Wick last month I had a great view of the two huge offshore windmills beside the Beatrice Oil platforms. We take it as read that the experts and engineers of the companies set to develop the Pentland Firth tidal and wave power can access the area by air.

Photo: Viewing the de Havilland Dragon which flew from Inverness to Kirkwall last Friday to mark the 75th anniversary of the UK airmail service.

Yet Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd has yet to provide Wick with a modern landing system as good as that installed at Kirkwall.

I believe it is high time the authorities woke up to our transport needs. So I repeat my demand that modern, low-cost GPS landing systems, which are far cheaper than ILS, should be pioneered at Wick Airport.

Surely HIAL will catch up with the economic opportunities of Caithness and back the demand with the Civil Aviation Authority? Alas that's controlled in London, but who knows, we could demand such powers here in Scotland and reverse that nationalisation from London that continues to be a curse for Scotland.

*

A PRESSING example of proposed denationalisation is the plight of Royal Mail in New Labour hands. Salami cuts have whittled profitability, pension holidays have been allowed by both Tory and Labour Governments in the past.

But Labour plans by Lord Mandelson could spell the death throes of this national utility. Job losses, service cuts and deterioration in working conditions for postal workers would hit us badly.

People all over Scotland are facing redundancy and fearing for their jobs, the last thing the Royal Mail needs is a private partner concerned only for profits. Now this week lower-than-expected tenders have been lodged so New Labour must stop and agree a package to retain a publicly-owned Royal Mail.

*

A CONSISTENT theme this week is discernable. The needs of Scotland's far flung communities play no part in London decisions. They did not in 1947 over air services, nor did they in the merger of HBOS and Lloyds TSB shoehorned by Brown and Darling. Ludicrous as it seems, Lloyds are now talking of a sell-off of Bank of Scotland to balance their books.

The SNP in Holyrood is proud to take an all-Scottish approach, co-operating within these islands where appropriate and in the European Union to gain wider benefits for Scottish life. The European poll and the local elections down south will hasten big changes at Westminster but repatriation to Scotland of full powers would end for ever the privatisation and nationalisation scandals we suffer under Westminster rule.

S3M-04228 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): Remember Cunninghame Graham — That the Parliament recalls the birth of Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham on 24 May 1852; celebrates his adventurous life, which led him to champion the miners, the gauchos, the native Americans, the crofters and many others whom he considered were exploited by the wealthy and privileged; remembers that he took pivotal roles in founding the Scottish Labour Party, with Keir Hardie, in 1888 and the National Party of Scotland in 1928; considers that, after his tenure as an MP from 1886 to 1892, his trenchant and humane writings inspired many others and, in particular, inspired Joseph Conrad to write The Heart of Darkness and Nostromo; commends his writing to all those who value humanity and social justice today, and calls on the Parliament and Scottish Government to prepare appropriate celebrations in 2012 for the 160th anniversary of his birth.

Supported by: Christina McKelvie, Joe FitzPatrick, Stewart Maxwell, Dr Alasdair Allan, Aileen Campbell, Bill Kidd, Kenneth Gibson, John Wilson, Dr Bill Wilson, Jamie Hepburn, Christine Grahame, Brian Adam, Bob Doris, Sandra White, Maureen Watt, Robin Harper, Andrew Welsh, Gil Paterson, Dave Thompson, Rt Hon Jack McConnell, Stuart McMillan

Historic Re-Establishment of WILPF in Scotland

Please support the Women's International league for Peace and Freedom

Engender welcomes the re-establishment of the Scottish branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and urges all MSPs to support Rob Gibson MSPs motion of support.

S3M-04214 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): Historic Re-establishment of WILPF in Scotland— That the Parliament welcomes the historic re-establishment of the Scottish branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), which in 1916 had a branch in Edinburgh with 43 members; notes that WILPF is the oldest women’s peace organisation, founded in 1915 at the Hague, Netherlands, when 1,300 women met during a congress of women to protest against the war in Europe; further notes that WILPF has national sections in 37 countries, covering all continents, and has Economic and Social Council consultative status with the United Nations formally to lobby its agencies on issues related to WILPF’s work on peace, disarmament and economic justice; highlights the upcoming inaugural meeting of the Scottish WILPF branch at 7 pm on Tuesday 26 May 2009 at St John’s church hall in the west end of Edinburgh, and encourages all interested citizens to attend this historic first meeting and get involved with the admirable work that WILPF’s members are doing.

Supported by: Bob Doris, Robin Harper, Shirley-Anne Somerville, Michael Matheson, Dr Alasdair Allan, Jamie Hepburn, Sandra White, Brian Adam, John Wilson, Joe FitzPatrick, Gil Paterson, Bill Kidd, Dr Bill Wilson, Malcolm Chisholm, Dave Thompson, Stuart McMillan, Liam McArthur

Highland Revival

Published in Holyrood Magazine, 1 June 2009:


Dear Editor,

Highland revival out of luck - runs your headline in the Rural Economy supplement 18 May. William Peakin chose a jaundiced former UK Minister and former Chair of HIE for his informants. Why not discuss the views of politicians who serve the region today?

Too much of the HIE spin under Dr Hunter was pitched to keep Jack McConnell's administration interested as they had a very short attention span for other than good news. Today the thrust of SNP policy is focused on Highland strengths and helping the least favoured. Take renewables and the Pentland Firth in particular, the FM has repeated that it is the Saudi Arabia of tidal power and mobilised many means to support this. We all know that older industries are buying in as the engineering firms that serve Dounreay decommissioning are showing. The question is does HIE give it a high priority. Also why were they years behind the renewable development curve?

I have just lodged a parliamentary motion in favour of a Year of Islands culture for 2011 to follow Homecoming and linked this with the call to champion for a European Year of Islands through the European Parliament and European Small Islands Network. Had these been looked at, a new vibrant view of the Highlands and Islands would come into focus. Of course the SNP has set in place the Road Equivalent Tariff pilot for the Western Isles. Did the previous administrations care about the haemorrhage of people and skills from the islands?

The SNP All-Scotland policy has a clear intent, all areas of the country deserve equivalent service provision suitable to their needs. That after two years at the helm is taking effect.

Yours,
Rob Gibson SNP MSP Highlands and Islands



S3M-04209 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): Festival of Island Cultures — That the Parliament welcomes growing support for a festival of island cultures for 2011; notes that Argyll and Bute, Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, North Ayrshire and Highland councils in partnership are promoting the importance of their islands to the nation’s economy, sustainable growth, environment and cultural diversity; believes that such a festival is a natural development of Homecoming Scotland 2009 and will attract more visitors and investment and improve transport links; praises the work of the Scottish Islands Federation as a champion of our islands and commends the extension of its influence through the European Small Islands Network, and urges all elected representatives in the 27 EU member states to agree to inaugurate a European year of islands at the earliest opportunity.

Supported by: Bob Doris, Kenneth Gibson, Stuart McMillan, Bill Kidd, Aileen Campbell, Shirley-Anne Somerville, Michael Matheson, Robin Harper, Dr Alasdair Allan, Jamie Hepburn, Sandra White, Gil Paterson, Dave Thompson

75th Anniversary of the First Air Mail Service - Inverness to Orkney

At launch of 75th anniversary of the first air mail service from Inverness to Orkney. Captain Fresson flew a De Havilland Dragon like the vintage plane above.

London can learn from Scotland's open democracy

IT would be just grand to think that the current crisis engulfing Westminster would lead to real democratic change. That's not going to happen by holding a general election as the Tories say.

However, a huge SNP surge in such a vote could force a fair voting system on the Thames and boost the needs of Scotland's popular claim to achieve maximum powers for Holyrood.

This would go far beyond the expenses scandal to question how any incoming government in London could build rather than thwart democracy, which Westminster has studiously avoided for centuries. The resignation of the Speaker is no solution.

People I meet on my constituency duties have been disgusted with erring MPs and their lax expenses rules. Folk are incredulous at the slipshod administration of Westminster and want to believe in anything other than the incompetence of the Brown regime that caps it all. The emptiness of debate in that place is good reason enough for a speedy solution.

As an MSP representing the Highlands and Islands, I am incensed that the London scandal prompts open season on all politicians. Our Holyrood expenses system is receipt based, strictly policed and shows all the costs and details we are allowed online. Yet the mudslinging is indiscriminate. If ever London needed to learn from a modern, open democracy it is now that Scotland, once again, shows the way.

My friend Nina MacAulay, of Drumbeg, sums up the disgust of many folk. Returning her own and her late husband's war medals to highlight the depths to which Westminster's values have fallen in people's eyes.

