Rocket range saved!

The magnificent effort of the Range Taskforce in successfully managing the campaign to save the Uist rocket range deserves to be recognised and applauded from the rooftops.

The Councillors, officers and other members have worked extremely hard to persuade the Government to retain the vast range of skills in the range, and to reverse the decision of QinetiQ and their owners, the rapacious private equity firm the Carlyle Group.

The effort has been unstinting, and despite the short timescale, the full resources of the Council have been mustered to fight for the islands.

'To fight for the islands": remember that phrase.

Reports have been commissioned, arguments gathered and then expounded in an exemplary fashion, despite HIE refusing to release information to the Council. No other public sector body could have achieved what they have done, and without the local Council, the range would be have been closed by today.

Those close to the Taskforce have praised Vice-Convener Angus Campbell for being the driving force behind the whole rescue mission. He has been described as being a powerhouse of discretion, drive, tact and superb negotiating skills at every level, bringing on board everyone in a magnificent joint effort. He has also had to bite his tongue very often; as some 'supporters' have proved to be less than helpful.

But credit must extend to the other members of the Taskforce, who now must rightly be proud of their achievements; but who also need to realise that the closure issue will come back again, and there needs to be major effort to build up the base and the Uist economy to protect it from such a potentially serious blow ever striking again.

The brickbats lie with everyone involved in the creation of QinetiQ - from its ultra cheap sale privatisation, to those who allowed private greed to become more important than the strategic (inter)national interest.

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But there is a bigger censure that needs to be applied; and I make no apology whatsoever for returning to the scene of the crime and pointing the finger, not least because many friends and clients are employed - directly or indirectly - by QinetiQ, and the employees do not deserve what has happened to them.

Nearly two years ago our MP was told that closure was proposed. He did nothing. He told no-one. He didn't lobby the Minister, despite meeting her.

The proposed closure was announced. He blamed Labour and issued press releases. Constantly.

He didn't join the Taskforce; preferring to work alone, including setting up a conflicting petition. Conflicting, because the Council signed up to another petition, simply because the official petition was created by someone who actually spoke to the Council.

Never mind. MacNeil put down 14 written questions in the House of Commons relating to the proposed closure. The Taskforce found out about the questions through the media. They were questions the Taskforce wanted asked, but was MacAvity there to help?

He has been absent without apology for all (possibly bar one) of the Taskforce meetings.

He didn't submit a response to the consultation process.

He hasn't met with the Scottish Secretary to discuss the proposed closure, despite repeated requests and offers to do so. [He did gatecrash the first meeting, having not bothered to ask to attend, and pretending to be Angus 'Storas' MacMillan, issuing a press release dismissing the meeting before it had finished!]

As one person said to me, "He wants the Range to close, so he can build his election campaign upon Labour's failures."

The rent-a-quote-stuff might look good in the press, but the staff in Uist know exactly what he has done and what he has not done to fight for the islands.

And his biggest failure is to not engage with the staff, preferring to issue ill-informed statements on their behalf.

I have known about today's announcement since Monday afternoon. Why am I better informed about Westminster decisions than our MP?

Is it because I actually speak to people of all political parties, instead of grandstanding and alienating them? MacNeil's credibility in Westminster is paper thin as he is perceived to be a self-publicist rather than a serious politician.

And that doesn't help us one iota to fight for the islands.

The inclusion of Donald John MacSween in the Taskforce opened many doors that would otherwise have remained closed. Indeed many of these doors were being slammed in the face of the MP, as a direct result of his grandstanding.

Don't forget that his appointment was bitterly opposed by the SNP, in a spectacular piece of misjudgement, but it is clear from sources close to the issue that his political contacts made all the difference to the outcome.