FERGUS EWING: Review of Scotland’s two national parks is long overdue
Wisely the Scottish Government has dropped plans for a new national park.
The people of Galloway made it clear that spending around £100 million over the next decade on an extra public body - another quango to add to the several hundred we have - was not their priority.
I suspect that this was always going to be the result but the SNP Government waited until after the Green MSPs votes were cast for the key budget vote, before doing the deed.
Yet the common sense request made by many campaigners, and indeed petitioners to the parliament, that after 21 years of the two existing parks, Lomond and here in Cairngorms, it is surely time for a thorough independent review?
The response was a confection of utterly specious arguments: the board review the park; the annual report is a review.
What rubbish. With respect, this is marking one’s own homework.
Such a review should now be conducted. Is the park working for the people? Not according to a poll conducted by a community forum in Aviemore which found that a thumping majority of over nine of ten people say that it is just not doing that.
Come on John: it is time to listen to the people!
Fornethy victims
In Holyrood last week we debated the injustice suffered by at least 200 women, when as girls they were despatched to a residential school at Fornethy by Glasgow Corporation.
There they were abused physically , sexually and psychologically.
They were force fed, beaten, sexually assaulted, humiliated such as punished for wetting their bed. One wee girl was told she would never see her mummy again
The parents of these helpless young girls believed that, under the care of the council, which owned and funded the school, they would be in safe hands.
They were wrong. The girls were told to lie and say they had a great time there.
Their quest for justice, for an apology, for redress and compensation has taken five years and three years ago they petitioned parliament.
Our petitions committee - across all main parties - supports their case.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, for the Government, said they are working to deliver a solution but are fettered by a court case - a prosecution.
I do not believe this criminal case in any way prevents the Government from delivery of a solution.
In my own speech I finished with a quote from Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius: ”You can also commit injustice by doing nothing.”
Fergus Ewing (SNP) is MSP for Inverness and Nairn including Strathspey.
