…the blog and website of Andy Wightman
This meeting of the Scottish Affairs Committee on 2 February 2011 contains interesting evidence from Professor Sir Kenneth Calman and Professor Jim Gallagher relating to the Crown Estate from 15:33 to 15:44. A written transcript is not yet available (9
Continue reading(This Comment piece was published in The Herald on 4 February 2010.) The debate in England about the future of the public forest estate is now causing some serious discomfort for the coalition government as MPs are flooded with letters
Continue readingToday I submitted my written evidence to the Scotland Bill Committee of the Scottish Parliament. I am calling for the Crown Estate Commissioners to be removed from any role in the administration of Scotland’s Crown rights. This is a historic
Continue readingI have today submitted written evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee on the Long Leases (Scotland) Bill. It focusses on the impact the Bill will have on common good land. Those following this matter may also be interested in
Continue readingThe Scottish Government consultation on land registration closed on 30 November 2010. Apart from the professional classes in property and law, it received little publicity or attention from civil society in Scotland. This reflects a long tradition of legal reforms
Continue readingCountry Life have published a piece on who owns Britain and appear to be surprised that things have changed quite a bit since 1872! They should get out more often. The piece was puffed up in the Telegraph [link broken
Continue readingBrian Pack has today published his final report on the future of farming support in Scotland. Among a number of recommendations, he argues that there should be no cap on individual payments of public subsidies for farming (page 69 of
Continue readingI don’t want to be a pedant but it is symptomatic of much political debate about land reform that the wrong things are said about some important matters which, if not corrected, serve only to confuse. In Iain Gray’s speech
Continue readingHarry Reid’s review of my new book in the Herald today (30 October 2010) makes exhilarating reading. I am particularly impressed by the presentation they gave it against the stunning background of a Colin Mearns photograph of South Uist (I
Continue readingI am not one who usually goes in for some of the wailing and hand wringing about the evils of the landlords or how we wus robbed in the past. Scotland is already full of plenty people for whom this
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