SOMETIMES one doesn't know whether to laugh or cry at the latest nutty Nationalist idea but when we read that part of their proposals for the railway network is to end it at the Border with England I did both.
This news came in a week when it was also reported that another attempt had been made to dig out the foundations of the Duke of Sutherland's monument up north.
Previous attacks on the Duke, who was responsible for the Highland Clearances, came from the self-styled 'Tartan Army'.
They are not to be confused with the poor souls who heroically support their under-achieving football team round the far-flung corners of Europe. This mob thought that blowing things up was the best way to achieve their goal of Scottish Independence. How wrong they were and how right are the SNP in pursuing the democratic road.
The present Scottish Nationalist policy towards our railways does remind us though of the equally bonkers decision of the IRA to continually blow up the railway link between the North and South of Ireland.
Why on earth, people asked, would a group that wanted a united Ireland want to disrupt the main link across the island?
At least with the SNP we know that they want to destroy the link between Scotland and the rest of the UK, so I suppose their plans for the railways make sense.
The SNP Government's PR stunt of the week is to announce that they intend to run a Loch Ness Express from King's Cross to Inverness to coincide with the rock concert in the summer.
I wonder if everyone will have to get out at Berwick to leave the East Coast mainline service to join the ScotRail one? Whether they do or not, the journey north may be a very scenic one but it will be very slow.
It must be 100 years since any major work was done on the line up to the Highlands, which is still largely single track, unlike the A9!
Why don't the politicians, and here I mean all of them, think a little more about our public transport and a little less about the A9?
The fact is that compared to most major roads in Britain the A9 is well above average standard as anyone driving from London north and stuck for hours on the M1 and M6 would testify. It is our railways that need investment, not our roads.
The SNP Government have a wonderful opportunity to do something about the railways right now because down south the Government have announced their intention to build a new high-speed railway north. These plans are about as fanciful as the Nats' plans to dual the A9 in 100 years' time but they could be forced to hurry up if we in Scotland built our own high-speed rail network.
Never mind Edinburgh to the Border, what about Inverness to the Border. Now that would be something for Scotland to be proud of.
Instead of continuingly moaning about and blaming the English ,we could lead the way in building a modern transport link that would genuinely be of benefit to the Highlands.
Judging from the SNP's current plans for our railways, it looks like an opportunity will be missed.
Lets see if any other political party has the nerve to stop obsessing about the A9 and fight for our railways. If they do, I bet they will get more support than they think and just think about how easy it will be for our friends and loved ones to visit us over the festive season.
