More SNP Centralization

[rob murray]

Apparently scottish gov are going to be merging Highlands and Islands Enterprise with Scottish Enterprise, if true, then thats more services controlled from central belt located organisations. Why the great on going push for centralisation ? at the end of the day jobs will be sucked out of Highlands, which more and more is looking like a powerless back water. Regardless of what folk think of HIE it is located in the Highlands and has a certain degree of power, one of what the SNP call "the levers of power" yet the SNP manifesto spelled out what the called radical plans to hand more power than ever before to local communities”. Suppose you can ask power over what ?

[sprint95m]

Why the great on going push for centralisation ?

Since the overall budgets are being reduced, is there not a case for cutting total administration costs (by removing duplication) to try and ensure as much of the funding as possible goes into business development and job creation?

[rob murray]

Since the overall budgets are being reduced, is there not a case for cutting total administration costs (by removing duplication) to try and ensure as much of the funding as possible goes into business development and job creation?

Yes remove duplication of support services ( IT HR etc ) but dont swallow up HIE and make it a branch office of Scottish Enterprise. HIE has already been carved up, powers / budgets reduced, the highlands / economy is entirely different than the central belt and has to have this uniqueness properly represented at local levels, the inevitable spin will focus on creating a more robust economic agency but the truth is budgets and representation will fall, as it has done through past restructuring over the past 10 years a well known fact.

[rob murray]

Apparently Sturgeons in papers denying a merger !

[Glory]

When are you all going to get it into your heads that we don't matter? There aren't that manyof us up here to make any big difference to the vote at an election, our MSP doesn't give a flying fig about us and as far as |I can see we just dont' exist. Maybe we should join up with orkney again, we have the right post codes and become part of orkney council instead of highland/ do you think anyonewould anyone out there notice?

[rob murray]

Despite Sturgeon denying a merger with HIE and Scottish Enterprise surprise surprise guess what : read below

A NORTH MSP is calling for a debate on the Scottish Government’s decision to scrap Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
Rhoda Grant’s motion in the Scottish Parliament follows confirmation by Deputy First Minister John Swinney that HIE board will be disbanded and governed by an umbrella board in the central belt.
Mrs Grant, a Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, who is Scottish Labour’s spokeswoman for rural economy and connectivity, said: "I am outraged at this blatant centralisation.
"The Highlands and Islands Development Board, which later became HIE, was set up to assist the people of the Highlands and Islands to improve their economic and social conditions and to enable the region to play a more effective part in the economic and social development of the nation. Why then take decision making powers away from the area the board is there to represent.
"With the best will in the world, a board sitting in Glasgow or Edinburgh, cannot possibly understand the unique needs, culture and traditions of the Highlands and Islands. These decisions needed to be taken locally, by people with years of local knowledge.
"It is utterly appalling that on the day the Scottish Government has a debate ‘Supporting and Strengthening Scotland’s Island Communities’ they have just axed the very board which was set up to do this.
"The loss of the board takes us back to early 1960 when Willie Ross (Labour Secretary of State for Scotland) said that no part of Scotland has been given a shabbier deal by history.
"Sadly the SNP Government appears to be rewriting history and offering an even shabbier deal.
"This is a badly thought through, wrong-headed decision which must be reversed."

Given this, Sturgeons words as quoted in the courier make her out to be a total central belt biased out in out hypocrite........ OPPORTUNITIES for young people in the Highlands are increasing, but more must be done to support them according to Scotland's first minister. Making the north an attractive place to live and work was at the heart of a speech given by Nicola Sturgeon during a visit to the region.....Yeah ???

[rob murray]

When are you all going to get it into your heads that we don't matter? There aren't that manyof us up here to make any big difference to the vote at an election, our MSP doesn't give a flying fig about us and as far as |I can see we just dont' exist. Maybe we should join up with orkney again, we have the right post codes and become part of orkney council instead of highland/ do you think anyonewould anyone out there notice?

