Gaelic is more than a language, it is part of our nation's identity
For those detractors who say it is a dead and useless language and a financial drain, I say shame on you. Through centuries of oppression and abuse, Gaelic has survived, and now with music and the arts and a longing for independence, there is a resurgence.
Only in knowing the history of your country can there ever be confidence in its future destiny. Wrapped around its ancient Celtic identity, Scotland remains a reawakening nation that has, in the past, given much to the world.
Grant Frazer
Newtonmore
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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Young Scots back UK Government decision to lower voting age
Of course, here in Scotland, 16 and 17-year-olds have been able to vote in Holyrood and council elections since 2016. So what do young Scots think about the decision to expand voting rights, and which party could benefit most? SNP activist Alex Gill said a "stronger youth voice" could convince the UK Government to pursue more progressive policies. The 22-year-old said: 'This will reshape the electorate and elevate issues that matter most to younger citizens such as action on climate change, access to affordable housing and opportunities for fulfilling work. 'Successive UK governments have shown little appetite for strategic, long-term policymaking, too often chasing short-term optics. With luck, a stronger youth voice will hopefully pressure them to start rectifying that failure. Read more: Shane Painter, a Scottish Conservative who was one of the youngest parliamentary candidates in 2024, is also in favour of expanding the franchise. He said: 'Lowering the voting age to 16 is a good move. It might finally force parties to speak to young people's concerns. In Scotland, 16-year-olds can already vote and they take it incredibly seriously. Painter had strong words for his own party's positions on young people, noting: 'Conservatives must stop being the party of pensioners, back housebuilding, scrap the triple lock & WFP, and invest in the future and young people if we ever want to be in government again.' Painter's position is somewhat unique among members of his party. Former Tory MP candidate Shane Painter. (Image: Aberdeen Conservatives) In the House of Commons on Thursday, Conservative shadow housing, communities and local government minister Paul Holmes told MPs: 'This strategy has finally revealed [Labour's] ambition for allowing a 16-year-old to vote in an election but not stand in it, probably because young people are being abandoned in droves by the Labour Party. 'So, why does this Government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they're voting in? That position was echoed by Joshua MacLeod, the chair of the Scottish Young Conservatives, who told The Herald: "This is just another rushed headline with no serious thought behind it. It's yet another case of Labour trying to rewrite the constitution to suit their own electoral interests. "If voting is meant to reflect adult responsibilities, then let's have a proper debate about adulthood. Not just a spontaneous change to mask their political weakness." Calum Mackinnon, who was unable to vote in the 2019 general election due to his age, says extending the franchise would be a step in the right direction. He told The Herald on Sunday: 'I was literally weeks away from turning 18. It felt like my almost 'mature enough' voice was going to be missed out on by about 60 days. In 2016, Brexit focussed my mind firmly towards independence, having been more sympathetic towards a No vote in 2014. 'Even as a young S2, I still remember 2014 so clearly and how it changed Scotland forever. Having lived and studied in the EU post-Brexit, I am a fierce advocate – despite its imperfectness, so I would have 100% voted in the 2019 general election.' Ellie Gomersall, the Scottish Greens activist and former president of the National Union of Students Scotland, also spoke out in support of the change, which she says is long overdue. Gomersall noted: 'From cracking down on their right to protest, to stripping them of their disability benefits, Westminster governments have consistently failed to represent the needs and interests of young people. 'This change means that young people will be able to have their say in the decisions Westminster takes that have a huge impact on their lives. However, Gomersall believes the government should go further, and introduce legislation to abolish 'the utterly undemocratic first past the post system' and 'replace the unelected – and overwhelmingly old and male – House of Lords.' Scottish Greens activist Ellie Gomersall. (Image: Ellie Gomersall) What about concerns raised by some that teenagers aren't mature enough to make informed decisions about who to vote for? Mackinnon, now 23, concedes that 'nuance' is often lacking at 16. 'It's a tough one,' he says. 'I think that nuance is difficult to obtain at 16/17. That being said, young people are always getting more and more aware and involved in our politics. 'I think, on balance, the young people who vote are probably interested enough to 'do the research' on what they want their politicians to achieve.' University student Caitlin Kelly, 20, shared similar thoughts. 'At 20 do I think differently than 16?' she queried. 'A bit less naive maybe but I largely vote the same. I think it is important to encourage young people to be part of the future of our country, and that is what voting at 16 does. 'When I was 16, the desire to vote was all the more prevalent except I then had the skills to read and research critically, and so being Scottish I was lucky enough to vote.' Fred Byrne, a student at the University of Aberdeen, agrees. 'Many 16 year olds have better informed political beliefs than their parents and grandparents,' he told The Herald. 'At 16, British youth can join the army or attend university, so it's only right they have been granted their long overdue right to vote. Young people are the biggest stakeholders in our future and will cast their votes for a just and sustainable world.' Will 16 and 17-year-olds be persuaded to vote for Keir Starmer's Labour? Hope Merriweather, who recently graduated from Dundee University with a degree in law, says she isn't sure if the change would boost voter turnout. 