Ocean Recovery

I took part in a debate recently on Ocean Recovery. With most of the earth's surface covered with water rather than land, it's a bit surprising that we haven't talked much about it before now.

But my preparation for the debate took an unexpected turn. On the very day of the debate, seven Norwegian teachers visited me for lunch in the Parliament. The longstanding friendships between Peterhead Academy and Norway saw Deputy Rector Michael Doig add the visit to their itinerary.

And their first question? On the day when Norway's new Prime Minister suggested suing the UK government for Sellafield nuclear station's pollution of their seas, it was to ask whether Scotland would do the same..

So my reference to this during debate had a very direct input from Norway. And I wasn't alone in expressing concern about developments in Cumbria. Because our oceans cannot be the property of any single nature.

We share the fish in our seas across nations. After all they know no boundaries. And if we foul the environment, we lose our fish and much more besides.

Free Personal Care

After much huffing and puffing, Scotland's New Labour & Lib Dem government finally agreed to introduce free personal care to give our old folks the dignity they deserve. But as we've seen in recent weeks that they're not going to get support from their London colleagues.

The new money will be very welcome in many households. But because it will increase people's incomes, London is saying that they will no longer provide people with some current benefits such as Attendance Allowance. So they want a new benefit, paid for with Scottish money, to save London about £20 million a year.

But it turns out that the debate so far has become deeply worrying for many of our old folk. I had to reassure one lady at my surgery this week that whatever happened, no one in Scotland will be worse off whatever the outcome of political discussion.

But it's another example of the worry New Labour's London branch is prepared to inflict in the name of dogma. We'll need to keep fighting for the resources we deserve.

Global Warming

There's been flooding in Cruden Bay. A number of fishermen tell me that cod stocks have moved north from traditional areas. And there's a dispute about a proposed park and ride in Mintlaw. It might not be obvious, but the link is global warming.

The Scottish Executive, our government in Edinburgh, is providing support for schemes to get drivers off the road and onto public transport. The park & ride is one such.

But the money provided to the Council can only be spent on this kind of scheme. It's another example of how little discretion they actually have. So it's not too surprising that council members and officials are anxious to ensure we can spend this money before it gets taken back.

The paradox is that many in the local community believe that the addition of over 70 buses a day passing to and fro by the school may bring new risks rather than gains.

Let's hope that other sites in Mintlaw can be considered before we finally plump for one that seems to be causing local concern.