Meanwhile, bills have to be paid and jobs are still jeopardised by the serial failure of successive governments in London to properly regulate the banks. Despite the deep recession, commentators and journalists who lazily accepted Gordon Brown's word that boom and bust were banished for ever now need scapegoats to hide their collusion in that fantasy.

While the planet heats alarmingly, Sri Lanka burns, soldiers still die in Afghanistan, more firms file for bankruptcy, and the papers still ignore the roots of these world problems yet they search for every last ounce of scandal from the "Palace of Varieties".

*

MEANWHILE, I've been working with health workers, hauliers, harbour boards, distillers, green energy developers, farmers and crofters, to name a few, with their issues, problems and opportunities.

They want the good name and the good services of the Scottish Parliament and Government to help them save their jobs, services and precious family homes. I believe that Westminster must fix its broken self in time for folks to see the European elections on June 4 as a chance to let Scotland prosper again in a European community that increasingly values our clean energy, wholesome food and democratic instincts. Otherwise, those who vote will punish parties responsible for the culture of secrecy and lax financial morality that sums up the UK. Instead of hope there may be spite, instead of future prospects for Scots it could be vengeful anger at all politics.

Photo: European Parliament candidate Dr Aileen McLeod with North MSP Rob Gibson. The pair found a domestic "tirlick", or propeller, common on Caithness farms 50 years ago, during a trip to Kirkwall.

*

WEDNESDAY was EU Maritime Day and fell the day after the only direct shipping route to the heart of Europe restarted. The Scottish Viking sailed into Rosyth from Zeebrugge to a big welcome and a reception in Edinburgh Castle for those responsible.

More locally, last weekend I was travelling between Scrabster and Stromness on the NorthLink ferry Hamnavoe. The weather was fair and the ship on its best behaviour.

My case work on the need for a CT scanner, fair fuel prices, hospital cleanliness and tourism promotion in the Homecoming year also led me to revisit EMEC to track the progress of marine renewables development.

After hours I campaigned with my colleague Dr Aileen McLeod, one of our European election candidates. She has gained much insight into Brussels thinking as policy head for Alyn Smith MEP.

Indeed, European policies have often helped life here. No, I don't mean the disastrous Common Fisheries Policy, but two examples are farmers and those seeking clean water who have much to thank the community for. Scots know that the SNP is the only party that represents Scottish interests alone. We have the allies in Europe that will help us to turn Scotland into a member state.

In Kirkwall, earlier this week, we visited the Alternative Energy Agency. We spied an old propeller on display which drove wee domestic windmills on farms and crofts from the 1930s to 1950s. In Orkney and Caithness they were called "tirlicks". The one on display had been used on a Caithness farm. It is a Lucas Freelight and delivered 12 volts – enough to light the kitchen and the byre.

Considering the technological leap to today, with the Whitelee wind farm on Eaglesham moor able to power all homes in Glasgow, we have seen a Scottish renewables revolution. And to think that the waves, tides and sun can do the same is magic. Except it is more than that. Future generations of Scots will thank us for being pioneers. Amazingly we can lead the world in marine power. Twelve volts in 1940has led us to 12 gigawatts in 2020.

Rob Gibson MSP

Window of Opportunity Closing - VOTE in Euro Elections

You can register for Postal Vote till 18 May.

Don't forget!

The SNP is the only party speaking for Scotland in Europe

Click on the title above or the link below to be taken to the European Parliament's Election web page:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2009/default.htm?language=en

Fight to Win Back Northern Landmark

Scotland on Sunday

-By Tom Peterkin, Scottish Political Editor

A LITTLE piece of England that stands on the very edge of Scotland's most famous promontory is to become the scene of an ownership battle that will see locals attempt to repatriate the dilapidated Victorian hotel which overlooks John O'Groats.

A campaign has begun to wrest the John O'Groats House Hotel from English hands after years of neglect have seen the once handsome Gothic building fall into disrepair.

Leading the charge is Rob Gibson, the SNP MSP for the Highlands and Islands, who claims the owners, Liverpool-based Heritage Great Britain Ltd, have allowed the landmark to deteriorate so severely.

Photo: Rob in front of the derelict building.

Gibson is now lobbying locals and councillors in an attempt to get Highlands and Islands Council to buy the building by means of a compulsory purchase order, the legal mechanism that allows bodies to purchase property without the consent of the owner.

"The idea would be to get it into local hands," said Gibson last night. "It has lain derelict for years and the people responsible for it are watching it go downhill.

"The council should compulsory purchase it. It is far more likely to succeed, if it is owned by locals."

The hotel has had a chequered history and was last owned by people from the area back in the 1980s. Towards the end of that decade, it was bought by the America's Cup entrepreneur Peter de Savary, who at that point also owned Britain's southernmost extremity Land's End in Cornwall.

In 1996, it was sold to a company which is now part of Liverpool-based Heritage Great Britain Ltd, whose portfolio includes Land's End, the Snowdon Mountain Railway and Needles Park on the Isle of Wight.

"The company owns a whole lot of other things," Gibson said. "But this doesn't seem to be a priority. Perhaps a compulsory purchase order would persuade them to do something about it. But eventually it would be far more likely to be sustainable if local people owned it."

Trudy Morris, the chief executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce, was sympathetic to the idea of a compulsory purchase order, which would cost between £500,000 and £1m.

"Obviously something needs to be done." she said.

"The John O'Groats name is iconic. Yet nothing has been done about it and the ownership has been an issue. We would be happy to get involved in that. However, we would need to make sure that people were not forced out and that there was going to be an overall benefit on all counts."

Ian Ross, the Lib Dem chairman of the Planning, Environment and Development committee, did not rule out Gibson's suggestion.

"If someone approaches us with proposals, I would be very happy to discuss them. We have done compulsory purchases before, but we would need to very carefully consider the full range of legal implications," he said.

John O'Groats is a Mecca for the 4,000 people who make the gruelling 874-mile traverse of mainland Britain each year and is visited by a further 170,000 tourists. Among its more unusual visitors have been Ian Botham on his charity walks and a rather chillier Naked Rambler.

But more often than not they are disappointed when they arrive. The Lonely Planet guide to Scotland describes the scattered village with the shabby hotel at its heart as the country's "worst and most embarrassing tourist attraction".

The hotel has not taken guests for around a decade and its bar closed last summer.

"The roof has gone and water is pouring through it," said David Body, the owner of the nearby John O'Groats Pottery.

"As far as the hotel is concerned, it is just dragging us all down. It is possible that a compulsory purchase order would force the owner's hands.

"It could be quite a prestigious hotel, but it is in such a poor state that it is basically unusable. It is an iconic building and other hotel groups would die for a brand and a location like this."

Heritage GB declined to respond after they were contacted by Scotland on Sunday.

But the company has given its backing to a recently launched plan by Highlands and Islands Enterprise that aims to regenerate the area and transform the economy by attracting new investment to the famous Scottish village overlooking the Pentland Firth.

The Way is Clear from a Small Island

STANDING on a small island you may be able to see the way more clearly for the whole country. Granted it could be as misty there as elsewhere in the North.

But last weekend I was privileged to take part in the Giant's Footsteps Family Festival on the Isle of Eigg.

Knowing how Stroma and Eilean nan Ron were depopulated and Handa on the west coast supports a huge bird population, it's a pity these islands proved unsustainable for human habitation. But Eigg is also a wee island, about six miles long. Eighty-five people live there and it has stunning geology, rich wildlife and a vibrant and sometimes violent history. It is populated by a dynamic community which made Eigg an even more special place when, with friends and supporters worldwide, they achieved the historic buyout of the island from its feudal laird in 1997.

It's an hour's sail to Eigg in the Sheerwater from Arisaig on a bumpy sea, only a little short of Orkney in distance. Over the weekend we had fog, bright sun and heavy rain, even hailstones – after all it is early May in the Highlands. Now the island has the chance to steer its own course for the future.

The point of the weekend was that while this community is surrounded by water, a village, a street, a block of flats or an office can call themselves an "island". With just five simple steps every community can become green, but it is easier to do so working with others.

One of the huge achievements of Eigg has been to install a renewable electricity scheme for all the homes on the island. It cost £1.7 million and relies on four windmills, a small hydro plant and photovoltaic cells to provide everyone with 5kw per household. That's far less than most homes on the mainland use each day, but compared to the previous use of diesel generators it is far cheaper and far more reliable.

By popular acclaim the highlight of the weekend was a children's play, The Isle of Egg, an ecological fable that had the kids in the audience shouting for more and the adults in gales of laughter. Produced by Eco Drama it should be taken on a national tour of every primary school because the youngsters who see it will urge adults to change their habits as no government leaflets will.