Given the MSP's stance on Caithness General Maternity provision, flying in the face of seemingly public opinion on the issue and the non interest from the good doctor MP...... I would agree with you. SNP, lets face it are a central belt / west of scotland party

[Bystander1]

Talking about non interest noticed this on Doanalsin's column :

NHS Highland is being challenged to commission an independent review into the future of maternity services in the far north. The call came yesterday as Highland councilors in Caithness accused the health authority of ignoring the public in its plans to do away with three consultants and put midwives in charge of the baby unit at Caithness General.

And then this :

OPPORTUNITIES for young people in the Highlands are increasing, but more must be done to support them according to Scotland's first minister. Making the north an attractive place to live and work was at the heart of a speech given by Nicola Sturgeon during a visit to the region.

How on earth does the glaikit bitch think young people will come to an area with no or failing health care ?

[rob murray]

Talking about non interest noticed this on Doanalsin's column :

NHS Highland is being challenged to commission an independent review into the future of maternity services in the far north. The call came yesterday as Highland councilors in Caithness accused the health authority of ignoring the public in its plans to do away with three consultants and put midwives in charge of the baby unit at Caithness General.

And then this :

OPPORTUNITIES for young people in the Highlands are increasing, but more must be done to support them according to Scotland's first minister. Making the north an attractive place to live and work was at the heart of a speech given by Nicola Sturgeon during a visit to the region.

How on earth does the glaikit bitch think young people will come to an area with no or failing health care ?

For the scenery and quality of air duhhhhhhh !!! Seriously this shows Sturgeon lives in a "virtual" central belt bubble...all spin and sound bites. As well as the Caithness General issue we learn that HIE board is being dunted, so whose going to fly the flag for the Highlands and Islands, you know operate the so called levers of power help / facilitate wealth creation and jobs ?

[Manxman]

I wonder if in the next few years the SNP will make us all move to the central Belt so that all the Services,money and people can be controlled in one place

[rob murray]

I wonder if in the next few years the SNP will make us all move to the central Belt so that all the Services,money and people can be controlled in one place

Might as well !

[Manxman]

Well we cant blame the ENGLISH for these HIGHLAND CLEARANCES the SNP

[rob murray]

Well we cant blame the ENGLISH for these HIGHLAND CLEARANCES the SNP

People including those active in the SNP are very uncomfortable with the way the Highlands have been treated, apparently theres a lot of dissent in SNP ranks over HIE 's board being abolished / consumed into a super development agency board, based in Edinburgh. Why do centralized services have to be based in central belt,ie police scotland call centre could be based in Inverness ? obvious answer there's more votes in central belt...with the SNP its meet the new boss same as the old boss as far as the Highlands are concerned !

[Oddquine]

People including those active in the SNP are very uncomfortable with the way the Highlands have been treated, apparently theres a lot of dissent in SNP ranks over HIE 's board being abolished / consumed into a super development agency board, based in Edinburgh. Why do centralized services have to be based in central belt,ie police scotland call centre could be based in Inverness ? obvious answer there's more votes in central belt...with the SNP its meet the new boss same as the old boss as far as the Highlands are concerned !

And here was me thinking that the Chairman of HIE actually knew what he was talking about on the HIE website, and it was simply a case of having one strategic statutory board to oversee all the Enterprise and Skills bodies, including SE and HIA.

He says on the HIE website - “The report on Phase 1 of the Enterprise and Skills Review made very clear that HIE will continue to manage and direct dedicated support for economic and community development across the region."

He further says
"The Review has recognised the outstanding success of HIE. Indeed it is testament to that success that there is to be a South of Scotland Agency to replicate the impact HIE has had for businesses and communities across the very diverse economies of our region.

“There will be changes at Board level, with the formation of a new overarching strategic Board to oversee the activities of all the enterprise and skills bodies, which of course includes HIE."

http://www.hie.co.uk/about-hie/news-and-media/archive/hie-will-continue-in-its-present-form--says-chairman.html#sthash.KlIsa58F.dpbs

To read you lot, you'd think they were going to be running HIE direct from Edinburgh, or even winding it up altogether....and if that was the case, why would they be setting up one for the South of Scotland.....though when the MSM is bandying about quotes from the likes of Labour politicians pretty much crying, as usual, doom, gloom and SNPBAD, I suppose there is some excuse for those who don't research for themselves.

