@davidgreen4csr
@scotlibdems.org.uk candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross. Work in international aid and development. Promoted by C. Harrow on behalf of D. Green both of Highland Lib Dems, 5 McGregor’s Ct, IV15 9HS.
It is frustrating to see the SNP-led administration reject these ideas out of hand. Nobody has a monopoly on good ideas - people want to see politicians working constructively and being open to alternative approaches (4/4).
It would also support working families with additional wraparound care and provide warm spaces with food. Above all, it was about improving primary school attainment, which continues to lag behind national figures (3/4).
It would have seen retired teachers and Pupil Support Assistants support primary pupils two evenings per week in the most deprived areas. This would give young people a supportive place to learn while helping to reduce social isolation (2/4).
Highland Liberal Democrats put forward constructive amendments to the Highland Council budget, including a boost to the roads budget. Our Homework Club proposal aimed to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap (1/4).
When MSPs voted for that review, it was a recognition that trust needs to be rebuilt. The effective silence we now have from the SNP is inexcusable. Families deserve an answer - why have they backed away from delivering that review? (3/4)
Alarm bells should be ringing. Behind every single complaint is a mother, a baby and a family with worries that deserve to be addressed. It is yet another reminder of why we must keep pushing for an independent review of maternity services in Caithness (2/4).
More than 400 complaints about maternity care have been lodged with NHS Highland in the past five years - putting the region’s health board behind only the two largest boards in Scotland (1/4)
This is about long-term planning, not short-term patching. The Highland Council needs to be pressing the Scottish Government for a fair deal that reflects the Highlands’ unique challenges (3/4).
It isn't acceptable that the elderly woman I met in Balintore was left isolated in her home over winter because she feared the damage potholes would do to her car if she drove at night (2/4)
If nothing changes, our roads will continue to deteriorate. Describing them as looking like the surface of the moon is no longer an exaggeration - it’s a daily reality for too many communities (1/4)
In many constituencies across Scotland, we are on the verge of winning against the SNP.
But wherever you are, every vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second peach ballot will deliver change with fairness at its heart.
The £300m that we have secured in a whole host of areas shows just how serious we are about getting stuff done.
With the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you get grown-up, sensible politics.
You can get more of that by backing us in May on your second, peach-coloured ballot paper.
The conversation has moved on - it now simply requires the SNP to do the same, or step aside (4/4): www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/highlan...
The SNP Government’s continued opposition fails to see the bigger picture and runs counter to the expressed wishes of communities in the far north. Imagine what this could mean for the Highlands: a highly skilled workforce, enormous potential, and a community ready to seize the opportunity (3/4).
Meeting our climate obligations will require substantial volumes of low-carbon generation, and nuclear must play a role in that mix Context matters. With a clear commitment from the UK Government to new investment, nuclear will form part of our future energy landscape (2/4).
This is the right move at the right time. The UK Climate Change Committee - an expert-led body - has been clear that nuclear power is essential to a decarbonised electricity system (1/4).
Jim Wallace was one of the architects of modern Scotland and one of the finest liberals our party has ever produced.
He believed deeply in devolution as a way to give people better services and more control over their lives and he lived a life of public service.
youtu.be/3m6tl2yKPDk
Small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of our economy.
Some are now facing increases to their business rates of 400% or more.
The Scottish Government must now immediately pause the business rates revaluation to give businesses the breathing space they need.
The new electric car charge will hit rural areas like the Highlands harder than anywhere else due to the lack of public transport options and the large distances that journeys can involve.
This must not be another city-centric policy that hits those in rural areas with the bill.
I was out campaigning in the Borders when I heard of our fantastic victory in Fort William and Ardnamurchan this morning.
Congratulations to our newest councillor, Matthew Prosser!
Right across Scotland, from the Borders to the Highlands Liberal Democrats are winning again.
Lib Dem GAIN. Result of the Fort William and Ardnamurchan by election in Highland council, which was won by the Liberal Democrats with 40.4% of first preference votes, ahead of the SNP in second with 29.1% of first preference votes. A Lib Dem gain from SNP.
Scottish Liberal Democrats are winning the fight against the SNP in the Highlands.
The SNP's relationship with rural Scotland is broken.
The Highlands deserve better.
By backing the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you can get change with fairness at its heart.
Read the @pressandjournal.co.uk story here (5/5): www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/...
Holyrood has voted for an independent review of maternity services in Caithness, that is what we should now expect.
Caithness deserves better. To have any chance of rebuilding trust, the review must have an independent chair and must meaningfully engage the community (4/5).
For the women who have bravely spoken up about their experiences of travelling to Inverness to give birth, the SNP’s backtracking will be a real blow.
Let’s be clear; this is a question of respecting the will of Parliament and keeping to what you say you will do (3/5).
NHS Highland’s Chief Executive, Fiona Davies, explained to me in a letter that services in Caithness will instead be folded into the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by an SNP Government Minister (2/5).
Campaigners called for an independent review of maternity services in Caithness and the Scottish Parliament voted for it.
But, it seems, that is not happening (1/5).
There must also be a recognition that the one-sized-fits-all model simply will not work for the rural Highlands. Ministers should review the current rules to ensure they are working in the interests of community safety, not against them (4/5).
