Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Kate Forbes, has criticised Holyrood policy makers for ignoring the needs of the Highlands and Islands.
In an interview with The Herald, Ms Forbes said national policies often fail to recognise “the specific and diverse needs of people who live in the Highlands”.
“If you asked any Highlander they’d view this place as an entity before they see Scotland as an entity,” she said.
“For centuries, people here have been denied democratic representation because they lived in an area where land ownership and political power were one and the same.
“The situation in Mallaig is very different from that in Fort William. The needs of Dingwall and Glenfinnan are very different again.”
In a wide-ranging interview the former finance secretary said that Highlanders are often ignored when ministers design policies such as education and highly-protected marine areas.
“Policies are never black and white and I’m talking specifically about the Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).
“The irony of that policy is that every fisherman I’ve spoken with cares more about sustainable fishing than most politicians and civil servants.
“They don’t just see it as a job. They see it as a multi-generational way of life. If there are no fish then their kids don’t have a future.
“And that’s why the language particularly used by fishermen on the islands was to equate HPMAs with education. ‘If you ban fishing and I lose my job, then we have to leave and the school closes.’
“Once you lose a school you lose all the prospective families that might come to an area.
“If you’re trying to attract families to the local area the first question they’re asking is where the local school is. If there’s no school, they’re more likely to settle elsewhere.
“I think that’s why policy issues in the Highlands go straight to the heart perhaps faster than anywhere else. Education in other parts of Scotland may be more of an intellectual question. In the Highlands it’s about their future, it’s about community; it’s about families.”
The SNP MSP was speaking just days after the suspension of her friend and parliamentary colleague, Fergus Ewing, who was sanctioned for being critical of party policy.
“Fergus is a living legend throughout the Highlands and Islands,” she said, “and mainly because he always puts the needs of these communities first.”