All new hooses and nae work?

After the doom and gloom of this week's jobs figures, it was good to hear some positive news on Radio Scotland's Business Scotland this morning. Not only has Global Energy Group bought the old Highland Fabricators yard at Nigg with plans to get it working again for the renewables sector but Ross County FC are also hopefully looking ahead with promotion to the SPL in mind. Calton sincerely hopes they get it. He also hopes that Global Energy succeeds in bringing long-term jobs to Nigg, which has lain unproductive for 10 years. On his forays around Scotland Calton has noticed a growing replacement of industrial sites with housing developments e.g. the former Alcan site at Burntisland, Ravenscraig steelworks in Motherwell, the old Motorola plant at Dunfermline, converted warehouses in Leith. The list is endless. This is all very well but where are all the occupants of these houses going to work? Admittedly it would take some ingenuity to convert a large dry dock into housing, however it is a nice change to see it being brought back into industrial use. Lots of houses and no industry is not a recipe for success.

Nae luck Jimmie

It transpires that the police probe into land deals by Glasgow City Council instigated by complaints from SNP MSP James Dornan has not found any evidence of criminality. That doesn't mean that there wasn't any stupidity involved, however, if there was (and Calton is not necessarily saying so) it isn't a crime. So nae luck then, however Jimmie can always console himself with the knowledge that the investigation has been somewhat overtaken by events anyway, due to the implosion of the ruling Labour group on the cooncil. Roll on May.

Have your say on the referendum

Calton has just done his bit and responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on the independence referendum. You can do the same by clicking on this link. It's not quite so easy to respond to the Westminster consultation but, if you are keen, you can find it here. (Thanks to the BBC news website for providing the links.)

Old hat from the SNP

Earlier this month Calton highlighted the fact that the SNP were using pre-2008 economic figures in their arguments for independence. Then it was John Swinney. Today Nicola Sturgeon was playing the same game in an interview on Radio Scotland. The question that has to be asked is this - so what if Scotland balanced the books pre-2008? That was then, this is now. The world is an entirely different place today compared to 4 years ago. The statistics which matter when considering whether Scotland will be better off independent are those for 2011, 2012, 2013 and beyond. It's about time the SNP got themselves up to speed on the current economic arguments instead of trotting out 4-year old nonsense.

SNP getting the wind up their coats

It is becoming increasingly clear that the SNP has not thought through all the issues relating to independence, otherwise they would be able to respond to the Scottish Affairs Select Committee report on the referendum with some comments of substance. Instead, they have been reduced to quibbling over the use of 'separation' vs 'independence' and responding to some very reasonable questions with shoddy insults. Not good enough. The decision on whether we go for independence or not cannot be taken solely on the basis of emotionalism or nationalism. We need some hard facts on what will be a complex and difficult process. The Scottish Affairs Select Committee has done a very good job in highlighting the questions which remain unanswered and they deserve a better response from the SNP, if the latter is not to be accused of being all show and no substance, or, as they say in Morningside, all fur coats and no knickers.

More on the cost of island life

Further to his earlier post on the cost of island life, Calton is pleased to see that more money has been made available to avoid huge increases to the ferry fares which hauliers have to pay to take goods to the Hebrides. It may seem unfair to those who live in the central belt that we should be subsidising islanders but when the alternative is considered it makes sense. Otherwise the islands will become empty (apart from sheep and windfarms) and there will be even more competition for scarce jobs and scarcer housing in the central belt. Calton is not a fan of large-scale government intervention however there are times when it is necessary. Communities cannot always be left to the mercy of the free market economy.

A paucity of progress

The words 'modest' and 'Alex Salmond' do not normally occur in the same sentence, which is why it caught Calton's eye, however it turns out that, in this case, the adjective was referring to the progress made at the Salmond-Moore talks today and not to the First Minister. Given that the two of them have had weeks to prepare for these talks, so little advancement was disappointing. Michael Moore at least has the excuse of having had chickenpox. One wonders what Alex Salmond's excuse was. Calton has to agree with Johann Lamont, who is reported as saying that "it doesn't bode well for Scotland's referendum that the First Minister and the Scottish Secretary can't even agree what they agreed at their meeting." (She was referring to the fact that the FM thought that the referendum date was agreed whereas the SS still wants it earlier than October 2014.) So that means that the only thing which has been agreed is the role of the Electoral Commission. It's not looking good.

Glasgow Labour's better

The SNP must be rubbing their hands with glee at the disintegration of Glasgow City Council's ruling Labour administration, which had to taxi in sick members in order to win the budget vote last week after the defection of several councillors. Those disillusioned and deselected ex-Labour members have now decided to form a new, rival 'Glasgow Labour' party to contest all Glasgow seats in the forthcoming local government elections. The SNP were already targeting Glasgow as a possible win - it must now be a shoo-in unless they too fall prey to the in-fighting and accusations of bullying which have dogged the Labour group.
(For more comment have a read of the Wee Red Squirrel's latest post.)

Advocates for Sea Eagles

Balancing the interests of the various stakeholders in rural areas is not always easy, however Calton was glad to see that a report earlier this year put the damage done to flocks by his west coast cousins at less than 2% of lamb mortality. Sea Eagles eat mainly seabirds and fish, although they also eat carrion, which may explain why Calton likes to get his beak into politicians. It may also explain why they are blamed for taking lambs. Tales of Sea Eagles carrying off children are an unfounded rumour spread by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, who are not exactly a disinterested party. The RSPB are countering this by appointing representatives to teach children more about these wonderful birds. Not forgetting the fact that the Mull Sea Eagles boost the island's economy by £2million. Of course, Calton is biased, but he does think that the reintroduction of his species into Scotland is a good thing. Sarah Boyack seems to agree.

The cost of Highland life

Further to his post on the cost of island life, Calton is pleased to see today that the OFT has decided to look into the higher costs of rural living, including the islands. He has long been of the view that the Highlands and Islands should not be just a playground for young professionals from the central belt, nor should they be primarily a retirement home for rich pensioners from the south of England. Surely it is not beyond the ability of the Scottish Government to put in place the infrastructure needed to attract and keep industry in the Highlands and Islands without ruining the landscape and damaging the existing tourist industry. Without such infrastructure, there is a real possibility that we will see another Highland Clearances in ten years' time and the only things moving in the empty glens this time will be the wind turbines!