Council must face up to the pile of debt
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THE Highland Council coalition of SNP, Lib Dem and Labour is an interesting development.
The political responsibilities bring a level of democratic accountability which was not present in the successive Independent administrations where individual councillors could always say that decisions were not in accord with their beliefs.
I wish the new council all success and will be looking for answers regarding the massive debt they have inherited from the Independents. At £764 million, this is one of the highest in the whole of Scotland.
Along with all debts, whether to individuals, businesses or councils, comes the cost of interest payments. At over £41 million paid from our Council Taxes in interest payments every year, this amounts to almost £200 for every man, woman and child in the Highland Region.
The Westminster government does have a debt reduction strategy and I hope that the new Council, once they have got into the accounts, will also look at reducing this debt so that future generations in the Highlands will not be burdened.
At national level, Alex Salmond continues to shout, gloat and humiliate anyone who asks him a question in Parliament. In the circumstances, I would suggest that First Minister’s Questions be re-named First Minister answers as we never get an answer but are guaranteed a barrage of how badly all parties did in last year’s elections and the success of the Nationalists. Oh dear.
I suppose we just all get used to Alex and the bluff and bluster every Thursday, like so many others I expect no less.
That was until I went to Dublin last week as a Scottish Parliament member of the British Irish Parliamentary Association to meet and debate with elected members from all jurisdictions in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
We met in the second chamber of the Irish Parliament and heard from several Ministers about the closer working with Northern Ireland on health issues and other matters.
The keynote speech came from the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny who spoke quietly, was statesmanlike, and never raised his voice.
He responded to many difficult questions from Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionists and opposition members in the Irish Parliament.
He actually answered every question not only factually, but respectfully.
He spoke of the groundbreaking visit of Queen Elizabeth last year as marking a turning point in relations between the UK and Ireland, adding that the totality of the British-Irish relationship had become still deeper since then.
David Cameron and Enda Kenny signed a new agreement in March for common working and co-operation stating that they were on the "same page" on the EU economic agenda.
With 40 per cent of Ireland’s exports coming to the United Kingdom and Ireland our fifth largest export market, it makes so much sense for us to work together to benefit both countries through these difficult times.
As well as being Ireland’s most important economic partner, the Taoiseach said that "Britain is our nearest neighbour and our closest friend on the world stage".
The contrast between the Irish approach to Westminster and the Scottish Nationalist approach could not be greater, given that we equally are England’s closest neighbour.
Any mention of the Prime Minister or Westminster is made through gritted teeth by Nationalists. No Westminster policy is ever endorsed as having any merit and any mention of the Queen brings out the worst of nationalism.
A proposal for a referendum on whether the Queen should remain head of state if Scotland separates from the United Kingdom is now being discussed in the nationalist ranks. The Scottish Nationalists have implemented a policy whereby English students have to pay fees at Scottish universities, yet students from Spain, France, Greece, Germany and all other EU countries can study in Scotland for free.
Mr Salmond’s parliamentary aide stated that if we do not support the Nationalist’s Independence, we are anti-Scottish. The question is how can nationalism and isolation benefit people living in Scotland?
