Scotland on the up

An intriguing piece on 'Reporting Scotland' on the Beeb the other night revealed that Scotland would apparently be less likely to suffer the effects of rising sea levels due to global warming than England. The piece claimed that Scotland's land mass was gradually rising, whilst England's was slowly falling.

So now we have it - the secret's out at last.... there's no need to campaign for an independent Scotland. Patience, everyone ... we just hang on until England sinks.

Alonso Hawk

Those of a certain age, whose children grew up with Herbie, that annoying little self-drive Volkswagen, might remember the lustful and greedy developer who wanted to demolish the fire station that was holding up his latest money-making development scheme - and tried all sorts of dirty tricks to get his way. Ring any bells, perhaps? Is there more than a passing similarity with Donald Trump, the lugubrious American developer behind moves to build two golf courses, 500 rich people's houses, 950 holiday homes and a hotel on the sand dunes of the Menie Estate, north of Aberdeen. Mr Trump got his way - and the chair of Aberdeenshire Planning Committee's head - in being granted planning permission in the first place, then found that there were bits of land he wanted to add to his empire that folk were not willing to sell - at any price. Trump made all sorts of cheap derogatory remarks about these people who valued what they have owned for many years and didn't want to let go. The next card he played was to submit a planning application to add four houses and two plots of land that he didn't own to his overall plan - something anyone is at liberty to do, though in the knowledge that gaining the permission will normally add more to the cost of subsequently purchasing same. Trump says he has made 'generous offers' to the owners, but by all reports, the figures seem ordinary to say the least. And now he is playing his trump card - asking Aberdeenshire Council to use compulsory purchase powers 'as a last resort' to secure the land on his behalf.

This is due to be debated later this week - but it would be to the eternal shame of any council should it vote to use compulsory purchase powers in order to benefit the commercial interests of any private business - whether American or not. If the council has any honour at all left in this sorry tale, it will resoundingly reject such a proposition. If Trump wants to buy these properties, nothing less than an offer they can't refuse will be acceptable. Alonso Hawk needs to remain a work of fiction. Trump must grow up and stop treating people who have lived on Menie all their lives as brainless serfs with no rights.

BBC Scotland Bashing Goes On

The Megrahi affair continues to be something where the vast majority of ordinary people do believe that Kenny MacAskill was right, but the politically motivated continue to take every opportunity, however obscure, to try to score points.

Why, though, is BBC Scotland one of the worst offenders?

Why have BBC Scotland 'taken the opportunity' (as they put it), to send a reporter and camera crew to Syracuse University in the Good Ol' US of A, to find out what students there, where 35 of their number were lost in the bombing, think?

And why only now, weeks after the event?

Exactly what is BBC Scotland's editorial agenda here? They appear to have an overriding interest in keeping this 'on the boil' come what may, despite mounting evidence that Megrahi is, like as not, innocent.

Come on Aunty Beeb, you're getting boring in your old age!

Bounders and Boundaries

The news that the Boundary Commission have completely ignored representations made from Badenoch and Strathspey, from our MSP, Fergus Ewing, from myself and from The Highland Council and made no changes at all to their recommendation that Badenoch and Strathspey be carved up for electoral purposes between Inverness and Lochaber in a pathetic blind adherence to the numbers game is nothing short of an utter disgrace.

Despite this being about the boundaries of the Scottish Parliamentary Constituencies, the decision is a reserved matter and will be made by Westminster's poodle in the north, The Secretary of State for Scotland, not by our own Parliament.

The breathtaking and dismissive arrogance that denies us even a local inquiry hearing into our grievances is yet more evidence that devolution is an increasingly unsatisfactory half way house. How is it possible that a raft of clearly expressed views, including unanimity across the political divide in Highland Council, can be ridden over roughshod by an undemocratic bunch of numpties reporting to an anachronism from the past?

It is quite extraordinary that these clowns in Edinburgh can actually consider it reasonable to expect the MSP for the new constituency that will include more than half of our area, on the western side of the Cairngorms National Park, to be able to represent constituents from Aviemore down to Lochaber, across to Uig in north Skye, then back across to Dingwall, north of Inverness. Aviemore to Uig is 163 miles. This is twenty three miles further than it is to Glasgow City Centre, and an amazing thirty six miles further than the trip to Holyrood itself. All this would be bad enough by itself, but to take all of the connections of the area of Badenoch and Strathspey and rip them apart in a divorce that nobody wants for the sake of equality of numbers is total idiocy. In rural environments, equality of numbers is in no way related to equality of representation.

All we have left to battle on with now, given that the Boundaries Commission won't even give us a local inquiry because they say 'they have enough information to come to a decision' is to write to the Secretary of State for Scotland to urge him to reject the Commission's proposals.

Whose Opinion?

So the BBC (Biased Broadcasting Corporation) say they have an opinion poll which says 60% of Scots think Kenny MacAskill's decision to release Abdul Baset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was wrong, but the poll was of a grand total of 1005 people living in Scotland. How representative was it? How were the 'random' telephone numbers chosen? How come I have been totally unable, so far, to find anyone at all who thought the decision was wrong?

Brian Taylor's smug, self satisfied report on the poll was totally predictable - yet another flimsy attempt to undermine the SNP Government. It is time to root out this parcel o' rogues and have real Scottish reporting by a real Scottish media.

I prefer to believe that Scots are better than that; that they understand why the decision was made; that they know what compassion is all about; and that they know, deep down, that the trial was a stitch up anyway and that regardless of whether or not al-Megrahi was in any way involved, the truly guilty have never been brought to justice.

Retribution

And so it begins ..... the condemnation of the release of al-Megrahi; the careful and deliberate emphasis on the BBC National News that this was the work of the Scottish Government - not their government; The pathetic whimpering of the Scottish opposition parties that they wouldn't have done it - oh dearie me no - not us; the righteous indignation from the United States.

Admittedly, it was not in any sense appropriate for Libya to openly celebrate his arrival back in his homeland as they did - but it was surely not surprising that they did, given their continued belief that he was always innocent. As things stand, al-Megrahi remains convicted of the crime of which he was accused, and will not see the day that his innocence is proven - if ever that day arrives.

That all of those affected by the crime may never truly know the truth is a shame, yet Kenny MacAskill is quite right that if there should ever be an arena in which the whole thing is reviewed and all of the evidence brought to light, that should be a higher authority than Scotland - it should be for the United Nations to show some guts, determination and, dare I say it, unity. But what matters for Scotland is that we did the right thing. We showed that as a Nation, we are capable of compassion and mercy; we demonstrated our Christian principles. Kenny MacAskill stood for us all, and held up to the world all that is good about Scotland. Amid the cheap political posturing, we must not forget that.

To Be A Nation Once Again

A short while ago, Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill announced that Abdul Baset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi is to be released on compassionate grounds.

I felt immense pride, listening to the carefully constructed words of the announcement. Not just pride that Scotland, as a Nation, can uphold our long held principles of compassion and mercy, but also in the inspiring words in which he framed his announcement.

It was delivered on Scottish soil, and related to a crime committed over Scottish soil; Kenny MacAskill's announcement was placed firmly in a global context, yet emphasised the principles of Scottish Justice and of the Scottish people perfectly.

Today, no matter what the USA may say, or Westminster, or the baying pack of political opposition dogs here in Scotland, for me, Kenny MacAskill proved, beyond a shadow of doubt, that whilst we may not yet be independent, we are a Nation once again.