INVERNESS AND NAIRN SNP MSP FERGUS EWING: ‘More people believe in the tooth fairy than are persuaded Scottish Government is committed to fully dual A96’
Road to nowhere it seems. At the end of November there was the long-awaited statement in Holyrood on the review of the pledge to dual the A96.
Promised years ago, this political “Late Show” did not fail to disappoint all except the Greens.
Despite the First Minister’s insistence that the SNP “remains committed” to the dualling of the road in full, the statement itself promised only a consultation - another one - on options. But the option the report recommended was not dualling at all - it was a few bypasses.
• Sign up for our free daily newsletters
The only part to be dualled, they say, is Inverness to Nairn, including the Nairn bypass.
There are probably more people who believe in the tooth fairy than are persuaded by the repeated assertion that the Scottish Government “remain committed to dualling of the A96 in full”.
This is because although the pledge was first made in 2011, not a single centimetre of tarmac is laid. In fact, I fear that the earliest the Nairn bypass can be delivered would be in the next decade.
All of this is a complete breach of faith, and I made my concerns crystal clear in Holyrood. It is simply not good enough.
Over the past months since the public meeting in Nairn, arranged by The Inverness Courier, and which transport secretary Fiona Hyslop attended, I have repeatedly sought a detailed statement from her in parliament setting out a detailed timetable as to when the project will be delivered - and the road dualled through to Auldearn and the Nairn bypass delivered.
Instead we have had nothing. Just a promise of a statement at an unspecified, but no doubt distant, date.
Anger over 50mph speed limit plan
This followed the announcement of a separate consultation on cutting the speed limit to 50mph on all single-carriageway trunk roads.
The response to this from many constituents has been of anger and frustration that, yet again, this seems to be the result of the influence of the Greens.
Even though the deal with the Greens - the Bute House agreement - is in the recycling bin, its influence lingers on.
Many believe that the speed limit being cut would increase driver frustration and not improve safety, as is claimed. It will of course hit Highland drivers hardest.
Whilst money is taken from the Highlands, a further £100 million is being handed to Sustrans for more cycle lanes - lanes which mostly seem as empty as the A96 dualling promises.
Alex’s biggest mistake
The Memorial Service at the High Kirk of St Giles for Alex Salmond was outstanding.
A key point made in the eulogy delivered by Duncan Hamilton KC was that Alex confessed to him that his biggest mistake was to resign straight after the referendum in 2014. How different history may have been.
My view is certainly he would, for example, never have allowed the promises made to the north of Scotland be so breached.
I was honoured to deliver a reading of the poem The Wild Geese by Violet Jacob. I confess to having spent much more time preparing for it than for most speeches - partly because of the fact that it’s written using much Doric wording.
Whether I did it justice is for others to say. Courier readers, who wish to, can see the full service, of just over an hour, online.
