My vision for the Highlands

I want the Highlands to be a well off area, where children get an excellent education and wish to stay and work, benefitting from amazing internet speeds and the ability to work remotely. Massive local renewable revenues would transform our economy, and communities would decide on what projects they wish to spend the locally generated funding. Our quality of life would be much talked about, with clean spaces, active and healthy people, and longevity of life in excellent accommodation.

I believe this is achieveable, but requires Scottish and Westminster Governments that properly invest in the Highlands and its infrastructure.

Existing politics isn’t working for the Highlands

We need powers and budgets to be managed and spent as close to the people as possible. Locals know the issues best. The SNP are a central belt party, where the votes are. None of the ten Scottish Government Ministers represent the Highlands, our current ex investment banker SNP MP Ian Blackford was bought up in the central belt, as was Inverness based Drew Hendry. We need locals who understand locals. The Highland Council covers a vast area, with constituents in Wester Ross, Skye, Lochaber and Inverness all having very different needs. Disseminate power to the people.

The SNP/Green Scottish Government has failed the Highlands

• Under the SNP, decision making and budgets are consistently being transferred away from local communities and councils back to Holyrood. Fire, police and the care service are all prime examples.
• The central belt has received tens of billions of infrastructure spend - Edinburgh trams / the 2nd Forth Road bridge / new hospitals and motorways, etc. - the West Highlands has received almost no funding for decades.
• Despite having SNP members Ian Blackford and Drew Hendry as our Westminster MPs, and SNP local Kate Forbes as our MSP, we are still ignored when it comes to investment.
• The SNP/Green led coalition has resulted in investment in roads being cut in favour of ‘Active travel’. Well, try bicycling down the A82 if you want to dice with death.
• It's great having renewable energy, but where does the ‘base load’ come from when the wind isn’t blowing? We need a more reasonable and considered transition from oil and gas… remember the SNP cry "It's Scotland’s Oil"?
• The SNP and Green parties need to focus on the basic job of running the country well, reducing poverty in Scotland, and stop ignoring the Highlands.

Due to a growing frustration with getting things done or seeing any real progress in the Highlands, I became a Liberal Democrat Highland Councillor in May 2022. Now I am hoping to represent the Highlands as a Member of Parliament after the next election.

Some thought provoking facts >
My thoughts on key issues facing the Highlands >
Angus MacDonald homepage >

Angus MacDonald - Here For The Highlands

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