Deal is not what the nation needs
The new parliamentary term started last week at Holyrood, with the announcement that the SNP have done a coalition deal with the Scottish Greens.
As a consequence, the Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater have been appointed as junior ministers in the Scottish Government.
It is fair to say that this new coalition has been greeted with a great deal of concern across many sectors in Scotland. Given the Greens’ hostility to economic growth in any form, the business community are concerned about what this means for a government which claims to be focused on rebuilding our economy post-COVID.
There are also significant concerns from the farming community, amongst rural workers, and in the fishing sector, given what the Greens have stated their policies to be in the past.
We know that the Greens are hostile to cars and have vigorously opposed any road improvement schemes, even where safety upgrades are required to help reduce the accident rate. I raised in the chamber last week my concerns that the dualling of the A9 and A96 could be impacted by the new arrangement, as well as other vital road schemes such as the Cross Tay Link Road.
It is essential that the Greens influence does not hold back schemes which are important for our area’s future progress.
Today’s Green Party in Scotland is a long way from that headed by the former Lothians MSP Robin Harper, who spent his time focusing on environmental issues.
Today’s Greens have rightly been described as extremists on many policies, and even Mr Harper himself has expressed concern about the coalition deal that has been struck.
Of course there is one very good reason why the SNP have joined forces with the Greens, and that is to progress the cause of independence.
In the Programme for Government to be published this week, we expect to see a commitment to another independence referendum, notwithstanding that in the Holyrood election in May most of those voting cast their votes for parties opposed to a re-run of the 2014 vote.
During that election campaign, Nicola Sturgeon promised that her focus if re-elected would be on rebuilding our country post-COVID. It is the Scottish Conservative view that that needs to be the unrelenting focus of government over the next five years – supporting businesses, creating jobs, rebuilding our economy, and helping restore our public services, not least the NHS and schools.
There is enormous work to be done here, and we cannot afford to be distracted by going down the route of another divisive independence referendum. That may be the obsession of the SNP and Greens, but it is simply not what the majority of people in Scotland want to see.
With this new‘coalition of chaos’Scotland has ended up with the government that it didn’t vote for. The Scottish Conservatives will continue to provide a strong opposition, trying to focus the attention of this government where it should be, not more constitutional division.
• Murdo Fraser always welcomes feedback from constituents. He can be contacted at The Control Tower, Perth Airport, Scone, PH2 6PL, by email on murdo. fraser.msp@parliament.scot or by telephone on 01738 553990.
The great-granddaughter of the recipient of one of the first successful blood transfusions carried out in Scotland has urged others to donate to the life-saving blood donation service.
Mairi Philp from Comrie made the appeal after giving her 91st unit of blood last week.
Her great-grandfather James Philp was critically injured in a quarry explosion but survived thanks to the expertise of medics and the availability of the new procedure in 1886.
He lost his forearm and his leg. His life was saved by Thomas Annandale, who later became a professor, and Dr J M Cotterill, who would go on to receive a knighthood.
Mairi said: “We need as many folk as possible to donate blood. I do this to thank and honour the surgeons who saved my great-grandfather’s life way back in January 1886.
“His was one of the first successful blood transfusions carried out in Scotland.
“Had it not been for the courage, skill and dedication of these men, Papa would have surely died and future generations, including me, would not exist.
“Papa lived to be 77 years old, fathered nine children and celebrated his golden wedding in December 1935.
“I would encourage everyone to donate blood if they can.”
And the story of her greatgrandfather is just one of many that Mairi is making sure will be passed on to future generations of the Philp, Ballantyne, Peden, Frame, McIntyre, MacKenzie, Low and Graham families.
Last year she decided to document her family history and wrote her first book ‘Family Lines’ over the first six months of lockdown.
But Mairi, who was presented with a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her services to the community in 2018, has been delving into the family tree for more than 30 years in total.
She told our sister paper, the Strathearn Herald: “It is the story of my family since 1853 – greatgrandparents, grandparents and my mum and dad. I have sent 60 copies all over the world to my cousins and other relations.
“I am absolutely determined that my family’s stories must not be lost and must be passed on to the next generation.
“My second book is a transcription of my grandfather’s 1916 war diary – ‘George’s Journey.’
“It has been sent to the relevant relatives as well.
“I have become over the years the family’s photo and story keeper. Because I was a nosey child, I asked the questions and bothered the relatives and remembered the answers. I didn’t want the family to lose the stories.
“It’s the most important thing I have ever done for my family – to keep these stories alive.”
But Mairi stressed that giving blood is also important, particularly as the pandemic has changed the way the mobile units operate.
She added: “They are only having four people every half hour at the moment. For my grouping the poster said there were six days left of A-positive blood so I would urge people to give.”
• Register via www.scotblood. co.uk or by calling 03459 090999.