OPINION: Light at end of tunnel in most challenging year many have ever faced
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With this being my last column of the year, I feel it fitting to reflect on what we have all gone through the past year, writes Maree Todd, Highlands and Islands NP MSP.
There is no doubt that 2020 has been one of the most challenging years we have ever faced as a country. Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the way each one of us lives our lives. From not being able to visit our loved ones to financial insecurity – people across the Highlands and throughout Scotland have experienced an incredibly tough year.
But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m sure many people, like me, felt overwhelmed with emotion when the pictures of Dr Jonathan Whiteside receiving the first vaccine in the NHS Highland area were published.
This is a truly remarkable moment – one that we have been longing for all year. The vaccine programme will be the largest of its kind ever undertaken but the Scottish Government is aiming to have the first phase of the vaccine protection completed by the spring. In the meantime, we must continue following the public health guidance in place to ensure we suppress the spread of the virus.
Whilst this has been a difficult year for everyone, young people across the country have really borne the brunt of the pandemic. After experiencing extreme disruption to their learning since March, it is only right that how our young people are assessed next year is re-evaluated.
I, therefore, welcomed the Deputy First Minister’s statement last week where he announced that next year’s exams will be replaced with awards based on teacher judgement of evidence of pupils’ attainment. No pupils’ grades should be disadvantaged because of this pandemic and this plan will ensure that is not the outcome.
At the time of writing this column, we are yet to know if the Prime Minister has secured a deal with the EU, although at this stage it is looking extremely unlikely. What we do know, however, is Scotland has been completely ignored by Westminster throughout the Brexit process – demonstrating that we will never be treated as an equal partner in the UK.
The fact that at this moment in time, three weeks before the end of the Brexit transition period, we don’t know what our trading relationship will be with the EU is frightening but is exactly what we have come to expect from Johnson and his government.
To end on a lighter note, I would like to wish everyone across the Highlands a very merry Christmas. Whilst this will be a festive period like no other, I hope we can all take comfort in the knowledge that the end of this pandemic is firmly in sight.
Stay strong folks.
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