Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dunfermline
08/05/2013
Sir Chris Hoy has been a great advert for Scottish and UK sports for years but even his body can’t take the demanding pressures for ever. He’ll be a great ambassador for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games with, hopefully, many following in his footsteps … or should that be pedals?
08/05/2013
I was never a fan of Margaret Thatcher. I actively opposed various policies in Scotland in the 1980s, including the de-industrialisation of our country, the selling off of council houses and the imposition of the iniquitous Poll Tax. The legacy of some of these policies lives with us to this day.
Nevertheless, she unquestionably made a positive impact elsewhere. In the 1970s, various Trades Union barons were making a mockery of democracy. Legislation was required, and Mrs Thatcher passed laws that no Government since has repealed. Read more of this post
08/05/2013
The mothballing of the Blair House opencast mine between Oakley and Saline last year was an omen of things to come. At that time, geological difficulties and falling prices for the coal extracted were given as reasons. Coal prices on the international market are now very low and shall probably stay that way for some time. It is far cheaper for coal users such as Scottish Power at Longannet to import from half way round the world than to buy local. Scottish Coal just couldn’t sell its opencast coal and make any profit. Read more of this post
04/04/2013
My fellow Independent MSP Margo MacDonald posed the most sensible question after Alex Salmond introduced the Referendum Bill:
“I ask the First Minister whether he could raise the level of the debate. This is about our country’s soul. It is about our children and our grandchildren’s standards and place in the world, and we are talking about candles in case someone cannot vote. Many friends of mine on the Labour side of the chamber have let me down and have let Scotland down this afternoon by the way in which they have approached the debate. This is a big question and it needs big people and big answers”.
The above was originally written for Bill’s Dunfermline Press column. This version may vary slightly.
04/04/2013
The First Minister has announced that the Independence Referendum will be on Thursday 18th September 2014. Predictably, some Labour MSPs tried to make an issue of not receiving special knowledge of the date ahead of Parliament. This would have been improper and against Parliamentary procedures.
We can now expect an 18-month increasing onslaught against Independence. Though I hope this might include some rational debate, I anticipate plenty of nonsense. For example, immediately after the date announcement, a Labour MSP objected saying some of her constituents might need candles to get to polling stations!
Opponents are in the strange position of demanding to know why the Referendum can’t be held sooner, but asking in the same breath how Scots can decide on major constitutional change without knowing, in microscopic detail, exactly what the future will look like in an independent Scotland. Read more of this post
04/04/2013
In October 2011, the UK Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) pulled the rug from under the proposed Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project at Longannet Power Station. This project would have put Fife at the pioneering forefront of new CCS technology, reducing carbon emissions, delivering highly skilled well-paid jobs and stimulating growth in our local economy.
Longannet won the competition for funding after all other bidders for the CCS project withdrew, yet the UK Government pulled out at the 11th hour out and re-ran the competition, claiming they could not reach an agreement with the developers. Read more of this post
14/03/2013
Less than two years ago, the UK Ministry of Defence promised that over 6,000 army personnel currently based in Germany would relocate to Scotland, with hundreds destined for Rosyth. HMS Caledonia was even renamed MoD Caledonia. Now we know none will come to west Fife and few will relocate elsewhere in Scotland.
Right at the beginning I expressed reservations about the relocation, as I feared army demand pushing out our traditional naval presence in west Fife. I shall always argue for a strong naval presence on the east coast of Scotland. We need it to guard our North Sea oil and gas industry, our fishing grounds and the sea routes to the Continent. However, this U-turn has cost Fifers an estimated £500,000 in setting up a Fife Defence Transition Task Force. The UK Government should be called to account for this. Read more of this post
14/03/2013
Scottish Gas customers will now receive a half-yearly review using their personal energy consumption to advise of cheaper internal tariffs. I hope other energy companies will provide this too. It’s important for customers of all energy companies to be aware of the best energy deals, whether this means switching tariffs or suppliers.
The difficulty is, of course, not knowing what price increases are around the corner if you take the trouble to switch to a variable-rate tariff. In light of ever increasing price hikes, insulating your property is an important step to reduce your bills. The Scottish Government, in conjunction with other bodies, frequently helps to finance cavity wall and loft insulation. I try to publicise such offers on my website when I hear of them, but you can also keep an eye on the Scottish Government’s website. Read more of this post
14/03/2013
Tulliallan Castle is to be retained as the headquarters of the new national police force for Scotland, housing continuing training, conference services, planning, and offices for the chief constable and a number of other senior officers and staff.
I would challenge the claim that Tulliallan is somehow “isolated”, when it is in fact close to the motorway network via the Kincardine and Clackmannanshire Bridges. But I do accept that the Castle’s listed status might have made conversion into a hi-tech command and control centre difficult and expensive. Therefore, the choice of Randolphfield in Stirling as the operational hub may well be a good one, especially considering the forecasted low cost to convert the existing Central Police HQ.
The above was originally written for Bill’s Dunfermline Press column. This version may vary slightly.
21/02/2013
Scottish Tourism Week in March is an annual event raising awareness of tourism’s importance to Scotland’s economy. I recently signed up in Parliament to support this event. Dunfermline has so much potential as a destination but, as I continually hear locally, much of this is unfulfilled. My chief ambition as MSP is to see Dunfermline regenerated and attracting more visitors.
The ancient capital of Scotland should be on visitors’ itineraries. We have an abundance of historic buildings all around us, not limited to the Abbey and Palace. We have such amenities as the Carnegie Hall, Alhambra, Odeon, Carnegie Leisure Centre, big-name stores, excellent restaurants, cafes and pubs. 2013 is the Year of Natural Scotland, and we have the wonderful Pittencrieff Park. We also have good travel links to Edinburgh and Glasgow and are surrounded by beautiful towns and villages, such as historic Culross and Limekilns. Read more of this post
