Column from Liz Smith MSP (Mid Scotland and Fife) for the Crieff and Comrie Quair
I have just returned from an extremely enjoyable two weeks’ holiday walking in the alps of the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. Apart from the magnificent scenery and glorious weather, it was time to reflect - on what has, so far, been an extremely busy parliamentary session in the first half of 2025.
Apart from the very heavy schedules of the Finance Committee (rightly so given all the challenges facing the Scottish economy…..) and a large number of debates in which I participated in the chamber, it has been dominated by my ongoing constituency work on behalf of the former patients of Professor Eljamel - all of them still facing much pain and anxiety, the growing concern about windfarm and energy park applications across Strathearn and beyond, and, of course my Member’s Bill.
For the previous two editions of The Quair, I offered some thoughts on the first two of these issues given just how much they are featuring in my constituency surgeries and in the local as well as national headlines but let me offer some thoughts about what constitutes thriving local communities, and l make some comparisons with Switzerland.
In the first instance, it is all about local people taking pride in their local communities. There is so much to celebrate in a lot of what goes on across Strathearn but, after 20 years in the job as an MSP, l listen to people who feel there is far more pressure on them than ever before. Take the wind farm and energy park issue. Given the way things operate, local communities often feel decision-making is weighted against them as powerful developers and government combine to thwart their concerns. This doesn’t happen to the same extent in Switzerland. Maybe it is the cantonal structure but local people feel they have greater influence over decision-making.
Secondly, the economic challenges just seem to increase. In Switzerland, people are reeling from the imposition of Trump’s 39% tariffs which was wholly unexpected and also confusing as to which imports and exports would end up being affected, but they seem much better prepared to plan ahead for the future despite all the demographic pressures of an ageing population and changes to the job market. And, without doubt, their public services are far superior to those in Scotland. For example, they don’t have endless potholes, endless waiting lists or classroom indiscipline. We should be asking ourselves why not, and the answer isn’t all to do with money.
I know Switzerland is blessed with better weather than Scotland, but we have different but just as stunning scenery, just the same potential to develop our precious environment and to harness some of the finest natural resources in the world. The Swiss pay great attention to building resilience in their young people and allowing all of them to venture out into the mountains to enjoy what is on their immediate doorstep. Whilst on holiday, l visited two residential outdoor centres and was blown away by what l saw in their approach of their school groups. This is exactly what l am trying to achieve for all Scottish young people via my Member’s Bill. I just hope the Scottish Government listens and follows in the footsteps of the UK Government which has just awarded a very decent sum of money to help residential outdoor education and the value it brings.
