Bu chòir sùil a chumail air seann sgìre a’ Cheannadaich, le Murray MacLeòid

Dh’fhoillsich comhairliche agus fear-gnìomhachais an t-seachdain-sa g’ eil e an dòchas seasamh anns an sgìrean taghadh a bh’ aig Teàrlach Ceannadach nach maireann, agus gun teagamh, dh’aontaicheadh gu leòr ris na faclan a bh’ aige ri ràdh.

[English-language version below]

Thuirt Aonghas Dòmhnallach, a ràinig àrd-ìre ann an saoghal a’ ghnìomhachais mus deach e a-staigh do phoileataigs leis an aon phàrtaidh ‘s a bh’ aig a' Cheannadach, gun deach na billeanan a chosg ann am bailtean mòra na h-Alba, eadar prìomh rathaidean, ospdadalan ùra is tramaichean, nuair a chaidh a' Ghàidhealtachd an ìre mhath a dhìochuimhneachadh ma dheidhinn.

Thuirt e gur e “dà aiseag a tha bliadhnachan air dheireadh an aon rud a th’ againne, leis an trì uimhir a' chosgais ’s a bha còir”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mar bhrath poileataigeach, bha e iomchaidh agus gun teagamh, tha an staing anns a bheil CalMac an-dràsta air droch chliù a thoirt air an SNP. Ach, mar a dh’obraicheas sin a-mach aig àm taghaidh… ‘s e a tha sin ach na rud eile.

Ged a thog Mgr Dòmhnallach air cùis nan aiseag, dh’fhaodadh e grunn rudan eile a chur air an liosta: an dàil air leasachadh an A9; a' mhì-chinnt timcheall an Rest and Be Thankful; gearraidhean mòra ann am buidseat Iomairt na Gàidhealtachd is nan Eilean; cho suarach ‘s a tha sgeama a’ bhann-leathainn fìor luath; seirbheisean slàinte ann am Moireibh is Cataibh; gainnead thaigheadais.. Agus mar sin air adhart.

Ach an dèidh sin... Thoir sùil air mapa poileataigeach na h-Alba agus chì thu cho làidir ‘s tha an SNP; tha iad a’ cheart cho cumhachdail agus a bha na Làbaraich uaireigin nuair a chanadh iad gum faodadh tu, ann an cuid a sgìrean, bratach dhearg a chur air muncaidh agus dhèigheadh a thaghadh. (‘S dòcha g’ eil na muncaidhean dìreach air còmhdadh eile a lorg.)

Aon àite far nach biodh e a’ dol cho math dha na Làbaraich, ‘s ann air a’ Ghàidhealtachd ‘s na h-Eileanan. Anns an sgìre fharsaing seo, ‘s ann a bha làmh an uachdair aig na Lib Deamaich.

The late Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy, pictured during a party rally in 2005 (Picture: Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)The late Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy, pictured during a party rally in 2005 (Picture: Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)
The late Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy, pictured during a party rally in 2005 (Picture: Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)

Cha robh àite far an robh sin cho follaiseach ri Siorrachd Rois, an t-Eilean Sgitheanach is Inbhir Nis an Iar le Teàrlach Ceannadach; fear de bhalaich na croite a bha a’ tarraing spèis mhòir agus aig an robh cliù mòr.

Anns an t-suaile a thàinig leis an SNP às dèidh reifreann 2014, chaill e àite agus e fhèin a’ fulang bho ghrèim na dibhe làidire. Chaidh brath a ghabhail air na trioblaidean a bh’ aige le Iain Blackford agus an luchd-taice, rud a bha cho mì-chàilear ’s a ghabhas. Sheall prògram air BBC ALBA dhuinn ciamar a bha sin agus a’ bhuaidh.

Bha sin na ro-shealladh air cho bìteach, suarach ‘s a bha poileataigs na h-Alba a’ dol a dh’fhàs anns na bliadhnachan ri thighinn, agus tha an dìleab sin fhathast againn.

Tha an SNP fo chuideam nach fhacas bho fhuair iad an làmhan air cumhachd an toiseach, ach chan eil sin idir ag ràdh, leis mar a h-uile càil air a sgaradh mu thimcheall na bun-reachd, gun tig atharrachadh sam bith ann an cabhag. Tha fhathast bhòt mòr cinnteach aca, le faisg air a dharna leth dhen dùthaich ag iarraidh neo-eisimleach agus an leth eile air an roinn thairis trì pàrtaidhean.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tha beagan nas lugha na dà bhliadhna gu taghadh Westminster agus leis gu bheilear ga comharrachadh mar seorsa de reifreann air neo-eismileach, tha an iomairt air tòiseachadh mar-thà. Ach, b’fhiach sùil a chumail air Siorrachd Rois, an t-Eilean Sgitheanach agus Inbhir Nis an Iar. Ma tha atharrachadh air fàire an sin, ‘s e comharra mòr a bhios ann.

English-language version:

When a businessman and councillor this week publicly launched his bid to regain the former Highland constituency held by Charles Kennedy, his words would have rung true for many across the region, and probably rural Scotland as a whole.

Angus MacDonald, who had an enviable track record as an entrepreneur before entering politics, drew on the current trend for centralisation, claiming billions of pounds have been spent in the Central Belt, but the Highlands and Islands virtually forgotten about. He said that "all we’ve been left with is two Calmac ferries, years behind schedule at triple the estimated price”.

As a political message, it served a purpose and certainly the entire fiasco surrounding CalMac has damaged SNP plc, but as for electoral consequences, that may prove a different matter. While Mr MacDonald focused, not unreasonably, on ferries, he could have added to the list: delays to the A9 dualling, dithering over the most unsuitably-named road in Scotland, The Rest and Be Thankful; cutting the budget of Highlands and Islands Enterprise by half; broadband roll-out; controversies over local health services in Moray and Caithness; lack of action on rural housing… it goes on. Other rural parts doubtless have a similar litany of failures.

And yet. Take a look at the electoral map of Scotland and you will see the dominance of yellow; an SNP hegemony just as all-pervasive as the long years of Labour control when it was said that in certain parts you could pin a red rose on a monkey’s lapel and they’d still be elected. Maybe the monkeys have just jumped ship.

One area where Labour traditionally struggled to get much of a foothold was in the Highlands and Islands (with the exception of the Western Isles) where the Lib Dems, in their various carnations in history, held sway.

Nowhere was that more obvious than in the case of Ross, Skye and Inverness West with Charles Kennedy, a highly popular politician, instantly recognisable and universally liked, and, as a son of the croft, a Highlander to his core.

In the SNP post-referendum landslide in 2015, Mr Kennedy lost his seat as he battled to cope with the horrors of alcoholism and in the face of the most bitter, personal campaign where his struggles were exploited to cruelly maximum effect by Ian Blackford and his party apparatchiks. It’s well worth giving the BBC Alba documentary on the subject a look.

As a signal of the divisive politics that was to inhabit Scotland for the next few years, it was to prove prophetic. There may now be signs that the gloss is finally peeling off the SNP administration in Edinburgh – at least according to the polls – but that’s not to say, in the constitutional segregation that defines us today, it will translate into major electoral change.

The SNP can still call on a significant block vote, dominating the support of nearly half of the country that supports independence, whereas unionist backing tends to be spread over three competing parties.

The next Westmister election is due in less than two years’ time and it’s clear that, whether a “de facto” referendum or not, campaigning is effectively already underway. What happens in Ross, Skye and Inverness West could well signal if any real change is in the air.

Related topics:

Comments

 0 comments

Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.