But here's the rub, TV star Martin Clunes has visited lots of islands to make films of their life, the first broadcast last Sunday. I've read trenchant criticisms of his programme from Shetland. I heard Eigg folk lambast the items he used from their isle, and as for his portrayal of Lewis, namely psalm-singing and shooting deer, what a travesty! It sums up the usual London ITV view of the quaint natives.

It is peddling an old myth that small islands are heavily subsidised. Clunes said it again. Value judgements were being made by such tosh without any facts to back them. I have complained to ITV and I hope others will too, for our islands and small rural communities are vital to the diversity of Scotland and a lifeline to the future.

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Rob Gibson beside the wind turbines at the Sgurr of Eigg last weekend. The development is part of the island's successful renewable electricity scheme.


FREEDOM of Information (FOI) is used increasingly to challenge governments. The crisis over the duty hike for whisky last year brought no action or intervention from Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, according to FOI requests to the Scotland Office in London. Mr Murphy's inaction at a time of crisis for a major Scottish industry destroyed the myth of him as a "hyper-energetic" Scottish secretary.

Last year saw two duty increases on whisky by the UK Government, meaning they planned a 17 per cent rise in a single year, one of the largest such hikes in history. The first nine per cent rise last March caused the Scottish Whisky Association (SWA) "extreme dismay" and they called it "punitive" and likely to set a damaging precedent for the export market. The second planned rise of eight per cent in the autumn was swiftly reduced to four per cent.

The SNP asked the Scotland Office for details of all meetings that took place in the run-up to that second hike with either the Treasury or the SWA, but the FOI request was rebuffed as being against the public interest. A follow-up request was made simply asking whether any such meetings had taken place. The reply stated that there was no record of any meeting with industry representatives.

So much for the role of the Scotland Office performing a vital function within Whitehall in standing up for Scottish interests; this is the first really concrete example of the gap between the rhetoric and the PR with the reality of what the Scotland Office and the Secretary of State actually do, especially with their burgeoning workforce and budget.

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THIS week saw the biggest debating time given in the Holyrood chamber this session for any one bill. It took place over two afternoons on Wednesday and Thursday on the Climate Change Bill stage one report made by the transport infrastructure and climate change committee, of which I am a member.

I had the privilege of speaking on issues directly related to the Far North. I dwelt on Scotland's prime good luck to be at the forefront of marine renewable energy. I spoke about changing lifestyles and the need for every section of the nation to make measurable moves to reduce significantly our greenhouse gas emissions. I gave some of the examples of the challenges faced on Eigg, and I welcomed the way the SNP Government, which has introduced such radical ideas, was pressing ahead to make it the best climate change bill in the world. Now we must make it work...

All Party Support for Principals of SNP Climate Change Bill

CLIMATE CHANGE (SCOTLAND) BILL - STAGE 1 DEBATE

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): The radical Scots academic Dr Malcolm Slesser died at the age of 80 only two months after the Scottish National Party Government was elected in 2007. He was twice an SNP candidate, a renowned mountaineer and a valued fellow of the Centre for Human Ecology. Before that, he lectured at the University of Strathclyde in the 1970s, where he wrote about his concerns for the planet.

In his groundbreaking book The Politics of Environment: Including a Guide to Scottish Thought and Action, which was published in 1972, he examined how modern technology was being exploited by an irrational economy of

"unlimited industrial expansion in limited space",

which, as the blurb in his book states,

"must inevitably destroy itself, the land, the community and very probably, hazard the future of mankind".

He was an inspiration to many of us in the SNP, an eco-hero who will not be forgotten. His message appeals across party lines, so it is most fitting that in addressing the challenges of climate change, the bill puts practical steps in place to reduce radically greenhouse gases, a science which was in its infancy and of which Malcolm Slesser was only beginning to be aware in the 1970s.

We need action plans to ensure that Scotland shows a lead to other nations by taking our full share of the fight against climate chaos in time for the Copenhagen conference in December. I want to focus on a couple of issues that can make a real difference via the bill. Scotland has many advantages in playing its carbon-busting part. We now know how blessed Scotland is with the largest proportion of high winds, big waves and strong tides in Europe. That gives us a huge economic opportunity to contribute to the UK contribution to the EU's 2020 targets. Tidal and wave power in the Pentland Firth will follow on from the huge arrays of offshore wind turbines to provide secure and safe green power to ourselves and our neighbours to the south and across the North Sea.

Heat represents more than 50 per cent of our energy needs in Scotland, yet heat generated from renewable sources represents less than 1 per cent of demand. A massive increase in the delivery of renewable heat will be required in the domestic and commercial sectors in the years ahead if overall targets for greenhouse gas emission reduction are to be met alongside the targets for renewable energy. The further behind we get on delivering renewable heat, the steeper the targets will need to be in the electricity and transport sectors to meet overall energy targets, and the steeper the targets will need to be across the whole of society in order to meet climate change targets.

I therefore welcome the response from the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change to the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee's report, in which he pledged that the renewable heat action plan will contain a target to supply 11 per cent of heat demand from renewable heat by 2020 as part of the overall EU targets.

With regard to job opportunities from climate change mitigation, the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee's conclusion on the financial memorandum in its stage 1 report discusses the Government's estimate that 16,000 jobs will be created in the field of renewable energy. Members were "extremely concerned" about the veracity of that estimate, but I am glad to say that at the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee yesterday we heard evidence that verifies that figure—indeed, we heard evidence from some who believe it to be a conservative estimate.

As a member who represents the Highlands and Islands and has a long-standing interest in land use and tenure, I agree with RSPB Scotland on the need for an holistic approach to rural land use. Scottish land plays a big part in our greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions are falling slightly, but they must fall faster. Scottish risk impacts reports must be prepared for our Government, to complement the advice from the UK Committee on Climate Change. Particular features, such as the huge blanket peat bogs in the flow country in my region and our precious native pine woods, would then be subject to technical scrutiny from dedicated Scotland-based scientists. Such reports would provide that scrutiny and an annual reporting mechanism. Annual reporting is already provided for in the UK Climate Change Act 2008, and it should appear in our bill. I hope to hear from the minister on that.

I was privileged to visit Eigg last weekend to see its self-sufficiency drive for renewable energy for all houses on the island. From four windmills, a solar voltaic array and a run-of-river hydro plant, each home gets 5kW of electricity. Few in the cities could cope with such low amounts of electricity, but Eigg folk are leading the fight in limiting demand and securing clean energy supplies.

Malcolm Slesser would be proud that we, as members of the Scottish Parliament, are finding our way to the best means to stop climate chaos. Some 37 years ago, in "The Politics of Environment", he wrote:

"Modern technology need no longer be the servant of economics. It is now able to halt expansion-for-expansion's sake without entailing unemployment and recession. There is now no excuse whatever for trying to impose this servant 'economics' willy-nilly over the more biological, nourishing, attributes of human communities".

The principles of the bill are world class, and the amendments at stage 2 must make it easier for Scots to adapt to climate change. I believe that members of the Parliament can empower the citizens by our scrutiny of the bill now and after it is passed, and I fully support it.

15:57

Budget Blow to the Highlands

THE Westminster Budget details have damaged the North of Scotland once again. Diesel fuel duty dealt an above inflation increase and whisky at 14p a bottle dearer. Each hits major economic activity in our area.

The First Minister Alex Salmond has just raised the international profile of whisky on a recent trip to China, then inexplicably the UK Government target the industry unfairly.

This point was rammed home by Gerry O'Donnell, director of The Famous Grouse, at a reception I hosted in Parliament last week. It was a collaboration with the RSPB to safeguard the Black Grouse that attracts 50p from every bottle of Black Grouse whisky. It does not deserve to fail.

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Alex Salmond as an MP has spoken in the House of Commons of the need to reflate the Scots economy. Bogus 'efficiency savings' could amount to £500 million each year jeopardising thousands of jobs. This may well contribute to Scottish opinion that sees the SNP Government as far more competent than the UK Labour regime.

Certainly with Mr Brown's moral compass in smithereens and dodgy forecasts of good economic news before this year's end from Chancellor Darling we surely need full powers in Scotland to tackle the problem.

Remember, the big banks based here collapsed due to poor regulation in London. Scotland, like our neighbours in Europe wants re-regulation as fast as possible.

This makes the views of the SNP all the more relevant in the European election in June as they coincide with those of most of our continental partners.

