McGrigor goes to Shadow Environment post

Jamie McGrigor, Highlands and islands MSP has been made Shadow Environment Minister by Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie MSP as part of her reshuffle of Conservative Shadow portfolios at Holyrood. His previous postings were shadowing Communities & Sport, Fisheries and Culture.

His appointment comes  alongside a particularly indiscriminate call for the culling of older Conservative MSPs (called ‘bed blockers’ by the thrusting young would-be candidate-lite brigade) and following the party’s poor results in the 2010 general election.

Jamie McGrigor, who is 60, has been listed as one of the target cull – on the grounds of age alone – as has Annabel Goldie herself.

‘Bed-blocking’ in this context has little to do with age.

Complacency, limited competence, lack of interest in doing the job as opposed to marinating in its assured status is found at all points of the age spectrum. Labour’s Anne Moffat was a bed-blocker whom that party removed in time to retain her seat in the recent general election.

The challenge for all parties is to retain a vigorous, focused and committed membership of their elected representatives. Culling is necessary but it is unintelligent and indiscriminate to cull on criteria other than competence and energetic engagement.

Jamie McGrigor would be uncullable on these grounds. He is one of the few – if not the only – Highlands and Islands (or ‘List’) MSP who travels the entire territory,attending meetings and informing himself first hand of local concerns which he then acts to underline back at Holyrood.

A notably active MSP, he has significant scores to his credit and in areas relevant to his new brief. Several of his interventions, for example in aspects of the series of Crofting Bills, relevant to his new brief, have been successful on obvious merit.

Over the last 3 years, as Communities Spokesman with responsibility for housing, McGrigor has been a vocal supporter of local authority housing stock transfer and has argued against further restrictions on the right to buy. He has pressed the Scottish Government to improve the Rural Empty Properties Grant scheme so that empty and derelict buildings in the countryside can be brought back into service as affordable homes.

Speaking on Friday at Holyrood Jamie McGrigor  said: ‘I am delighted with my new role and the Environment brief which covers farming, crofting, fishing, aquaculture, country sports and forestry. These are all of huge importance to my region of the Highlands & Islands and I have much experience of all these vital primary industries.

‘The Crofting Bill is an obvious priority and I will continue to work with the SCF and others to improve the Bill to ensure crofting is given practical support. Food security is another major issue, along with our rural infrastructure.

‘I am looking forward to working with John Scott MSP with whom I have a very good rapport.’