February 6
To the Highland Press Ball in Inverness this weekend - celebrating local journalism with people from as far afield as Lewrick, as the UK Government likes to call the Shetland town.
As Rob was getting into his trews, he said he had checked out the UK Government’s ‘Benefits of Brexit’ document, which I had been denouncing all week, and noted the line:
“The deal we struck with the EU and our new Fisheries Act allow us to chart a course once again as an independent coastal state, bringing…new opportunities for our coastal communities from Lewrick and Peterhead at the north-eastern end of Scotland to Brixham and Newlyn at the south-western tip of England.”
I had been making the point that this is a fundamentally dishonest document which doesn’t even acknowledge the problems Brexit is causing let alone propose solutions. Rob seemed more concerned with its levels of literacy. The page in question is also headlined awkwardly: “The Benefits of Brexit: How we the UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU”.
But apart from not being able to write clear English or use spell check, the writers betray little understanding of geography - there is quite a difference between the two-hour car journey from Brixham to Newlyn and the almost 300 miles across the Atlantic from Peterhead to Lerwick, which is not really at the north-eastern end of Scotland. (Although it is sometimes shown as if it is, in a wee square on a map of the UK. Perhaps they have one on the wall in the London Brexit office?)
As we crossed from the annexe over to the hotel where the ball was being held, snow was falling, and a snell wind blew. The first real snow fell across the Highlands this weekend - later than usual. Despite the weather, people were arriving from all over this huge region. It has been a long two years without events like this and it was fun to see the men dressed up in their kilts and the women learning to walk again in vertiginous heels. Just ordering a drink at the bar has a touch of glamour these days.
We spotted ‘the ref’ - Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives and part-time football referee. Having shown a red card to Boris Johnson at an early stage presumably made it easier for him to shrug off host John Ross’s introduction - welcoming us to the “Highland Press Work Event”; and taking the opportunity to agree with the Prime Minister that ‘the best parties are often the ones you can’t remember”. Nevertheless, Ross must hope that the player in question will have shambled off the pitch before the May council elections.
The journalists who live and work here, some volunteers, some paid professionals make a big contribution to their communities. The area doesn’t get a lot of attention - it is not just the Brexit Benefits Office team who don’t know their Ardersier from their Elgin. So some recognition for all their hard work in an awards ceremony was obviously welcome.
It was a good night for the Leodsachs - Loch A Tuath News won the Highlands and Islands Community Newspaper of the Year 2022, volunteers producing a valued service throughout the pandemic under freelance editor Jayne MacArthur, while the Stornoway Gazette got Newspaper of the Year. (Here is a recent column by editor Brian Wilson about the stalling of efforts at serious land reform.) At our table, student journalist Kirsty Watt of the West Highland Free Press was delighted to win the new award for Environment and Sustainability journalism. The Jim Love memorial trophy for reporter of the year went to Alasdair Fraser of Highland News and Media, in part for his scoop about Dominic Cummings being taken to task over Brexit by staff at the Ceilidh Place in Ullapool on his summer holidays.
The Highlands is facing tough challenges - Brexit of course is putting up prices and reducing margin in many businesses. That will hit hard - there is a lot of poverty here. I asked about the effect of the rise in the domestic energy price cap. Highlanders have to pay more to heat their homes and fuel poverty is higher - why is this, as their region now produces huge amounts of renewable electricity which is cheaper than gas?
Ofgem was another UK Government agency which came in for criticism - from business insiders - who feel it is too entwined with the needs and politics of the south of England, where, according to LinkedIn, the vast majority of its staff are based. Why base them in a place that is so remote from the heartland of their sector? Ofgem has forced the renewables industry in the Highlands to bear the cost of grid infrastructure, making it pay huge sums to supply England, while suppliers in the south-east are paid for their energy. In an era where power comes from all over the world, it is a policy choice which has reduced investment in meeting climate goals.
But the Highlands and islands have a bright future. The particular history of these parts left sparsely populated land, neglected grouse moors for the rich, timber stripped, the people cleared. But that has given it unparalleled scope to become, for the next century and more, a European powerhouse. It has miles of open, windy hillside, fast-running rivers, tidal races and crashing waves.
Could an independent Scotland replace Ofgem with an agency with a different remit, more in line with Scotland’s priorities? If England isn’t prepared to negotiate a more favourable deal, infrastructure could be put in place to allow renewable businesses to sell power to the rest of Europe through Denmark and Norway instead.
We spent the latter part of the evening in conference around a coffee table in the hotel lounge, the men seated with legs akimbo, as they rested their folded hands on the woollen fabric of their kilts. In the background, a young Orcadian reporter and a lady from the telly were playing Deacon Blue’s “Dignity” on the grand piano.
One of our working group was Willie Cameron, also known as Mr Loch Ness, who inspired us with his positive vision of the future. “Renewables will be bigger than oil; bigger than gas”. The potential is unlimited; it can bring us back from the brink of the climate emergency; help regenerate the land and support communities. Willie envisages Scotland embracing the engineering triumph that renewable installations represent, taking pride in them, visiting and celebrating them. “The Highlands is on the cusp of greatness.”