It's the Clearances all over again. A few hundred year ago, our ancestors were removed from any decent arable land in the highlands to make way for sheep. They were forced to leave their homes. Some were sent to the coast, others were made to embark on dangerous journeys by sea in large vessels, many of which never reached their proposed destinations.
Here we go again.
All our resources are being systematically stripped. Local people being ‘asked to leave’ their houses. Businesses will be forced to close their doors, and the residents will move on. And after all this has happened, you can guarantee we will continue to pay the highest prices for energy despite producing more than our fair share. What we have at the moment, is unquestionably some of the most spectacular scenery in Britain. However, if the brown envelope brigade at SSE get their way, massive pylons and subsequently, the battery storage plants, will blot the landscape.
Do we really think the tourists, which so many of our local businesses rely on, will return? And even sadder, will our stunning wildlife return? The raptors, migratory birds, the waders and the ground nesting birds will probably disappear. The distinct lack of respect for the highlands, the occupants and its wildlife continues. Will it ever stop?
Let’s adopt the same attitude as SSE. By fighting for what we want by whatever means. To rub salt in the wound, a monument was built at the top of Ben Bhraggie by one of the main perpetrators of the Highland Clearances. Do we really want to see an SSE flag beside it?
Overpowered again?
