In a joint letter to the new First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, the MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Jamie Stone, and the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate, David Green, implored the new administration to ‘pay special attention’ to the Highlands.
The two lay out several issues facing the area, including lack of access to health services, poor investment in roads, and lack of defence against extreme climates.
They request a meeting with the new First Minister to discuss what plans it has to improve the livelihoods of Highlanders.Â
Commenting, Mr Stone said:
“My constituents are fed up with the soap opera shenanigans going on in Edinburgh.
“They just want to be able to see the dentist, drive on safe roads, give birth locally, protect their homes from flooding, and hire a carer for their elderly loved ones.
“The carousel of SNP First Ministers has further delayed Government schemes that are already years behind schedule.
“Our new First Minister has one chance to put right some of these wrongs, but I fear that the damage to public trust began a long time ago.Â
“It is time for a serious change in direction.
“Whether or not this current Government is capable of this is up to them and them alone.”
David Green, Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said:
“From a lack of access to local GPs and dentists to worries about finding an affordable home in their community, people desperately need a government focused on their priorities.
“But John Swinney is a continuity candidate with a history of threatening councils, ring-fencing funding and centralising power.
“He stood shoulder to shoulder with Salmond, Sturgeon and Yousaf and shared in their failures.
“This leopard cannot change its spots.
“People deserve a real alternative that will reset the government’s broken relationship with rural Scotland.
“We need a change of direction and, across the Highlands, it is the Liberal Democrats that offer it.”