Along with my colleague Linda Fabiani we have asked both the conveners of the Holyrood Economy and Finance Committees to explore a plan for a joint enquiry into the banking crisis that has cost us so dear. We await any support from Labour and Tory members Earlier this week the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Richard Lochhead visited Alness to discuss with local people how their "drive, determination, talent and imagination have made a great difference in their areas". I quote from the opening to the Scottish Government, Rural Funding Opportunities Guide. When we sat round the table in the Board Room at Alness Heritage Centre last Monday morning the upbeat tale of the Easter Ross town's revival unfolded. We then visited the Alness allotments society at Milnafua.

If anything illustrates the current spirit of the town it is the huge demand for allotments. People want to grow fresh food and gain from cheaper produce during the recession. But the issue of growing more locally requires a Highland-wide policy. I'm delighted to see the Council will issue a consultation on allotments next month.

However the key issue is available land. As one of my SNP councillor friends put it, there is no shortage of land in the Highlands. Only the price demanded by housing developers has pushed this up. I was delighted to hear ideas for other areas of Alness. I most certainly believe that the Milnafua allotments set a new standard. Surely the old land settlement laws can be invoked to provide more sites?

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ON Tuesday I hosted a seminar entitled Voices of Congolese Women, in partnership with The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) on its 94th Anniversary. One of its founders was Chrystal Macmillan, a suffragette from Scotland.

The situation in the DRC has never been worse as we heard from several Congolese women themselves. In many African countries women represent the majority of the population and are responsible for the daily survival of their communities, yet are frequently abused, ignored or barred from the decision making process.

That must change if progress is to be made.

Photos: Top from left to right - Rob Gibson MSP, Anne McLaughlin MSP, Minister for External Affairs Michael Russell, a young student and interested member of the Congolese community living in Glasgow, Dr Aileen McLeod, another interested member of the Congolese community living in Glasgow, Maureen Watt MSP.

Bottom - The event's speakers, guests and MSPs coming together after the seminar.

Helping the Beating Heart of Economy is Key to Recovery

A WEEK of grim news in the UK budget reveals how little the Gordon Brown Government has left in our coffers. Also, its intellectual firepower to combat the deepest recession in 60 years seems spent.

In the Far North we need much more certainty. It's all very well adopting a green wash in Westminster. It's fine to encourage electric cars. What about the huge investment needed to develop clean sources of tidal and wave power to allow us to plug in? Westminster must not hold back the ambitions shared by the Caithness community, the Scottish people and the SNP Government?

Even before the downturn the Scottish Government had moved to help high streets up and down Scotland through the small business bonus scheme. In just its first year the scheme has helped the owners of more than 64,000 business properties with their business rates, meaning 80 per cent of eligible businesses received some form of rates relief. The Federation of Small Businesses has confirmed these positive trends.

Helping the beating heart of the economy is key to recovery. In the Highland Council area we have over 5600 small businesses which have benefited. They have business rates worth £15.65 million which are now scrapped. Since 93 per cent of them are under £8000 rateable value per annum, they pay no rates at all.

This was emphasised at the upbeat SNP Spring Conference held in Glasgow last weekend. Alex Salmond stressed ways to solve problems. The SNP is not the anti-Labour Party, we are the only pro-Scotland party and that is especially important to remember as the European elections approach.

The SNP seeks to build on our six-point economic recovery programme and support businesses through the downturn. The tough trading conditions businesses are facing make it even more important that we reach those not taking advantage of the small business bonus scheme. After all, they are the vast majority of employers in the North.

We also know that there is an issue with small businesses which have multiple properties. While of course it is right that large chains with many properties are ineligible, the cabinet secretary for finance and sustainable growth has pledged to look at what more can be done for smaller businesses who find themselves unable to access rates relief due to having more than one property. The Scottish Government intends to undertake a consultation on this issue in due course.

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BANKS that are now publicly owned invested in PFI/PPP projects. This should mean an opportunity to negotiate better repayment deals. The SNP conference gave its support to a resolution which urged UK Government-owned banks to provide better and fairer terms for the repayment of PFI/PPP debt.

In years to come, the Scottish Government will be making £1 billion of repayments to what are currently state-owned banks – for public sector buildings. PFI is officially dead. New rules mean this off-balance-sheet con is no more and the ridiculous situation of the UK Government bailing out PFI investors in England has exposed this scam for the mess that it is. In these extraordinary economic times, a bit of common sense should prevail and the Government should start negotiating better terms for the PFI debts held by banks in which it is now the major shareholder.

The Scottish Government is investing more government money than ever before in capital projects across Scotland, including through the Highland Council, to deliver jobs, investment and economic growth. The last thing we need is for funds that could be put into the front line of public services, or to increase that capital investment even further, going to prop up UK Government debts.

I welcome the new SNP campaign slogan, "We've got what it takes" – in this case to build infrastructure without saddling future generations of Scots with unnecessary debts.

It's time for the UK-owned banks to renegotiate the PPP debts Labour and the Lib Dems left us with. Again the SNP is proposing solutions, rather than trying to cover up issues like the state of Wick High School, which has deteriorated over decades of Tory and Labour/Lib Dem misrule.

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IN the recession, Scotland needs to seize opportunities as they emerge. This includes initiatives like Homecoming, which will this year bring thousands of extra visitors to our shores. As part of Homecoming, the Drive it Home golf campaign sold out within a week. This will ensure that more than 12,000 additional golfers from across the world will travel to the home of golf this year.

The sixth Caithness and Sutherland Walking Festival, taking place from May 2 to 9 as part of Homecoming 200 is another smaller event organised by the Dunnet Head Educational Trust. It is hoped that Caledonian Iberian ConeXions, as the commercial arm of the trust in known, can bring more visitors to Scotland in this Homecoming year and long after.

This July, the largest clan gathering in history will bring over 30,000 people to Holyrood Park and a further 40,000 race fans will make their way to Stirlingshire and Perthshire as Scotland hosts the inaugural Intercontinental Rally Challenge in November. Each can be a springboard to usher more visitors to the Far North.

These snapshots of the Homecoming campaign should help Scotland exceed the target of generating an extra £40m in Scottish tourism revenue and 100,000 additional visitors to our shores, turning around the threatened downturn and giving our tourism industry a huge boost in tough economic times.

Homecoming plays on the distinctive picture that others have of Scotland. We are a land of song, dance and music as well as castles, mists and vibrant cities.

But it was a bit of a shock to find Labour Party critics of the Scottish Government claim that the cost of producing the advert, featuring Dougie MacLean's anthem "Caledonia" sung by many kenspeckle Scots including Sean Connery and Lulu, was excessive. Let's not allow these killjoys to dent our Scottish welcome or national confidence.

Stop Climate Chaos rally

Here I am with Stuart Housden, Director for Scotland RSPB, and an endangered black grouse all rallying for tougher action against climate change. Below that is a photo with all the figures of the people who deserve smiles on their faces, which will only happen through passing a tough climate change bill. Then we can turn the economy to end poverty and build resilience in all local communities.

Credibility of nuclear deterent in 'tatters'

Published in the John O'Groat Journal, 10 April 2009

MARINE spatial planning is much in the news. Its importance to the diverse uses of the Pentland Firth cannot be overstated.

It will be supervised by the new marine management body Marine Scotland which has direct responsibility for marine science, planning, policy development, management and compliance monitoring measures. It is also clear that the gulf or divide between devolved and reserved powers of Holyrood and Westminster affect how this will develop.

When my colleagues from the energy committee were up here last month the various regulatory regimes came into focus. Scrabster harbour controls waters out to Dunnet Head, Orkney Islands Council controls Scapa Flow. Meanwhile, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has responsibility for shipping and the Crown Estate rubs its hands with glee at the thought of enhanced rents from harbours and marine renewable sites when they develop wave and tidal power capacity.

I am glad Scottish ministers will publish a renewables action plan later this year and that they recognise our ports sector in Scotland is diverse and adaptable. Also, I am glad to see recognition that our Caithness ports are well placed to pursue commercial opportunities in partnership with the expanding marine renewables sector, as Stewart Stevenson told me last week at finance and sustainable growth question time.

He confirmed that the recently-reconvened forum for renewable energy development in Scotland's marine energy group is considering the marine renewable industry's port and transport needs. The identified needs will be set out in the Scottish Government's renewables' action plan.

I went on to ask him to identify the Scottish, UK and European Union funding streams which ports such as Scrabster, Scapa Flow and those in the Cromarty Firth can access to speed up the development of tidal and wave devices in the Pentland Firth.

He replied that it is indeed important that we maximise access to all sorts of funding sources for our harbours, and that funds are available from all. That is particularly the case in light of the substantially higher than expected interest from developers, as a result of the Crown Estate's recent round one leasing programme for the area. The Scottish Government is keeping a very close eye on funding from all possible sources.

