Election campaign break: Donald MacKinnon

Over the next few issues of Dè tha dol? we are taking a break from our usual Tea Break feature and asking the candidates in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election to take a Campaign break with us instead.

Labour's Donald Mackinnon was the first to pop into our office for a chat...

What’s your story so far?

I’m a crofter from Arnol, Lewis. I have lived on Lewis all my life apart from four years at university in Glasgow, where I studied Geography and Politics.

After university I was keen to come home – partly because I wanted to get back to crofting. I was lucky enough to get a job working in community development in Carloway, where our focus was to refurbish the old school and community centre and deliver a community shop. After working for the Community Association, I worked for Carloway Estate Trust. I’ve been working in Carloway for almost nine years.

I loved working at the heart of the community, delivering projects and working with local groups and I think it gave me a good grounding in how rural communities operate and what the challenges are, from accessing funding to linking up aspirations and making them possible, which is also where government comes in.

What are the biggest issues facing the islands?

Retaining our population is the number one priority. The headline numbers give a sense of this, but it’s more complex. We have an ageing population and need to deliver services across the whole community. So many other issues link back to this.

We need transport that works, including a ferry system that works for islanders and visitors and flights that are reliable and affordable. Many people who live here are not able to afford flights, even with the local residents’ discount scheme.

And we need long-term, sustainable jobs, matching the education that young people are being offered with skills and opportunities. Scottish Labour has a good offer around apprenticeships - it’s not always about leaving school and going to university.

We need to make sure that young people have choice. I was lucky that there was a croft for me and I had the option to come home, but not everyone does.

Housing is fundamental and addressing it is about taking various approaches, not just large scale projects. It is encouraging that there is a development plan for Tarbert, now we need to see development happening in more rural areas.

There is a huge opportunity around the Crofers’ Grant Scheme (a government scheme which provides grants for crofters to improve their crofts). When we’re out and about we see so many houses that were renovated through this scheme. It’s very good value for the public purse and we need to see it continue.

Why should we vote for you?

I get the issues. I’ve grown up here and I’ve been grappling with the challenges. Our community needs representatives in Edinburgh who get what it means to be an islander and are able to represent the community effectively.

I offer a bit of fresh thinking. I’ve never stood for election before and I’m not a career politician. However, I have been the Chair of Scottish Crofting Federation – representing crofters and crofting - so I know how politics works.

How will you look out for Harris?

We need to be sure that housing gets built here. The recent housing development in Leverburgh only came about through the community fighting for it, but we should be in a situation where our agencies are pushing to have these developments delivered.

When I’m out on the doorstep, I hear people say that they feel that things are going backwards – that services we had 30 years ago don’t exist anymore or are not accessible. Of course, the islands are changing, but people in rural communities right across the Western Isles need to access an acceptable level of service, from health and social care to education. It shouldn’t be a postcode lottery.

What’s your favourite Harris place?

Kyles Scalpay. My father is from Kyles Scalpay – my grandparents are Beth and Alec Mackinnon. I have lots of happy memories of coming down to Harris when I was a kid. My grandfather had a wee boat in Kyles and used to take us out catching mackerel.

How do you spend your free time?

Any free time is spent on the croft. Going out to the moor gathering my sheep, that’s my happy place.

Tea break time. What are you having?

A cup of tea with splash of milk and a Tunnock’s tea cake.

- Find out more about Donald at www.votedonaldmackinnon.co.uk

- Look out for our interviews with other candidates in the next two issues of Dè tha dol? Next week we talk to the SNP's Alasdair Allan.