Report to the People
Policies not Personalities
The amount of hot air talked whenever there's a change in the Ministerial line-up would probably heat the homes of Scotland’s pensioners for a year.
But, amid the glorified soap-opera which passes for politics at such times, I have not noticed much comment on whether Wendy Alexander’s decision to leave her Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning post will result in a change in policy.
In Greenock, this is the vital question. For us, Enterprise Minister is one of the most important jobs in government.
When the shipyards closed we saw for ourselves the dangers of being over-reliant on a small number of large employers. To avoid falling into the same trap again, we must broaden our economic base – in other words, we must create the right conditions to attract and establish a wider range of businesses.
One such condition is a good, integrated transport system. We won’t bring businesses to Inverclyde if they cannot get their products to their markets and employees cannot get to the workplace. Projects such as the proposed river, road and rail interchange at Gourock, then, are also key.
But, even with a broad based economy and the best transport links in the country, people won’t set up new businesses in Greenock and existing businesses won’t expand to Greenock, if the local workforce doesn’t have the right skills and qualifications. This, of course, is where the third arm of the department – lifelong learning – comes into play.
The success of every part of this Ministry, then, is crucial for Greenock and Inverclyde. And, although individual Ministers may change, the policies – where they are working – will stay in place. Strategies are not the personal property of any one Minister, but are the responsibility of the Executive as a whole.
There is, though, no harm is making sure that the new man at the top, Iain Gray, is as well versed in the issues facing Inverclyde as Wendy was. I have, therefore, already met with him to discuss this and remind him of our local economic priorities. I also took the opportunity to pass on news of the success of Second Chance Learning and the Craigend Resource Centre in becoming two of the first learning centres in Scotland to be awarded quality assured status.
Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning are the three pillars which support economic regeneration in places such as Greenock: knock one away and the whole structure is weakened. And, as with any good building, while the site manager may change part way through the project, the blueprints need to stay the same.
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