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I HAVE always been concerned that one of the hidden snags to using the huge power of the Pentland Firth would be that other reserved power outwith the civil law, the Ministry of Defence. Just what its approach is to new equipment in the seas used by their ships and submarines has yet to be fathomed.

On a wider level of UK defence policy, it was shocking to learn last week, through an admission by the MoD, that UK nuclear submarines had been involved in 14 collisions since 1979. Parliamentary questions also revealed that there had been 213 fires on board nuclear submarines.

Last month's mid-Atlantic collision between HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant was serious enough, but the catalogue of near disasters is extremely disturbing. One collision is one too many – especially when it involves a submarine carrying weapons of mass destruction. The possible consequences are unthinkable and, additionally, more than 200 fires aboard nuclear submarines over the past 20 years is equally grave. We do not know what use subs make of the seas around Caithness and Orkney but it is a factor to be openly explored.

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THE overture by President Obama to Russian President Medvedev at the recent G20 meeting in London was a breath of fresh air as he sought the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons. However, Prime Minister Brown is still seeking to upgrade Trident.

This follows a procurement debacle which has seen the MoD unable to answer basic questions as to whether new missiles will fit in the replacement Trident submarines. The credibility of the nuclear deterrent is in tatters and it should be scrapped.

Most Scots oppose the Trident weapons system, based on the Clyde, and the worrying catalogue of incidents raises serious safety concerns. As my Westminster colleague Angus Robertson MP, the SNP defence spokesperson, said: "Now, more than ever, the time is right to remove nuclear weapons from our waters". We could recycle the taxes into peaceful marine uses.

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A NEW business development programme, designed to help food and drink producers secure lucrative supermarket listings, has been launched by Scotland Food and Drink, Sainsbury's and the Scottish Government.

Eleven food and drink companies from all over Scotland will soon start the six-month programme. A similar course, operated by Scottish Enterprise in 2001, resulted in sales boosts in excess of £10 million – an increase of 85 per cent.

The programme will consist of hands-on workshops to introduce companies to buyers and success stories. Mey Selections, our local brand of iconic Scottish meat, biscuits, cakes and cheese – all of which originate from within a 100-mile radius of the Castle of Mey – has been chosen. This is one of many imaginative moves by the Scottish Government food policy.
Published in the John O'Groat Journal, 10 April 2009

Richard Lochhead, cabinet secretary for rural affairs and the environment explained: "In the current economic climate we are determined to do everything we can to help deliver a sustainable and profitable future for our retailers, farmers, producers and suppliers. Later this year we will unveil the next steps in Scotland's first-ever national food and drink policy, which is aiming to boost business and put more Scottish food on consumers' plates, while at the same time delivering major health and environmental benefits."

The Highlands and Islands needs a fully functioning food network. Unlike Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Lib Dem MSP) and other opposition members, I know that a sustainable model is not dependent on HIE funding changes. Budget cuts are not the issue as he and Labour colleagues allege. The SNP is seeking to ensure a sound future for food producers here and across Scotland.

www.robgibsonmsp.blogspot.com

Andrew de Moray Project NEWS

Notice to members - keep your eye on our website: www.andrewdemoray.com

The AGM of the Andrew de Moray Project will take place in the Station Hotel, Avoch at 6.30pm on the 16th May 2009 after the march and flagraising ceremony. watch site for details.

An approach was made to Neil Oliver to speak at Avoch this year . His agent replied that he was too engaged in work to take part. We hoped he might expand on his views in Scotland’s History that merely touched on Moray’s name as he explained the Stirling Bridge Battle. Surely it would do the story much good if a wider audience saw Ormond Hill and the related sites...

Plans for this year’s commemoration will be published soon, both in print and on our web site. Thanks for assistance to Haley St Dennis in getting us back on track after a duff unworkable site was started and closed. So now we are back to andrewdemoray.com and hope this works for you all…

Interest in the local history group at Tarland near Culblean will see my new pamphlet The Battle of Culblean—St Andrews Day 1335 incorporated in their own local magazine to coincide with this year’s event at the cairn. The pamphlet is now available from my address. Price £2.00 plus post…

In May we hope to maintain the formula of mid afternoon march and ceremony meeting at 2.45pm at Avoch football pitch. Please put in you diaries. The evening kicks off with the AGM at 6.30pm and ceilidh to follow. Details soon to remind you…

I was glad to address the Nairn branch of the University of the Third Age U3A on 8th April. Some members from there hope to attend the Ormond Hill event this year...

Andrew de Moray Project - News

This winter Charlie Beattie has been taking care of the plaque from our cairn on Ormond Hill. It needed some tlc and will be replaced in due course.

I was glad to address the Nairn branch of the University of the Third Age U3A on 8th April. Some members from there hope to attend the Ormond Hill event this year…

The Project needs some more active hands to help develop our ideas. E..G Cllr Craig Fraser suggested we should plan to have a statue on the hill...

Housing bubble

Letter published in the Sunday Herald, 12 April 2009

Sir,

Isn't it odd that your astute commentator Iain MacWhirter and savvy LibDem front bencher Vince Cable both spot the problem but offer no answer when the housing bubble burst? [review SH 12.4.09] Especially in this centenary year of the Lloyd George People's Budget there might just be some clues.

First in 1909 the land owning Tory dominated House of Lords lopped off the land tax planned by the Liberal Government to raise revenue towards Lloyd George's sickness benefits and pensions plan.

Second, this led the Liberals and Labour to support site value rating, a form of land value tax for several decades. This tax aims to take the sting out of land prices driven high by house building in prime locations. Every 18 years they crash and end the trade cycle.

Third, in the 1990s I have heard Charles Kennedy recognise site value rating as an option. When did the Clegg/Cable LibDems drop that option that prevents land holders making windfall profits in the housing market from the demand for scarce site in desirable locations, locations that are formed by the fixed asset - land, the very one they can't remove?

Iain and Vince both recognise the current housing bubble is the root cause of the global trade cycle and accompanying bank crash. How about revisiting Land Value Tax LVT, not to replace the local Income Tax LIT which both SNP and LibDems want to introduce, but as a new source of revenue that can steady housing markets in future?

Sparing families the grief of negative equity and its sad retinue could be replicated in each country. And finally the Scottish Parliament did not rule out any such option in its recent debate on financing local government.

Yours

Rob Gibson SNP MSP Highlands and Islands,
4 Grant St., Wick, Caithness KW1 5 AY

Highlands & Islands Local Food Network

Sir,

I'm sure that Ruaridh Ferguson is not suggesting that I or the SNP Government disagree that 'Fragile areas need support' [letter Gazette 9.4.9]. He goes on to obscure the issues surrounding the need to review the structure of the Highlands and Islands Food Network which has now been acknowledged by all concerned as overdue. I'm sure we will hear soon of ways to build on the good work of the HILFN in recent years. It does need to be able to support every area of the Highlands and Islands and perhaps a more federal structure will emerge.

Mr Ferguson implies that I have no knowledge of local food production issues because he hasn't seen me at HILFN conferences and training events. I am a co-convener of the Parliament's cross party group on food. I am a member of the SCF and Soil Association and other food related organisations mentioned in my register of interests. I recently proposed my motion in support of conventional plant breeding in a Member's Debate on 1st April. In short I have long supported sustainable local food production in the North and believe a strong sustainable HILFN will remerge.

Finally, Mr Ferguson signs himself as LHHP Co-ordinator but his arguments about the refocusing the HIE strategy by the SNP Government look very party political. Coincidentally his LibDem colleagues have focused on alleged cuts in HIE funding. He ignores the opening of the new Gateway through local government, in case CnES which began this month. So small producers need not fear lack of support for their emerging local food businesses.

I hope this matter can be resolved to co-ordinate the marketing and skills involved in local food production. Political or personal point scoring by the likes of Mr Ferguson do not help.

Yours

Rob Gibson SNP MSP Highlands and Islands,
4 Grant St., Wick, Caithness KW1 5AY

HILFN Sustainable Future

Letter published in the Ross-shire Journal, West Highland FreePress, Stornoway Gazette and Inverness Courier

Sir,

I welcome calls by members of the board of Highlands and Islands Local Food Network HILFN for a period of reflection and review of the best structure to promote local food in future.

A letter from HILFN board chair Drew Ratter has pinpointed the real causes of the news that the current operation is suspended on 1st April.

I was deeply disappointed that LibDem and Labour MPs, MSPs and councillors have failed to investigate the underlying causes of the HILFN announcement before making comments about HIE funding. I understand that many local food groups in the Highlands and Islands of long standing wish to see a thorough review of the HILFN structure.

