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Our Islands Our Future

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Our Islands Our Future @islands2014 CONFERENCE REPORT 19–20 SEPTEMBER 2013 1 Our Islands Our Future CONFERENCE REPORT 19-20 SEPTEMBER 2013 2 THE Campaign Orkney Islands Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Shetland Islands Council launched Our Islands Our Future on 17 June 2013. The three islands share similar challenges and opportunities that are different to other parts of the country. The campaign wants the islands’ unique The Group, chaired by Derek Mackay MSP, is circumstances to be formally recognised in the working towards developing a prospectus outlining constitutional arrangements post the independence opportunities for island communities in the context of referendum – notwithstanding the result of the the referendum. referendum. The campaign areas include: The Island Authorities are also working with the • Marine Resources and Energy Growth; UK Government through the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Scotland Office towards a concordat • Constitutional Status and Public Sector on the devolution of further powers to the islands Change; and The campaign has been endorsed by the Islands • Economic Drivers and Island Wellbeing. Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR). The Islands Commission Since the launch the campaign has gone represents 23 island regions across 12 countries and from strength to strength. In July the Scottish more than 15 million people. Government announced during the course of the ‘Lerwick Declaration’ its intention to convene In November the three Our Islands Our Future a Ministerial Working Group to discuss the issues council Leaders were jointly named as the Scottish raised by the campaign. Local Politician of the Year for 2013. Further information on the campaign can be found at: http://www.orkney.gov.uk/Council/C/our-islands-our-future.htm CONFERENCE REPORT 19–20 SEPTEMBER 2013 1 The Conference The Our Islands Our Future campaign held its first conference in Orkney over 19 and 20 September 2013. Over 150 delegates from across Europe gathered at Kirkwall’s Pickaquoy Centre to discuss and debate the main issues raised by Scotland’s islands councils through the campaign. The event was facilitated by the award-winning political commentator, Iain Macwhirter. This report is a summary of the presentations and debate that took place over the two day event. Contents 2 Speaker Profiles 15 The European Perspective – Subsidiarity 7 Day One Models in Europe, the Opportunities 7 Our Islands Our Future – 16 Lord Wallace of Tankerness Key Note Opening Speeches from 17 Island Areas Ministerial Working Group three island Leaders 18 Presentations by Yes Scotland 9 Questions and Answers and Better Together 9 Our Islands: Our Councils 19 Questions to the Government 10 The Importance of Place 20 Closing Key Note Speeches 11 Sauce for the Goose: Governance and 21 Evening Entertainment Finance in an Asymmetric Country 12 Day Two 12 Marine Resources and Energy 13 Constitutional Status and Public Sector Change 14 Economic Drivers and Island Well Being 2 Speaker Profiles Iain Macwhirter Mark Boden Iain Macwhirter is the award- Mark Boden joined Shetland winning political commentator for Islands Council as Chief Executive the Sunday Herald and the Herald. in October 2012. A lawyer by Born in London, but brought up profession, he has a long career in Scotland, Iain started at the in local government, including BBC as a political researcher ten years as Chief Executive at with the Devolution Unit in 1979 from Edinburgh Kennet District Council in Devizes, Wiltshire. He was part University. He presented and produced TV current affairs of the team that successfully created the new unitary programmes before becoming the BBC’s Scottish Political Wiltshire County Council. Correspondent in 1987. Mark has a wealth of experience in performance In 1990 he moved to London to present political management, delivering efficiencies, continuous programmes for BBC network television such as improvement and community engagement. “Westminster Live” and “Scrutiny”. He also presented a number of one off documentaries including “Hung Parliament’ about the Palace of Westminster’s art Alistair Buchan collection. He was a member of the Westminster Lobby for nearly ten years and columnist for a number of Alistair has been Chief Executive national newspapers. In 1999 he returned to Scotland to of Orkney Islands Council help launch the Sunday Herald and to present the BBC’s since August 1997 when he “Holyrood Live” TV programmes, which he continued to achieved what he describes front until 2007. as the ‘mildly embarrassing’ distinction of becoming the Iain has also written extensively for journals youngest ever Chief Executive ranging from Public Finance magazine to the of an ‘all purpose’ Council in Scotland. From July 2010 New Statesman; Big Issue to the Observer. until October 2012 he took on a secondment as Chief Executive of Shetland Islands Council to assist the SIC He was Rector of Edinburgh University 