BUSINESS INSIGHT: We need an MP who is ready to fight for us at Westminster
This Thursday we finally get to vote.
Since the election was announced we’ve held a hustings with candidates for the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency and I’ve attended other events with some of the candidates.
So am I inspired? Not really!
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Our region is on the brink of great change. Thanks to the Green Freeport we are currently attracting international companies and investment, and if everything goes to plan, we will be at the heart of generating renewable energy for the UK. This will help to tackle the climate emergency and halt our reliance on imported fossil fuels. For the Highlands, this will start to reverse the decline of our working-age population.
But there are barriers that need to be addressed, including the size and skill of our workforce, our housing emergency, our poor transport links and our electricity grid.
Faced with this opportunity, I was expecting the candidates to outline an inspiring vision to overcome these challenges and to set out their ambitions for our region’s future.
But instead of demonstrating ambition, or even an understanding of how to influence Westminster, I’ve found that our candidates are far more comfortable attacking their political opponents, and often on issues that are devolved to Scotland.
At Inverness Chamber we published our own manifesto which outlines support for our tourism industry, makes an ambitious call for Labour’s planned GB Energy to be headquartered here, and asks for Westminster and Holyrood governments to work together to tackle our housing crisis, and increase the speed of investment in our transport infrastructure. If these last two don’t happen we risk losing the opportunities of the Freeport to another European country.
Whoever wins on Thursday needs to understand how important the next few years are to our region, and that our renewable sector’s success is vital for the UK. They need to fully consult with our business community to develop a strategy for our region that can inspire us all. They then need to fight at Westminster for that vision to be fully realised.
Colin Marr is chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce.
