WHAT a great couple of weekends I’ve had that have left me feeling very positive about the future.
Last week I attended a meeting with Lucy Beattie, the SNP candidate for the upcoming General Election for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross. I was really impressed with what she had to say. She is a very confident and knowledgeable speaker and left us with a positive feel for the coming campaign.
This week I attended a screening of two short films about small independent countries made by and hosted by Lesley Riddoch, who also had a question-and-answer session after. The first was about Estonia, which has thrived since independence and shows what a small country can achieve even from a very tough beginning. The second was Denmark, where wellbeing and community are prioritised.
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These two countries had the confidence and belief in themselves to chart their own course and are both out-performing the crumbling UK. We have been brought up to believe the UK is world-leading, but when you look at how other countries are prospering where we are struggling, you begin to see that remaining in this unequal Union is untenable.
The films provide inspiration for what could be achieved with a bit more courage and hope for a better future. Come on Scotland, we can do a damn sight better than we accept.
Alistair Crawford
SNP Thurso branch
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