There was a full house at the Aros Centre in Portree on Skye for the Big Island Debate. The issues under discussion included energy, wind farms, political leadership and the future of the Gaelic language.
The debate has been broken down into managable sections that you can listen and view directly on this page. You can also view videos on the Scottish VotePod Channel on You Tube, subscribe to the audio podcasts on iTunes or directly download the audio files. Our audio clips allow you to listen to the discussion in detail, while the videos will feature shorter highlight clips.
The panelists were
Anne MacLeod - Solidarity
Dr Stephen McCabe - Local GP
Jamie McGrigor - Scottish Conservative Party
John Farquhar Munro - Scottish Liberal Democrats
Donnie Nicolson - Scottish Socialist Party
Michael Russell - Scottish National Party
Eleanor Scott - Scottish Green Party
Rhoda Grant – Scottish Labour Party
AUDIO
Section 1: The audience was particularly interested in discussing wind farms and the impact they are having both locally and nationally. This question from the floor started the debate.
The file can be downloaded here.
Section 2: The debate over energy continued with a range of questions from the floor including best practice elsewhere, the role of Scottish Natural Heritage and the lack of political leadership delaying decisions.
Download the file here.
This part of the evening finished with a question on recycling, land fill and how it could be improved on the islands.
Download the file here.
Section 3: Skye is, of course, one of the heartland areas of Gaelic and the ongoing development of the language was the next topic to be raised.
The file can be downloaded here
Section 4: Difficulties in providing health and other professional services comparable to other areas, is an issue of major concern to island communities. The father of a young autistic adult talked about his experience
Download the file here
Section 5: In common with other rural areas housing is a major issue on Skye. Provision of water supplies, affordability and the impact of 2nd homes were all raised.
Download the file here
Section 6: The final question of the evening asked the politicians what difference there would be should they be in government after the election.
Download the file here
VIDEO
The panel debate the merits of various forms of renewable energy generation within island communities.
The panel were then questioned as to whether they still saw a place for nuclear power.
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Nice useful discussions and debate
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