[rob murray]

And here was me thinking that the Chairman of HIE actually knew what he was talking about on the HIE website, and it was simply a case of having one strategic statutory board to oversee all the Enterprise and Skills bodies, including SE and HIA.

He says on the HIE website - “The report on Phase 1 of the Enterprise and Skills Review made very clear that HIE will continue to manage and direct dedicated support for economic and community development across the region."

He further says
"The Review has recognised the outstanding success of HIE. Indeed it is testament to that success that there is to be a South of Scotland Agency to replicate the impact HIE has had for businesses and communities across the very diverse economies of our region.

“There will be changes at Board level, with the formation of a new overarching strategic Board to oversee the activities of all the enterprise and skills bodies, which of course includes HIE."

http://www.hie.co.uk/about-hie/news-and-media/archive/hie-will-continue-in-its-present-form--says-chairman.html#sthash.KlIsa58F.dpbs

To read you lot, you'd think they were going to be running HIE direct from Edinburgh, or even winding it up altogether....and if that was the case, why would they be setting up one for the South of Scotland.....though when the MSM is bandying about quotes from the likes of Labour politicians pretty much crying, as usual, doom, gloom and SNPBAD, I suppose there is some excuse for those who don't research for themselves.

HIE board will no longer exist,there will be changes, Highlands and Islands representation will take place within a single new entity, HIE's chairman has been criticized for rolling over and letting the board be consumed, and it is a fact, documented in media that SNP MP's / MSP's are lets say "unhappy" , with the decision and lack of consultation involved or is that from unionist media sources not to be trusted ? If HIE are part of a super "board" based in Edinburgh then board decisions will be made in Edinburgh there being no Highlands based board surely ?

[rob murray]

HIE board will no longer exist,there will be changes, Highlands and Islands representation will take place within a single new entity, HIE's chairman has been criticized for rolling over and letting the board be consumed, and it is a fact, documented in media that SNP MP's / MSP's are lets say "unhappy" , with the decision and lack of consultation involved or is that from unionist media sources not to be trusted ?

HIE = Highlands and Islands Enterprise, meets in Inverness, now whats wrong wi that, surely if it aint broke why fix it ? ie moving to a new overarching strategic Board to oversee the activities of all the enterprise and skills bodies, which of course includes HIE......

[Oddquine]

HIE board will no longer exist,there will be changes, Highlands and Islands representation will take place within a single new entity, HIE's chairman has been criticized for rolling over and letting the board be consumed, and it is a fact, documented in media that SNP MP's / MSP's are lets say "unhappy" , with the decision and lack of consultation involved or is that from unionist media sources not to be trusted ? If HIE are part of a super "board" based in Edinburgh then board decisions will be made in Edinburgh there being no Highlands based board surely ?

Of course he has been criticised...the 12 people who earn altogether around half a million a year, for an average six annual meetings, and some of whom will stop being Directors, will undoubtedly be concerned that they will no longer have a well-paid position, but I would expect that some of them, or other representatives from the Highlands would be on the new board.

As far as I am aware, the Board has overall responsibility for ensuring that HIE fulfills its statutory duties and the aims and objectives set out by the Scottish Government. The only specific responsibility it appears to have is for approving HIE's 3 year operating plan, and ensuring that the Scottish Government has thorough arrangements for appraising, monitoring and evaluating these targets...and there are two committees set up to do that.....a Remuneration Committee and a Risk and Assurance Committee. The board doesn't make the decisions about what money they get or what it is spent on...Scotgov does the first and the Executive/Management will do the second....otherwise the Board would have nothing to approve, would they?

So what difference it is going to make not having 12 people being paid half a million annually for six meetings to oversee the work of HIE is going to be what, exactly? It should save a bit of cash, which could be better spent on HIE projects.

The Highland MSPs would be better employed making sure there is adequate representation on the new committee for all areas involved in the new set-up than stirring it before anything has been set up at all.