I'll explain in the introduction to my book Reclaiming Our Land which will appear later this week.
Basically, I want to offer some thoughtful reading particularly during this Covid-19 lockdown.
My previous books, The Highland Clearances Trail and Highland Cowboys (original title Plaids and Bandanas) are in print and due updates from Luath Press. However, this pandemic has brought publishing, editing and new books to their own version of lockdown.
This work is highly relevant to the political prospects after lockdown. We should be due a Scottish Parliament Election next May, 2021. Serious debate based on experiences of law making in this field are essential to plan the way ahead. From my student campaigning days to being elected first to Ross & Cromarty District Council 1988-1996 and thereafter to the Scottish Parliament in 2003 for three sessions till 2016 gave me a perspective on land reform from many angles.
I want to engage in debate and encourage readers to share their views via this site. That's why I'm getting my draft book onto social media ahead of a possible print edition. The time is ripe to understand the land reform journey which has speeded up after a slow burn during my adult life to a series of widely welcomed Land Reform Acts in the Scottish Parliament.
Scotland has inherited such a concentrated pattern of land ownership that needs careful analysis. It requires specific solutions which can only be achieved with full powers over tax and reform levers in Scottish hands. Meanwhile, let's delve into recent events and formative moments of this generation who are reclaiming our land.
RG 19 April 2020
View on the A9 on the Black Isle heading across the Cromarty Firth towards Evanton where we live.