The issue is not fundamentally about available public money from HIE which offers seed money to developing businesses. But it is based on evidence about doubts about the organisation's ability to offer core services on a sustainable basis.

The claims about lack of HIE funding made by certain agricultural journalists and spokespeople from SRPBA and NUFS along with several concerned individuals have been made without a full understanding of the months of scrutiny into HILFN last year that ended with the dramatic announcement by Jo Hunt, its director, on March 17th.

I am glad that calmer heads in government and local food networks have been joined by some of the HILFN board who know that a review of the structure can secure effective Highlands and Islands wide support for local producers and long standing food groups.

Yours,

Rob Gibson SNP MSP Highlands and Islands,
4 Grant St., Wick KW1 5AY

Enquiring minds focus on far north renewables

I WAS delighted to encourage a cross-party group from the Scottish Parliament to visit Orkney and Caithness earlier this week.

As vice-convener of the economy, energy and tourism committee I was able to introduce MSPs from further south to the huge opportunities and challenges of the marine renewable sector in the Far North as part of the wide-ranging energy enquiry that our committee is drawing up for debate in Parliament this June.

The challenges of the Pentland Firth were underlined by the raging weather we experienced.

Some weaker tummies were severely challenged on the Stromness to Scrabster ferry on Monday afternoon.

This only underlines the conditions that will have to be catered for by wave and tidal machines and the infrastructure to support them in such stormy seas.

As ever, the various strengths on each side of the firth need to be harnessed to achieve the marine renewables revolution.

At EMEC in Stromness the can-do attitudes for building and testing the machines that are tethered to the seabed was evident.

Equally, Scrabster harbour, the Environmental Research Institute in Thurso and NES Engineering in Bower all show what eager industry leaders want to achieve.

They all want us to develop and build this new technology in Caithness, based on our huge engineering heritage from Dounreay.

They also see the ground-breaking work in tidal and wave research off Orkney as a complimentary component of the drive for success.

However, MSPs were given pause for thought when issues about regulation of the firth were touched on.

Between Scrabster trust port and Scapa Flow port, controlled by Orkney Islands Council, there is a huge sea area managed for navigation purposes by the Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

The last of these is a reserved body responsible to Westminster.

That means London rules the waves. They were not in evidence to give a view to our European-level development potential.

The Scottish Parliament's enquiry will have to highlight these split responsibilities.

Also the self-interested role of the Crown Estate Commission, which rents the seabed to ports, offshore equipment, and which reports to the Treasury in London.

With devolution we have a halfway house.

We need to have more certainty over governance issues to create a single marine agency to oversee the Pentland Firth and Scapa Flow potential as a high priority.

The MSPs' visit to the Far North will feed genuine opinions and opportunities that affect the whole of Scotland and our clean, secure energy future.

*

LAST week BT announced that it was to implement super-fast broadband to areas including Edinburgh and Glasgow.

However, it seems that remote and rural areas will have to wait.

The news came on the day that the European Council of Ministers, as part of their economic recovery plan, agreed to make money available to programmes which will focus on promoting broadband and energy projects.

A roll-out of 40 megabyte broadband in Glasgow is all very well and good, but what about people in the Wick or north-west Sutherland postcode area who are still reliant on dial-up and reduced to speeds of half a megabyte. This hardly seems fair.

BT needs to commit itself to parity of service across the country for internet provision as opposed to the system which it currently adopts which severely hampers those in remote and rural areas.

I understand that high-speed broadband will be charged at a higher rate if you receive that rate.

Conversely those receiving woeful speeds should be charged for the actual speed they receive.

It is clear that the EU Council of Ministers highly values improved internet links as a way to get out of recession.

Subject to agreement of the European Parliament, it is making millions of euros available to help broadband projects across the member states.

These recovery packages will need to be underpinned by the cash-strapped Scottish Government.

BT also needs to help or else Scotland will lose out on a chance to narrow the wide gulf between broadband provision in remote areas and urban ones.

In my recent consultation on broadband in the Highlands and Orkney, it became clear that broadband provision is patchy and fairly unreliable, even in the outskirts of Wick.

As it is stands it is a real disincentive to people with businesses to stay in the area.

There are many strands which make up a desirable community to live in but broadband provision is fast becoming a dominant strand.

It is now time to make absolutely sure that parity is achieved throughout Scotland.

*

MY constituency assistant in the Wick office has begun work on a very important campaign on my behalf.

It will find out what we can do to cut down on the number of young people who are killed or injured on our roads every year in the Highland region.

Although work is in the early stages at the moment, we are starting to gather evidence and are building up a picture of what to do.

By involving the Institute of Advanced Motorists, the police, insurance companies and young people, we hope to have a meeting in the near future to discuss how we can proceed.

Some insurance companies already give young people the incentive of reduced premiums if they have taken the Pass Plus or their advanced driving test, but more sustained work over a longer period of time needs to be done.

It will fit in well with the road safety strategy being worked up by the transport minister Stewart Stevenson who I questioned on March 12 on this subject.

Also, I know it will be warmly welcomed by all my constituents, several of whom have come to surgeries in despair after a fatality has robbed us of another young life.

Eventually we would like to run a pilot scheme with some young people in the area to actually see the benefits and prove to young people that it's cool to be safe.

Earth Hour 2009

Motion debated:

That the Parliament supports WWF's Earth Hour 2009, which aims to encourage millions of people worldwide and across Scotland to switch off their lights for an hour at 8.30 pm on Saturday 28 March 2009, to send a powerful global message that we care enough about climate change to take action and demonstrate widespread public support for an equitable, binding and scientifically credible global deal on climate change and, in Scotland, strong Scottish climate change legislation; considers that 2009 is a critical year for action on climate change with a new global deal to be agreed in Copenhagen in December; acknowledges the opportunity for Scotland to take a global lead with the most progressive legislation in the world through a strong Climate Change (Scotland) Bill; recognises that the global deal must address the historical responsibility of the United Kingdom and other developed countries as major contributors to climate change; commends local government in Edinburgh alongside the many individuals who are early signatories to support WWF's Earth Hour in Scotland, and further considers that the Scottish and UK governments are in an ideal position to take a proactive, progressive and leading role throughout the 2009 negotiations.

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): I congratulate Shirley-Anne Somerville on bringing the debate to the chamber. I fully support the protest of switching off the lights for earth hour in 2009, and for every year until we make it happen for real by turning the economy round to become a carbon-saving economy…...

Earth hour will be difficult to illustrate—we will really only be able to tell that there is a shroud of darkness by looking at the earth from outer space. The famous photographs that show where the earth is lit up at night ought to show far less of that if earth hour succeeds. I hope that we can get some images to show how successful it is as we go along.

Earth hour, on Saturday night at 8.30 pm, will bring other opportunities. Some people will not necessarily be watching the football—indeed, there might be some surprise candlelit dinners for two, or for many more. That would be a good thing to do—and I did not mention the idea of candlelight for nothing. In the past, candles were made from beeswax, and part of the biodiversity of the planet involves ensuring that there are bees left to make that wax in the future.

In celebrating our earth hour, it might be a good idea for us to ensure that we remember how those things are all connected—perhaps a candlelit dinner would be a good celebration for earth hour this year.

The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (Stewart Stevenson): I, too, thank Shirley-Anne Somerville for bringing the matter to the Parliament for debate.

On behalf of the Government, I am pleased to support WWF's earth hour 2009, as countries throughout the world will do. On 28 March, we will turn off non-essential lights in all 44 of our core buildings, as indeed will the Parliament. Earth hour raises awareness of sustainability and climate change globally and throughout Scotland…..

I am delighted that Rob Gibson's partner Eleanor is in for a surprise dinner on Saturday night. I, too, think that protecting bees is important if only because I have a rather sticky complaint in the back of my throat. Some royal jelly—which was, of course, the Queen mum's favourite remedy for many problems—is probably called for.

No folly over firefighters

ROSS-shire's retained firefighters don't need scaremongering about the invaluable service they provide, particularly those in remote and rural areas.

Setting a 48-hour maximum to the working week as currently proposed in relation to retained firefighters could greatly reduce the hours for which they would be available for duty, to the detriment of fire services. LibDem disarray and hype won't do.

SNP MEPs voted against the move in the recent European Parliament vote as we recognise the concerns raised by the Retained Firefighters Union in relation to the ending of the UK opt-out to the EU working time directive. We agree with the STUC and Fire Brigades Union that, as the issue is now subject to negotiations at European level, there is no immediate threat to fire provision, and hopes that the mature and responsible joint efforts by the Scottish and UK governments will ensure that any future changes to the EU working time directive ensure the flexibility required to allow the continuation of retained firefighters and the protection of workers' rights.

