Making Scotland a global player

People in Scotland have always taken an immense amount of pride in the influence that Scotland has had in shaping the modern world and the innovations that Scottish pioneers have made. Advances such as logarithms and the television, penicillin and Radar to name but a few have transformed the world and can trace their roots to these shores.

These historic achievements are rightly given great importance by people in Scotland, but just as important for Scotland’s future must be the innovations that are still to come. The Scottish economy, like that of any developed country, relies on people creating technological and scientific advances which can then form the basis of commercial success. And it is in the renewable energy sector, perhaps more than any other, which Scotland has the potential to be a world leader with all the jobs and economic benefits that brings with it.

With 25% of Europe’s offshore wind and tidal energy potential and 10% of Europe’s wave energy potential, the quantity of clean, green energy that Scotland could produce is immense. Yet just as important economically, is the potential to export technology and expertise that being a world leader in the field allows.

That is why it was so heartening to see that Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang chose to start his recent visit to the UK in Scotland, where he attended a presentation on Scotland’s developing offshore renewables technology and visited Pelamis Wave Power in Edinburgh. A number of highly lucrative trade agreements were signed during the visit, but more than anything else it was a clear demonstration of Scotland’s role as a world leader in offshore renewables technology.

Much of the credit for the visit must go to the First Minister thanks to the delegations he has led to China, seeking to encourage greater business and cultural ties between China and Scotland. The potential that the Chinese and other international markets offer to Scottish businesses that are at the forefront of new developments is immense, and in the current economic climate it is more important than ever that this potential is realised.

These opportunities are important not just for Scotland as a whole, but specifically for Banff & Buchan. With Peterhead having been designated as a key hub for the developing offshore renewables industry, there is real potential for the local economy to benefit from future trade deals. Just as the oil & gas industry has seen expertise built up in Scotland exported around the world, there is the real possibility for Scotland’s offshore renewables industry to follow suit in time.

That, perhaps even more than the welcome gift of a breeding pair of pandas to Edinburgh Zoo, could be the real legacy of Vice-Premier Li Keqiang’s visit.

New opportunities

With the Parliament now back from its Christmas break, I am adjusting to the new challenges and opportunities that life on the backbenches offers. In particular, I am now a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee and the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee.

With Banff & Buchan’s strong fishing and farming interests, the Rural Affairs committee in particular will give me a welcome chance to be involved in matters of key importance to many of the communities I represent. While it may only be a matter of weeks until Holyrood dissolves for the coming election, I fully intend to make the most of this new opportunity and continue to speak up strongly for the fishing industry, farmers and the rural economy in Banff & Buchan in the time that remains.