Views
A time of reflection and anticipation - for the Inverness Courier
MANY congratulations to the organisers of the Hogmanay party in Inverness. The concert with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers was a superb family event, much enjoyed by the thousands of people who attended.
The councillors who spoke at the event - Roy Pedersen and Glynis Sinclair - as well as their colleagues who were involved, deserve thanks for an excellent evening's entertainment.
It was a great way to round off what has been a dramatic year, and to ring in 2011. I hope very much that the Inverness Hogmanay party is now very firmly on the map for future years, alongside the other well-established events elsewhere in the Highlands.
From reports from local businesses, the early snow put off some visitors over the Christmas period. But it is to be hoped that the Hogmanay event brought new people to the area. The excellent ski-ing at Cairngorm has certainly given the local economy a boost.
2011 will be a difficult year in many respects. Our economy is slowly recovering from the deepest recession for 60 years, and the impact of the tough but necessary spending reductions will be felt as the heavy lifting to restore the nation's finances get under-way.
The VAT rise that comes into effect today is one of the necessary measures to close the huge gap between what we spend and what we raise in tax. Given the economic mess that we inherited from Labour, this step is an unavoidable part of taking Britain out of the danger zone that we were in last May.
While raising VAT is not easy, it is preferable to the additional billions of spending cuts that would be the alternative. That is presumably why Alistair Darling, when he was chancellor in the last government, also proposed increasing VAT as one step to get the economy under control.
Everyone in government is acutely aware that the savings we have to make are hugely difficult and will have a real impact. We are working hard to ensure that we get better value for the money that we do have to spend - so that services can be improved even when resources are tight. But we are also aware that the alternative would take unacceptable risks with our economy.
Many of the measures we are taking to support growth in the economy will also start to have an effect in 2011. It is to be hoped that the new Scottish government to be elected in May does a better job than the SNP government has done of supporting the Highlands. Their failure to invest in the local transport infrastructure and the dramatic cuts to Highlands and Islands Enterprise even before the recession took hold are not a positive legacy for our area.
New Year is also a time to remember the huge contribution and sacrifice made by our armed forces, particularly those serving in Afghanistan. 2011 is a crucial year, as we start to transfer responsibilities to Afghan forces and so start to pave the way for our own forces to come home. The heroic efforts of British forces have made this possible, as well as helping to make us more secure from terrorist threats.
I hope all Courier readers had a Happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. First and foremost, I am your local MP so if I can ever be of assistance with any issue please get in touch by phone on 01463 711280, by e-mail to [email protected] or by attending one of my surgeries. I will always do my best to help.
Posted on: 04/01/2011