'I don't know if it would increase participation,' she told The Herald on Sunday, adding: 'I do think that the 16-year-olds that care should get to participate. 'I have some questions about 16-year-olds' ability to think critically, so I would want some level of education around it to prevent their parents from influencing their opinions too much. 'However, overall I think 16 and 17-year-olds have plenty of capacity to think and vote for themselves, as long as they are given the tools to do so. 'That goes for the entire population, the most important issue with voting right now is a lack of voter knowledge. If we could increase that across the board it would improve participation.' Will extending the franchise shift the balance of power, potentially giving Labour a bulwark from which to combat the rise of Reform among working class voters? A leading pollster believes it may. Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common told the Mail: 'Given young voters tend to lean to the left, we should expect the Greens and Labour to be the bigger winners of extending the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds, with Reform doing well among young men, and the Tories the big losers.' Read more: Meanwhile, Reform's Nigel Farage has hit out at the move, accusing Labour of attempting to 'rig the political system.' Gill believes that the lowering of the vote age could be a boon for the SNP. He said: 'The latest polling shows that 75% of Scots aged 16 to 29 back independence, and support is likely even stronger among 16 and 17-year-olds. "Therefore, expanding the franchise will certainly be a positive development for pro-independence parties.' Of course, with the next general election not scheduled until 2029, the UK's political parties will have ample time to court young people ahead of what could be one of this nation's most consequential electoral contests.
The Herald Scotland
5 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scots firms get nothing from £350m of SNP-backed ferry deals
It can be revealed that there has been no agreement with Remontowa for any Scottish input in terms of providing products or other support or supply services for the construction of seven new electric ferries for Scotland signed off by CMAL at a cost of £147.5m. The only Scottish benefit is the company agreeing to match CMAL's charitable funding of £9000 a year and that 21 Scotland-based shipbuilding apprentices would get to attend an unstipulated number of sessions for training purposes when the vessels are delivered including involvement in sea trials. When Turkey landed a second £115m contract in 2023 to build two ferries for longsuffering islanders in a bid to shore up the nation's ageing ferry fleet, the only Scottish benefit set down was that an undefined number of Scottish apprentices would get an unspecified period on attachment at the Turkish yard. The community benefit of the first £91m contract award for two ferries given to Turkey was that up to three Scottish apprentices would gain one week's work experience at the Cemre shipyard every year over the course of the three year build and a total of £30,000 to CMAL's fund to support projects across Scotland. As of the start of last year, of the 58 companies providing products or services for ferries being built in Turkey - all are from overseas or based in England. Details of the lack of Scottish input has produced a new wave of anger over how vital vessels are being procured and has come two-and-a-half years after there was a political row over steel being sourced in China for two of the ferries being built in Turkey. CMAL then confirmed that steel from China was being used because sourcing materials from war-torn Ukraine had been ruled out. CMAL is directly funded and overseen by the SNP-led [[Scottish Government]], which provides loans and capital grants for ferry contracts and infrastructure projects. It comes amidst the continuing fall out over state-owned Inverclyde shipyard firm Ferguson Marine failing to win any of the publicly funded contracts to build the 11 ferries. Calls to the [[Scottish Government]] to give an uncontested direct award of ferry contracts to its shipyard were dismissed by deputy first minister Kate Forbes who cited legal risks. Ferguson Marine was told that the Ferguson bid for seven of the ferries did well in the technical evaluation but could not match the overseas yard on price. Read more: Why did ministers back awarding of Scots ferry contracts to foreign firms? Public inquiry demand over 'scandal' of hundreds of Scots jobs lost in ferry fiasco 'Laughable': Turkey-built ferry to be delivered seven years faster than fiasco ship Cost to repair CalMac ferry now £2m more than to buy replacement 'Final nail in coffin'. Scots fiasco firm loses out on big ferry contract to Poland 'Material uncertainty' over Scots ferry operator future amidst £45m funding hike 'Mismanagement': Public cost of Scots ferry fiasco firm hits £750m amidst overspends One industry body as said that overseas yards enjoyed more state support and cheaper labour costs, often able to undercut UK yards by 10-20%. The UK's refreshed national shipbuilding strategy has called for a minimum 10% social value element in public tenders to offset that. A 10% social value evaluation element is required where appropriate for high value public contracts in other parts of the UK but is not mandatory in Scotland. But CMAL said it did not include social value - which includes the likes of employment, training or environmental benefits - in the scoring for the small vessels contract because it was worried about a possible legal challenge. That came as concerns continue over wildly delayed and massively over-budget delivery of Glen Rosa and its sister ship Glen Sannox which both due to be online within first seven months of 2018, to serve Arran. In the midst of the delays and soaring costs, Ferguson Marine, under the control of tycoon Jim McColl, fell into administration and was nationalised at the end of 2019 with state-owned ferry and port-owning