*

EVERY effort must be made to resist the threat to close Hugh Miller's cottage in Cromarty by a cash-strapped National Trust for Scotland.

I fully back my Black Isle councillor colleague Craig Fraser with his campaign and on-line petition.

Additionally, questions at the national level need to be raised. When the NTS was founded in 1931 the Trust began to act as guardian of the nation's magnificent heritage of architectural, scenic and historic treasures.

At that time the bequest of wild land such as Glencoe by Percy Unna was a key driver to protect an iconic area of Scotland's scenery. This was long before National Parks were established. Soon historic properties were added especially in lieu of death duties which brought castles, gardens and more mountain areas such as the Arran Hills.

A disproportionately large part of our heritage held by NTS is in the form of country mansions and castles with their gardens and policies. This inevitably leads to huge upkeep costs. Also at a time of falling entry charges the whole basis of the NTS is far from sustainable. I believe that the time is ripe for the Parliament to investigate how to fund and prioritise the uses to which NTS properties and those in the guardianship of Historic Scotland.

*

THE bureaucratic crawl towards freeing up the Nigg yard must speed up if it is to play its part in the national fight against climate change. The need to secure land bases to build the structures to capture offshore windpower is urgent. I am delighted that the SNP members of Highland Council started the ball rolling in mid-2007. Yet in March 2009 the much-needed Compulsory Purchase powers are still to be agreed.

I take part in the Parliament's Energy Enquiry. Its remit is to determine what type of future we want in Scotland in terms of the production, distribution and more efficient use of energy, and how and when it can be delivered to meet the Scottish Government's objectives of increasing renewable energy generation and reducing emissions. Also we are considering how energy supplies can be secured at an affordable price and how economic benefits from the energy industries can be maximised.

This week we are promised action by May by the planning chiefs in Highland Council. Meanwhile I read of the opposition to CPO procedures by major companies involved with Nigg.

I believe that the local and national interest must override any further delays.

Waste Warrior

I attended the RoWAN Ross-shire Waste Action Network meeting, introducing a new generation to how to reduce, reuse and recycle in Dingwall last Saturday. Appropriately the Waste Warrior attracted lots of kids to get their photo, including the big kid in me. Its message is clear and I know that progress with other MSPs on the Climate Change Bill and Energy Enquiry will only happen when all our people support the message.

Truly on the verge of a renewables takeoff

On Thursday 5th March we debated National Planning Framework 2 that identifies national planning priorities for the next ten to fifteen years. I majored on the potential of the Pentland Firth marine power, of the container hub at Scapa Flow, but particularly welcomed the commitment to upgrade electricity lines south from Dounreay.

I can’t underline enough the sequence of development needed to harness our wave, wind and tidal electricity resources. We need power lines upgraded on land and later undersea cables. This is because it will take far longer to get the undersea cables laid and relies on big developments offshore which will take between three and fifteen years.

This was confirmed by a cross party meeting also held that day in the Parliament. I was able to discuss the developments planned by SeaEnergy and their Portuguese partners EDP renewables, the fourth largest wind farm developer in the world. They have submitted bids to the Crown Estate for UK Round 3, and hope to hear of a successful outcome by the end of 2009.

Photo: Rob with SeaEnergy Renewables group in the Parliament

Scotland is truly on the verge of a huge renewables take off.

***

I attended a crisis meeting of the Scottish Building Federation in Inverness last Friday. The firms present from Highland and Moray employers were hoping against hope that the public sector can kick start their businesses. Agreed spending targets at Scottish Government level have to be turned into new projects to stop inevitable redundancies of apprentices and tradespeople who work for house builders and general contractors.

We all agreed that the banking crisis had stopped building in its tracks in the Highlands as elsewhere. The Downing Street downturn is well understood. What firms want is agreement to start projects earlier than planned. But we hear that Highland Council feels it does not have matching cash to start council house building. New build by Housing Associations will be key. How we facilitate this will be a high priority for me in quizzing Ministers.

We know that the SNP Government has made sure Scotland is ahead of the rest of the UK in tackling the economic downturn by acting quickly to bring forward measures to give businesses and households a helping hand. Some key points are as follows:-

1. The Scottish Government’s spending of £120 million on the Affordable Housing Investment Programme is roughly twice, on a pro-rata basis, as the £550m English package dedicated to new supply.

2. The Scottish Government is making £25 million available to support the building of new council houses. The provisional figure for the number of new council houses started in England in 2007-8 was 250 compared to 432 in Scotland.

3. The Scottish Government launched its new energy assistance package and spends more pro rata. For 2009-10 the £55.8m budget in Scotland, is almost 15% of English Warm Deal Budget (£374m) while for 2010-11 Scotland’s £55.8m is almost 28% of Westminster’s £200m.
This is swift, decisive action by the Scottish Government in responding to the challenges thrown up by the current economic climate. The SNP’s six-point economic recovery plan announced by Scottish Ministers last October – more than a month ahead of the UK Government’s plans – forms the basis of the Government’s strategy for making sure Scotland is well-placed to weather the downturn and emerge stronger, and in a position to take advantage of new opportunities.
I will be seeking opinions around the North to gain our share on top of the NDA work and tidal powers development. Please feel free to contact me.

***

The SNP’s positive approach is in sharp contrast to Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy’s speech at Labour’s Spring Conference last weekend in Dundee. He should have said three things in his speech.

First, he should have apologised for the UK Government’s role in causing the recession. For 12 years, they have presided over the ‘age of irresponsibility’, resulting in the Downing Street downturn.

Second, he should have announced the scrapping of Labour’s disastrous plans to impose £500 million of cuts each year in Scotland’s budget.

And third, he should have said that Labour’s part-privatisation of the Post Office will be scrapped.

Since Jim Murphy did none of these things this confirms that he is indeed the UK Cabinet’s man in Scotland. It was an unremittingly negative conference – almost entirely focussed on criticising the SNP. This was a reminder of exactly why Labour lost the last election.

The SNP are entirely confident about taking our positive case for Scotland to be an equal and independent nation – with full economic and financial powers so that we can overcome the downturn – to the people in a referendum. It is Labour and the other London parties who are running away from the people’s verdict.

Two years into government and the SNP Government are ahead in the polls on the basis of our excellent record of policy delivery.

www.robgibsonmsp.blogspot.com

The North's contribution to the national picture

At long last, we are seeing measures that will support the clean energy developments in the far north. The development of the Pentland Firth as an area for co-ordinated action on clean energy can go ahead. The National Planning Framework points to the importance of that development in relation to our efforts to reduce emissions and tackle climate change. If we do not go ahead with that development, in the medium to longer term, we will have bigger problems than we think.

Photo: Rob with SeaEnergy Renewables group in the Parliament - A group whose vision statement is to be the world’s pre-eminent marine renewable energy company, developing, owning and operating large-scale offshore power generation assets globally.

The Scapa Flow transhipment development in Orkney puts the north of Scotland—which was ignored by many transport projects of the past—into the planning framework for Scotland for the first time. That kind of thinking might allow us to be a Parliament for the whole of Scotland, now that we have a Government for the whole of Scotland.

We can see from the approaches that have been taken to upgrading the railways towards Inverness that it has been ignored until now. To suggest that the Halbeath exercise, which is important if we are to link up parts of the central belt with points further north, should be added should not take away from the fact that we need to deliver quickly the time savings that can be made on journeys between, for example, Aberdeen and Inverness and Perth and Inverness.

On the development of the high-speed rail network, the Scottish National Party's manifesto mentioned that positively. Across the debating chamber, we have people who believe that the high-speed rail network should be a priority. However, that is one very good example of the fact that projects come along out of phase with the creation of the national planning framework, as is the rebuild of the Beauly to Denny power line.

On that issue, I point out to people who lobby us from organisations such as Highlands before Pylons that the transmission of electricity from the north of Scotland to the centre and the south relies on land transmission and, eventually, on undersea transmission. We cannot have one without the other, because the process of expanding our clean power development relies on those upgrades. I am delighted that the east-coast upgrades and the one from Dounreay to Beauly are included in the NPF.

We are beginning to get a rational view of what the parts of Scotland that have often been ignored can contribute to the national picture.

A truly global affair

I met the penguins who visited the Parliament to promote The Big Ask Scotland campaign that seeks to comabt dangerous climate change. It was organised by Freinds of the Earth Scotland [FoES] to coincide with the final evidence from Climate change Minister Stewart Stevenson MSP given to the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change committee. The penguins danced a strip the willow to the sound of John Lewis pipes and drums.

