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FM delivers Sabhal Mor Ostaig annual lecture
18/06/2004
First Minister Jack McConnell today said that the economic and cultural renaissance of the Highlands and Islands was an inspiration for Scotland's future.
He was speaking on Skye, where he delivered the 13th Sabhal Mor Ostaig annual lecture. He said:
"The Highlands and Islands renewal has occurred over 40 years and it has accelerated with devolved government. It has been underpinned by government action - local and national - not a coincidence or a series of accidents, but a deliberate choice to invest and modernise. Government has invested in infrastructure, in education, and in culture. And Government's have promoted individual enterprise and community responsibility with economic reforms and crucially, with land ownership reform.
"The Highlands and Islands was once one of the most deprived and rundown parts of Britain. It was a place where the only way to get on was to get out. Housing conditions were poor, internal communications and transport were consistently inferior, and the area was seen as a place of the past with no real future. Today however, the Highlands and Islands stands proud as a symbol for Scotland's future, and the lessons of its renewal are lessons for Scotland.
"Government must invest for the long-term. Transport communications and education are key, but so too is culture, the environment and the quality of life.
"I want to see more Scottish communities and regions develop the confidence to grow just as the Highlands and Islands has grown. I want a Scotland welcoming Fresh Talent, just as the Highlands and Islands is doing as part of its renaissance and I want a Scotland where the Scottish cringe has given way to confidence and belief - just as the Highlands and Islands has overcome its lack of confidence and belief."
Sabhal Mor Ostaig is Scotland's only Gaelic college. For more information www.smo.uhi.ac.uk