agency Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and the yard's management blaming each other. Glen Sannox finally started taking passengers in January, while Glen Rosa's latest schedule for delivery is between April and June, next year - eight years after it was due. According to the latest Scottish Government details from last year of 58 companies said to be supporting the Scots ferries' build in Turkey, just one has any Scottish connection. Norway-based Kongsberg have an agreement in place with Cemre Marin Endustri for 50 retractable fin stabilisers for the first two vessels. They have a production facility based in Dunfermline. Chris McEleny, the ex-leader of the [[SNP]] group on [[Inverclyde]] Council who has long been fighting for direct awards of ferry contracts to [[Ferguson Marine]] as well as spin-off community benefit clauses said: "The renewal of Scotland's ferry fleet should've presented a pipeline of work that would've seen the creation of 1000 jobs, seen the Clyde re-emerge as a shipbuilding powerhouse and bring the Inchgreen dry dock back into industrial use. "It is Scotland's shame that this work, and the community benefits that should've come with it have been outsourced to abroad. For decades our ships proudly carried the badge of honour 'Clyde Built'. Now they will sail under a wind of shame that says built in Turkey or built in Poland paid for by us." He added: "CMAL is only focused on the bottom line and they couldn't care less in regard to where ferries are made from. "This is the ultimate failure of Government as it is their job to see the bigger picture to ensure that when we spend millions of pounds renewing our ferry fleet that the procurement exercise builds capacity in our community by upskilling the workforce, guaranteeing apprenticeships and ensuring that Scottish suppliers receive work." Former community safety minister Ash Regan said it was "obscene that a country with a shipbuilding heritage like Scotland's is sending hundreds of millions of pounds of contracts to Turkey and Poland". This means that instead of Scotland's vast amount of public money helping to sustain, build and secure more jobs and better resilience within our own manufacturing sector the Scottish taxpayer is instead subsidising jobs overseas instead of creating them in Scotland. The Alba Edinburgh Eastern MSP added: 'This is not how to show the ambition of a country driving towards independent statehood - this is settling for the devolved disempowerment of managed decline within a failing UK. 'It seems that time and time again community benefits - which are a legal requirement - in our procurement either receive lip service or the only communities that benefit from public sector procurement are those not in Scotland.' Ministers and CMAL have previously been condemned for the lack of community benefits which are defined in the ground-breaking Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 as a "contractual requirement" relating to training and recruitment and the availability of sub-contracting opportunities. The Scottish Government in its commentary on the Act said: "Community benefits have contributed to a range of national and local outcomes relating to employability, skills and tackling inequalities by focusing on under-represented groups. The Act aims to achieve the maximum use of these requirements in public procurement." The ground-breaking Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 when it was brought in was seen by many as a welcome move away from contracts awarded only on the basis of the lowest price towards those which offer the best long-term outcomes for Scotland's communities and the environment. Public contracts valued at £4m or above have specific requirements in relation to community benefits in the authority area that a contract is issued. These should include training and recruitment, the availability of sub-contracting and supplier opportunities, and that it is intended to improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of the area. If no community benefits are sought in a contract, a statement must be published justifying the decision. CMAL has previously denied that there is a breach of procurement laws saying there was no legal requirement to consider community benefits. They have said that the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations requires contractors to treat economic operators "equally and without discrimination, and restricts CMAL from artificially narrowing competition by unduly favouring or disadvantaging any particular economic operator". They have said that to narrow the supply base to a particular location like Scotland could be construed as "favouring manufacturers, particularly as there is a limited supply base in Scotland, leading to potential challenge". In the initial two ferries contract award to Turkey, CMAL had invited four overseas companies to bid to build the two vessels bound for Islay - and excluded Ferguson Marine. Scottish Government-controlled Ferguson Marine, failed to get past the first Pre Qualification Questionnaire hurdle in the Islay ferries contract. CMAL said of the agreement with Norway-based Kongsberg that eight retractable fin stabilisers have so far been purchased and sourced in Scotland. A spokesperson said: "CMAL follows robust procurement process and complies with all applicable Scottish procurement law. The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 does not legally require community benefits to be included in contracts. "However, at the SPDS [Single Procurement Document Scotland] stage of the procurement process for the small vessel replacement programme, we highlighted our commitment to community benefits, and advised yards there would be an option to include them in tender responses. None of the bidders included details of community benefits. "During contract discussions with Remontowa shipyard, two community benefits were agreed and included before signing. 'While Scottish public authorities can include social value considerations in procurements, they are not permitted to set requirements which would unlawfully discriminate against foreign shipyards and must at all times treat all bidders equally.'