I took along my WWF polar bear 'Rolly polar' to make it a truly global affair. As the Big Ask leaflet says, "It's not just penguins and polar bears that will be affected..." It is the poorest communities in the poorest countries who face the worst consequences of extreme weather events - flooding, drought, food and water shortages and the spread of disease.

Hopefully the Scottish Climate Change Bill will deliver a morally sound and properly deliverable emission cut of 80% by 2050. The SNP is trying to take this nation on a journey to a cleaner, greener future in which we have set an example to others. It will be tough but acheivable to be on the right road before the Copenhagen climate conference later this year. The real penguins, the real polar bears and all the world's inhabitants rely on our actions.

SNP MEP Candidate Dr Aileen McLeod

MEP candidate Dr Aileen McLeod spoke at the Highland Euro Hustings in Eden Court on Saturday 21st February and since then at various Hustings across the country. Ballot papers have been circulated to all SNP members and the last day to vote is TOMORROW!


To read her candidate statement or find out more about EuroThinking, visit her blog at:

http://www.aileen-mcleod.eu/

On course to be the clean energy capital of Europe

Published in the John O'Groat Journal, 27 February 2009

IT makes your eyes water thinking about the demands of the Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling.

He wants us to find "efficiency savings" of £1 billion on the Scottish budget from 2010 to 2012. Right now, as agreed with local councils, actual savings of two per cent from the services and costs of all public bodies are being returned for frontline use. Mr Darling's ideas are very different. They amount to a £1bn raid on the Scottish budget.

The Downing Street downturn is going to hit every family and community. That's why the Scottish Government's First Minister, Alex Salmond, told the British-Irish Council last week that Scotland and Wales need borrowing powers just like Westminster. This week he has met with Messrs Brown and Darling to press the point.

Some of you may know of the Calman Commission, a damp squib lit by the Labour, Tory and Lib Dem parties in the Scottish Parliament to review devolution. You will be keen to know how such issues like borrowing powers for Scotland were received by Calman to dig Scotland out of depression. It seems that a veto has been placed on anything radical like tax powers, but Andy Kerr, speaking for Labour, agreed to the need for borrowing powers. After 10 years of devolution when Scotland's Parliament takes on more and more responsibilities, the Labour Government in London is hanging on grimly to every lever of control that it can.

The polls in England suggest the Tories are set to trounce Labour whenever a UK election is called. My hunch is that we will have to wait until spring 2010 for that.

This year, meanwhile, on June 4, the European Parliament elections are held.

Most electoral tests are a referendum on the popularity and effectiveness of the current UK Government. So it is obvious to me that Labour will get a shock.

*

A YEAR ago I was on committee business in Brussels exploring the development of climate change laws. Earlier this month, as part of a delegation from the energy committee, I joined colleagues in Brussels to take the temperature on the EU Commission's plans for clean energy, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) plans which hugely affect Scotland.

The message is that Scotland has 40 per cent of the EU's renewable capacity. So why does London's man in Scotland, Jim Murphy, keep pestering us with demands to build nuclear power stations? The fact is that we have a growing UK distribution grid. Ofgem, the electricity and gas regulator, forces our producers to pay more to access the grid if the source of the power is north of Derby.

So I very much welcomed comments by Scotland's chief scientific adviser Anne Glover about the enormous clean, green-energy potential that exists in Scotland.

Speaking on BBC Scotland's Politics Show last Sunday, Professor Glover confirmed that Scotland has the scientific and engineering skills to develop 40 per cent of Europe's renewable potential. Her intervention confirms that Scotland's ambition to develop our renewables potential is matched by our capability.

Scotland can and will be a world leader in clean, green energy. Our wealth of natural resources, combined with our scientific and engineering leadership, means that the country can develop 40 per cent of Europe's renewable potential.

I hope Jim Murphy and Labour leaders were listening to the chief scientific adviser's remarks. Every penny wasted on new nuclear technology in Scotland would be a penny less for the development of clean, green energy. Scotland is well on course to be the clean, green energy capital of Europe – we already have a greater installed capacity of renewable energy than nuclear.

Developing this massive potential is the way forward for energy security and safety in Scotland.

We can secure clean, low-carbon energy by harnessing Scotland's vast green potential and tackling climate change without adding to the burden of toxic radioactive waste.

That's one of the reasons why the SNP Government is so enthusiastic for clean power in the Pentland Firth as a key to our local economic future.

*

OVER the recess, from February 15 to 23, I have undertaken a series of meetings with the Scottish Ambulance Service, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the UHI Millennium Institute and, along with other MSPs, British Telecom, to discuss how we kick-start the Far North economy. I am hearing positive messages. So when it comes to speaking up for the Far North I am optimistic; if we pull together we can sort out various issues.

The Working Time Directive will have to be negotiated and the SNP and UK Governments will get it fixed for retained firefighters and ambulance crews without scaremongering.

The UHI is gradually reaching the point when it will be a full university and be ready to play an even bigger part in the knowledge economy we need to succeed.

British Telecom will have to show us what it takes to get satisfactory broadband speeds for our rural areas. This will require government help, hopefully backed by the European Recovery Programme which identifies broadband connection as a key tool in spending our way out of the recession.

With the Euro polls coming round in June, a big SNP vote will underpin that positive message and show that Scots are ready to take advantage of our great resources and ride out the international financial gloom with the determination to land on our feet.

The Scottish Political Scene Today

Scotland: Questioning National Identity

Presented at the Nantes Conference by Rob Gibson MSP

Held in the University of Nantes in October 2007. The transactions of the conference were published recently by the Nantes University Research Centre for National and Intercultural Identity. They were compiled by Bernard Sellin, Annie Thiec and Pierre Carboni. It is published by CRINI in 2009. ISBN 2 - 916424 - 14 - 8.

"Scottish identity is clear. The idea of Scotland as a historic nation has meant that whilst for nearly 300 years Scotland did not have a Parliament, it retained a civil society which included control of local government, the Church, the law, and it was the way in which education and this civil society perpetuated the nation that allowed the twentieth century flowering of a national movement. You will know in more detail in your history about how that developed, like the small nations after the First World War, but Scotland as a historic nation was very much involved in the Empire – the British Empire – and we can compare cities like Glasgow and Nantes and Bordeaux and Bristol, which made their money from slavery, and the cities look very similar and they were involved in a world project.

When the world project imploded, with decolonisation, Scots started to think what they had to look forward to in the future and in most of my political lifetime the battle to change Scotland from being a unionist country, as it was in the 1930s, to a nationalist country as it is increasingly today, in terms of politics, has been the backdrop that is different from the politics of Britain as a whole. So, we have as a result had the rule of the Labour Party for basically 50 years in local government in Scotland and, apart for the Tory 18 years, for much of the last 30 or 40 years in the British government. But the Labour Party had to confront, not the Conservatives who were a diminishing force in Scotland, the rise of, not an even rise, but the rise and fall of the Scottish National Party. So in 1997, when Tony Blair was elected overwhelmingly in Britain he had in his baggage, in his manifesto, the unfinished business of creating an assembly or parliament in Scotland with domestic powers, and, although he was sceptical himself, the people in Scotland overwhelmingly, by two thirds, voted in favour of the package. They put in a second question to make it more difficult, about varying the taxes, but they insured that the people had to vote strongly for it and they did. So they voted for the idea; what they received was a limited set of powers over the local economy, health, education, the environment, some transport, agriculture, fisheries, but the purse strings controlled in London, no control of tax, only receiving a block grant, allowed to make subventions through local government taxation. So this tension about how much power the Scottish Parliament has, or should have, is the underlying battle that is involved in Scottish politics today.

In the first eight years of the Parliament, after the referendum on September 11th 1997 - which of course becomes 9/11 in everybody’s mind several years later, but we have a happy remembrance of it – that’s the day in which you could say people were most united, but in the elections which followed there were expectations which led to a Labour and Liberal Democrat administration, a coalition, which lasted for four years, and then a second four years till May of this year. The voting system is a modified version of de Hondt Additional Member System, which is practised in Germany, but it is fixed, so that there is less proportionality than in Germany, and it is very difficult for any one party to get a majority. So in this election, to make any change in Scottish politics, people had to vote for the party most likely to change things, which was the Scottish National Party, which had been ahead in the sondages, in the opinion polls, month after month in the whole of the year preceding the elections; and this meant there was a squeeze on other parties such as the Greens and the socialist parties which split up, and the Conservatives went nowhere, and the Scottish elections led to the circumstance where I think about 50,000 more votes went to the Scottish National Party than to Labour. So the SNP actually won one more seat, 47 seats out of 129, and tried to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats who refused, and so Alex Salmond sought the support of the two Green Members who were left in the Parliament, and we had elected a minority government. At the sa