2009-11. through a period of change and improvement. His local In a co-production with STV, Iain presented a three part government career began in 1988 with the post of history of Scottish Nationalism, “Road to Referendum” Personnel Officer at Western Isles Council going on to which was transmitted in June. He has written a best- become Orkney Islands Council’s Chief Administrative selling book of the same name published by Cargo Books. Officer. Prior to that he worked in the health service and in the private sector in the field of Human Resources Management. Alistair graduated from Glasgow University in 1985 and from the then Napier College in 1987 where he gained a post-graduate diploma in Personnel Management. CONFERENCE REPORT 19–20 SEPTEMBER 2013 3 Malcolm Burr area. Council and COSLA responsibilities keep Michael busy but what spare time he has is spent keeping Malcolm Burr has been poultry, walking, reading, watching films and listening Chief Executive of Comhairle nan to music. Eilean Siar since November 2005. Prior to this he was Assistant Michael lives on Lamberton Moor in the south Chief Executive at Orkney Islands of Berwickshire with his wife, Joany, and their daughter, Council from 2000. Educated at Catriona. George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh he graduated from the University of Edinburgh in1988 with Bachelor of Laws (Honours). He gained his Diploma in Legal Practice Ian Davidson the following year and a Master of Laws (Honours) from Ian Davidson was elected as a the University of Cambridge (Sidney Sussex College) Scottish Labour and Co-operative in 1990. Married to Chrissie, he enjoys reading, MP in 1992. His first constituency current affairs, walking, football and rugby. was Govan, then Pollok, now Glasgow South West. He originally won the seat from Angus Campbell Jim Sillars (SNP) and now has a 14,000 majority. Angus Campbell is the Leader Prior to this he was the Regional Councillor for Govan of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. for 14 years when under Strathclyde Region. He served He is Director of Angus Campbell as the Chair of the Education Committee, which was Ltd and Lochs Services Ltd. the largest in Europe. He was also Convenor of the He serves on the Board of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities Education Western Isles Development Trust Committee. and chairs the Lews Castle Trust. Married to Joan, he has two children, Alasdair and Joanna and enjoys boats, the He has been Chair of the Scottish Affairs Select sea, sea angling, travel and reading. Committee since 2010, leading enquiries into the Scottish Referendum, The Crown Estate, Blacklisting, The Future of the Coastguards and Health and Safety Michael Cook in Scotland, amongst others. A non-practising solicitor, He captained the Parliamentary Rugby Club, swims, Michael was first elected to no longer runs, reads detective fiction instead. He was Scottish Borders Council as an brought up in the Borders and married a girl from the Independent member in May Western Isles. 2002. On becoming Depute Leader of the Council a year later, he set aside his legal career in favour of serving as a full- Professor Jim Gallagher time councillor, and is currently Executive Member for Jim Gallagher holds a Fellowship Corporate Improvement. at Nuffield College Oxford, and is At a national level, between 2007 and 2012, Michael visiting professor of government served as COSLA’s spokesperson for Strategic Human in the University of Glasgow. Resources with responsibility for pay and workforce His main interest is the UK’s negotiations across local government. During this territorial constitution, and is period, he was also Vice-President of Scotland Excel, the author (with Iain Maclean and Guy Lodge) of the national procurement agency for local government. “Scotland’s Choices” on the independence referendum, In June 2012, Michael was delighted to be elected as and of “England and the Union: why and how to answer Vice-President of COSLA. the West Lothian Question” as well as numerous articles in the Scotsman and other newspapers. He is a fellow of Passionate about Berwickshire and the Borders, Michael the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was formerly Director is associated with a variety of groups and bodies in the General, Devolution for the UK Government and an 4 adviser at different times to both Gordon Brown and Jean-Didier Hache Tony Blair as Prime Ministers. In St Andrew’s House he was head of the Justice Department from 2001 and Jean-Didier Hache is the dealt with local government and financing from 1996. Executive Secretary of the Islands Before devolution, he was private secretary to successive Commission of the Conference Secretaries of State for Scotland. He also works in of Peripheral Maritime Regions the private sector as a non-executive director. (CPMR). With a membership of some 150 Regional authorities located along Europe’s coastline or John Goodlad in its islands, CPMR is one of the main regional lobbying John Goodlad is the Managing groups in Brussels.
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