The National
6 hours ago
- The National
Rural Scots 'face major energy bills hike after RTS meter switch off'
RTS meters, which use long-wave radio signals to switch between cheaper and more expensive electricity rates remotely, are disproportionately common in off-gas-grid and rural areas. A full deactivation of the system was scheduled for June 30. But just 11 days before that deadline, the UK Government paused the planned blanket switch-off in favour of a phased approach, citing the fact that 314,000 households across the UK – including 105,000 in Scotland – were still using the meters. READ MORE: Dr Ron Mould: RTS switch-off will put vulnerable Scots at risk The Scottish Government had raised concerns that the shutdown could disrupt heating and hot water systems for those still relying on RTS meters, while potentially triggering steep hikes in energy costs. However, Shetland resident John Inkster said he is already feeling the impact after being moved off the RTS system by provider EDF Energy. He described the resulting rise in bills as 'unjust' and said it flies in the face of assurances given by Ofgem, the energy regulator. Ofgem has stated that consumers should be left 'no worse off' as a result of switching away from RTS meters. But Inkster said that for islanders like him – living in areas without access to mains gas – the reality is starkly different. 'I think we spend about £4000 a year heating our house at the moment, before the RTS meter changeover,' he said. 'I imagine that might go to £6000. 'You don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out that people are going to be completely fleeced here.' READ MORE: John Swinney: Labour are ruling out all options to reduce energy bills Before the switch, Inkster had two meters: one charging 27p per unit of electricity for standard use (lights, appliances, sockets), and another offering a reduced 15p tariff for heating and hot water. Since EDF replaced his system, most of his heating, except for storage heaters and a portion of water heating, is charged at the higher rate. Based on his calculations, the change equates to a 74% increase in costs on around half of his heating and hot water use. That could see his annual bill rise from £4000 to around £5500. 'There are a lot of people who don't understand this who have it in their house, to be honest with you,' he said. 'It is a bit complicated. 'But it doesn't take any kind of a genius at all to work out that customers will be much, much worse off.' He went on: 'It's said people are dying in Scotland in the cold because they can't afford to heat their homes. You hear that, don't you? 'Well, how is this going to affect those statistics? Improve them or make them worse?' Inkster said he was aware of other Shetlanders who had already 'torn panel heaters out of their houses' in response to the soaring cost of using them under the new tariffs. He warned that many affected households might only realise the full extent of the change when their winter energy bills arrive. The Shetlander has enlisted the help of his local MP, LibDem Alistair Carmichael, who has written to EDF chief executive Simone Rossi with his concerns. The LibDem MP for Orkney and Shetland, Alistair Carmichael (Image: UK Parliament/PA Wire) 'Ofgem has stated that energy companies should give equivalent tariffs to RTS customers so that no one is left worse off as a result of switching,' the MP said. 'At best, what EDF is doing goes against the spirit of that commitment – at worst, it looks like an active attempt to evade the new rules. Ofgem and the Government must come down hard on this sly behaviour.' EDF did not respond to the Sunday National's request for comment. A spokesperson for Ofgem said: 'We have made clear to suppliers that we expect them to treat customers fairly – not only in terms of shielding households from unnecessary costs but also offering the same or similar tariffs after their RTS meter has been upgraded. 'It is crucial that customers are protected at every stage of the phased shutdown, and we are spelling out to suppliers key requirements that must be met before an area loses its RTS signal. 'While this carefully managed phaseout process should reassure customers, it remains crucial that these meters are replaced urgently so it's vital to engage with your supplier when offered an appointment.'
