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More heat than light 18/2/13
Sir,
I regret to have to say that my erstwhile colleagues in the SNP party, from MP, MSP
and including also a number of councillors, are again guilty of an inglorious “own
goal.” The wording of the petition to the Scottish Government Petitions Committee
is a knee-
Quick reference to the Scottish Government guidance on submitting a Petition (4 pages of A4), states the following:
“A primary role of the PPC is to hold the Scottish Government to account. It has no remit to intervene in the operational decisions or actions of other public bodies in Scotland such as health boards and local authorities. A petition which requests the Parliament to do something it clearly has no power to do is inadmissible (page 2).”
Whilst it may be politically necessary to mobilise action in response to this decision of the Comhairle, it is a bit late in the day, and is at best foolhardy, at worst anarchic. Petitions should be embarked upon with a view to seeking a positive outcome, and not utilised as a big stick with which to beat the perceived offending council, democratically elected.
I believe your readers will have witnessed similar actions taken recently by our
elected representatives with regard to -
This highlights for me the concerns we should all carry re the power struggle continuing between an SNP administration at Holyrood, bolstered on these islands by a SNP MP and MSP, and an independent council which is doing its level best to work within a much reduced budget, set by Holyrood.
I have previously written publicly about Inter-
Our MP and MSP are, with respect, missing the target! Surely they are best placed
to speak with the key SNP ministers at Holyrood who are budget holders, and work
with the Comhairle to ensure essential life-
Western Isles Health Board are not likely to come to the aid of the Comhairle to
share costs in subsidising air services, and comfort themselves in the knowledge
that the Air Ambulance Service is available in any health emergency. This is short-
My advice to Dr Allan and Mr MacNeil is to reconsider your strategy, and please get
on the phone with Ministers Keith Brown and John Swinney with a view to seeking additional
temporary funding meantime to ensure continuation of flights from Barra to Benbecula,
even if only for three days per week, linking in with the Benbecula to Stornoway
connection. This will go some considerable way to allay immediate concerns and give
the necessary time for a more detailed examination of inter-
To help inject a level of common sense into this unfolding fiasco, I will again send a copy of this letter to Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
Andrew Walker
3 Kyles Flodda
Gramsdale
Isle of Benbecula