Dave Thompson MSP

Dear Sir.

Roddy Murray’s reply (WHFP 31 May 2013) to my letter of 24 May 2013 concentrates on the politics of envy and grievance and maintains the false assertion that the west coast suffers whilst the east prospers.

Whilst there is no doubt that the eastern end of my constituency is doing well under this SNP government, Roddy conveniently skips over the list of completed achievements which I highlighted and concentrates on some ongoing projects which, by definition, are “ongoing” and have not been concluded.

Roddy can rest assured that I will continue to champion them and will, for instance, by the time this letter appears, have met the transport Minister with Flyskye to help push the case for a Skye air service.

Also, contrary to what Roddy asserts, I never claimed the improvements were all down to me or the Scottish government and I fully acknowledge the efforts of local campaigners, the council and NHS Highland. However, I am sure Roddy will readily concede that without Scottish government support few of the following would have come to fruition: lease for Eilean Ban; new Raasay ferry and pier; new Broadford Medical Centre; new Portree Dental surgeries and, of course, the cutting of the first turf by the First Minister, at Kilbeg village at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.

Indeed, £5.138 million of the initial cost of £6.100 million for SMO has come from the Scottish government or at it’s hand. Even the £1.908 million from the SRDP had to be fought for against many competing demands from elsewhere and government support for SMO will not have hindered it.

Roddy also forgot to mention the substantial investment in the new West Highland College building in Portree and also the planned Portree Gaelic Medium School. In addition, the Small Isles have just had an extended summer timetable introduced giving an increased six day service to Eigg and a five day service to Rum, Canna and Muck this summer, with further improvements planned in the next couple of years.

On top of this I was pleased to hear the First Minister announce an extra £3 million for the Scottish Land fund, taking it to £9 million, and a target of one million acres of land in Community ownership by 2020 at the Community Land conference at a beautiful, sun soaked, SMO last weekend.

Roddy’s quibbles about the £146 million broadband investment which will see a fibre optic cable run through the length of Skye, and a special £2.5 million fund to ensure that any who can’t get linked in to it directly can get connected in some other way, are also very disappointing but not unexpected.

Finally, the privatisation of the Royal Mail which Westminster is introducing will have a huge detrimental effect on the West Highlands which Roddy seems oblivious to and I hope he isn’t supporting Ed Milliband’s conversion to the Tory/LibDem policy of abandoning universal benefits.

Plenty is happening on the west coast and I will do my utmost to keep that going but, with a Tory/UKIP coalition looking ever more likely in Westminster, I fear the only way to ensure that this prosperity continues, is to vote Yes in next year’s referendum.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Thompson MSP
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch (SNP)
Constituency Office
Thorfin House
Bridgend Business Park
Dingwall