Dave Thompson MSP

BY any measure, we are living in interesting times and by “we” I don’t just mean politicians at Holyrood, but every man, woman and child in Scotland.

Since the SNP's landslide victory in May’s election, it has been clear that the country WILL be asked, in a referendum, whether Scotland should be an independent country again.

This would mean that, after 300 years, Scotland would stand on her own two feet as an equal among more than 200 other independent nations around the world, living off her abundant natural resources and the talents of her population.

It is a vision I have held all my life and I am delighted to see that an increasing number share this inspirational view of Scotland’s future.

However, for too long the people of Scotland have been told that the country could not survive without handouts from Westminster. Yet, what is rarely mentioned by the people who promote this view is the fact that the EU’s largest reserves of oil lie within Scotland’s territorial waters, with more than a trillion pounds worth still to be tapped. Beyond this, Scotland is equally rich in the potential to generate energy from more environmentally-friendly resources – tide, wave, wind, solar and hydro power.

Unfortunately, mandarins at Whitehall and ministers of successive Labour and Tory UK Governments presented the view for decades that little oil remained under the North Sea. Their dishonesty was recently exposed in Cabinet papers released after being classified since the 1970s, which detail a deliberate attempt to mask Scotland’s enormous oil wealth while revenues from this helped to save the whole of the UK from bankruptcy.

Such institutional dishonesty towards Scotland must surely have a major bearing on the key question anyone who cares about Scotland's future must ask themselves: “Which parliament would you trust to govern in the best interests of all the people of Scotland?

I was delighted when Alex Salmond, our First Minister, announced plans to hold an independence referendum in Autumn 2014, in accordance with a commitment made during the recent election to do this in the latter stages of the current Parliamentary term. There will be ample time for all the issues to be properly debated over the next two and a half years so I will turn to other matters.

Last year I was honoured to be appointed Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee which has produced a recent report into how the Parliament operates.

We felt that, twelve years into the Devolution era, it was time to look at how business is conducted and to recommend improvements where these were needed. The committee made a series of recommendations to make Holyrood even more efficient, react more quickly to developing events and improve scrutiny of the Scottish Government.

Among the recommendations are steps to increase the influence of backbenchers by beginning each day with a question session for the Scottish Government, allowing questions to be asked at short notice and more spontaneous questioning of ministers.

So, even if Holyrood wasn’t about to enter the most exciting time in its history, these changes should make it even livelier and more responsive to current events.

However, one recent development in a long-running campaign I have fought since my election in 2007 rivals even this in terms of lasting achievement for my constituents.

After more than four years of calling for the addition of barriers to enhance safety at level crossings and help to reduce the regular toll of death and injury on such junctions, I was delighted to be given a firm commitment by Network Rail that nearly all of the 21 currently ungated crossings in the Highlands will have gates fitted while the handful that remain will be closed.

A Happy and Prosperous New Year to you all.