Dave Thompson MSP

OVER the last century, if decision makers in Edinburgh and London considered the West Highlands at all, it was as a remote scenic fringe, important for little more than leisure, tourism and fishing.

However under the present Scottish Government the focus has changed, as Alex Salmond, our First Minister, announced this week when I joined him for a public meeting at Lochaber High School on Thursday afternoon.

I was pleased to hear Alex speak about how areas previously considered as “peripheral” were now becoming far more “central” as Scotland seeks new sources of energy.

The First Minister spoke eloquently about the need to develop renewable energy sources and the opportunity this gives areas such as the West Highlands to contribute through modern wind and wave power projects; not just to power their local communities, but to help supply the entire country’s future energy needs.

This, he said, gives areas disregarded by previous administrations as being too “remote” and sparsely-populated to matter, a new importance and that the Scottish Government is determined to reverse decades of neglect by updating the area’s previously underfunded transport and communications infrastructure.

Chief among these commitments is the need to press ahead with a long-overdue upgrade of the A82, the road link which connects the West Highlands to population and business centres around Glasgow and Inverness, and I was pleased to hear confirmation of further investment in this vital road link.

Recently I have also been encouraged to hear that the long-running campaign for the communities where the Crown Estate raises millions of pounds in revenue to see the benefit of that role is finally starting to be recognised in London, although the offer to allow communities to compete against each other to receive a share of half of the money raised falls some way short of what I believe is fair.

In the 21st century, telecommunication links are every bit as important for isolated areas as transport links so I was also pleased to join Alec Neil, the Cabinet Secretary for infrastructure, at Redcat Scotland, a Fort William-based IT company, where he discussed the importance of ensuring that all of Scotland’s communities are able to benefit from the opportunities made possible by new communications technologies.

Particularly pleasing was news that the Scottish Government is to create a cabinet sub-committee to focus on this issue. There was also welcome news about the role of Highlands and Islands Enterprise in rolling out a new broadband network to dozens of small communities throughout the area, giving businesses a crucial tool to help them reach their markets and suppliers.

It has been an honour to welcome the First Minister and the Cabinet to my constituency as they embark on this year’s tour of the country, when they hold cabinet meetings at locations around Scotland; an arrangement that is now becoming recognised as a valued tradition that allows the government of Scotland to break free from their usual Edinburgh home to see more of the country they represent.

It has been a useful opportunity to highlight many of the area’s needs and also to celebrate some of its famous heritage and scenery.

Alex enjoyed his visit to the Arisaig Games and, as patron of the Lochaber Sports Association, I was delighted to press the case for improved support for an innovative training programme for the next generation of athletes who will compete in the traditional heavy events which form such an important part of any successful Highland Games.

It is a theme that will also be uppermost in my mind on August 7th when I have the honour of being Chieftain of the Mallaig and Morar Highland Games.