The SNP and Landed Elites
I have been on a quest for some time to fathom why on earth the SNP Government is not doing more (doing anything in fact) on land reform. It has announced a new Scottish Land Fund but that is simply
Continue readingHuman Rights and Scottish legislation
I am grateful to Lallands Peat Worrier for his comments on a draft of this blog. A dispute over a farm in East Lothian may be responsible for the second time in two months for the provisions of an Act
Continue readingTenant Farming in Crisis
Landownership in rural Scotland remains hugely concentrated in the hands of very few large landowners. Whilst the kinds of reforms that might change this appear to be on the back-burner as far as the Scottish government is concerned, there is
Continue readingBusking for Street Children
In 2008, we set up Busking for Street Children which raised money for Students Supporting Street Kids. Since then I have not had the time to develop the project but there was (and continues to be) considerable enthusiasm for the
Continue readingLa Fantasia de Cadiz
Proud to see my daughter, Isla Ratcliff, in Evening News [broken link Feb 2024] today. She is playing with Edinburgh Youth Orchestra tonight in Glasgow and tomorrow (Sunday 8 April) in the Usher Hall. She has also composed a rather
Continue readingLand tenure and Deeside gaelic
Pictured above is Rob Bain of Ardoch, Deeside, Aberdeenshire who died in July, 2010. Rob was the son of Jean Bain, the last native speaker of Deeside Gaelic who died in 1984. In an interview with Sheena Blackhall, Rob
Continue readingKing’s Park, Stirling
Here is some additional background material on my previous blog about the sale of the King’s Park in Stirling. 1. An early paper from Stirling Council outlining the proposal. (Will get this properly referenced as soon as I can) 2.
Continue readingCorrour Estate and tax havens.
As the Land Registration etc. (Scotland) bill makes its way through Parliament, those of us who wish to see a crackdown on tax havens being used to record title to land in Scotland might care to recall this story of
Continue readingSmart, successful Scotland requires transparent land ownership
The Land Registration etc. (Scotland) Bill is currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament. One topic I have raised is the question of beneficial landownership and land held by companies in tax havens (see previous posts on topic).The Scottish Government
Continue readingLand Reform 10 years on
Last week saw the 10th anniversary of the Stage 1 debate on the Land Reform (Scotland) bill in the Scottish Parliament. It is interesting to note some of the statements made by MSPs at the time. Column numbers are in
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