Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - 
SNP Scottish Parliament candidate Stewart Stevenson and council candidate for Banff & District Ian Gray have warmly welcomed the announcement that the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival (SBTF) is to receive a stage one grant of £110,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The grant is for the Portsoy Salmon House restoration project which is intended to develop the unused B-listed building considered to be of national significance to provide a base for the SBTF and to house and exhibition and interpretive centre as well as various other activities.
Mr Stevenson has been campaigning for more lottery funds for the North-east for some time and in 2004 organised a lottery roadshow in his constituency where he invited all lottery funding bodies to host an information stand and send representatives to talk to local orgianisations and individuals. The event was a huge success with queues forming outside before the event started.
Commenting, Stewart Stevenson said:
"This is excellent news for the Boat Festival, for Portsoy, and for the wider Banffshire economy because the Boat Festival has become one of our key annual events and attracts massive numbers of people each year.
"I know from my travels around the constituency that lottery funding is put to very good use indeed and I will continue working hard to support local organisations to ensure that this continues.
"I am always happy to support any organisation in their lottery applications if approached."
SNP council candidate for Banff & District, which includes Portsoy, Ian Gray added:
"I am absolutely delighted for the Festival organisers and I congratulate all those involved with this successful application.
"It's tremendous to have such a large amount of lottery funding coming to Portsoy in support of one of our key local tourist attractions. The Boat Festival provides a huge boost to the local economy each year and this will help it to go from strength to strength."
Karen Adam is now the MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast
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4 April 2007
SNP ties referendum to election victory - Gulf News
By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter, Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)
Edinburgh: Scottish nationalists say they will insist on having a referendum on independence if they seize power in Edinburgh after the parliamentary elections on May 3.
A senior figure in the Scottish National Party (SNP) told Gulf News his party would not accept a recent proposal from Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament for a post-election cross-party convention to look at constitutional issues.
Nicol Stephen, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group in the Scottish Parliament has proposed the convention so that his party would be able to form a joint administration with the SNP.
The nationalist SNP is expected to take over from Labour as the party with the largest group in the Holyrood parliament after May 3, but is likely to need a coalition partner if it is to have a working majority in the 129-member chamber.
Stewart Stevenson, an SNP Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) who is close to party leader Alex Salmond, told Gulf News the convention proposal was unacceptable.
Second guess "I think it's time for the people of Scotland to make their decision, not for parties to sit down and try to second guess them.
"I think we should trust the people and not sideline them," said Stevenson, who was elected an MSP in 2001.
However, Lib Dem MSP Mike Rumbles said there was much in the constitutional convention proposal to give heart to those who favour reducing links to the UK Parliament.
He told Gulf News the convention would "without a doubt" lead to increased powers for the Scottish Parliament, which first sat in 1999.
to read the original story click on Gulf News
Edinburgh: Scottish nationalists say they will insist on having a referendum on independence if they seize power in Edinburgh after the parliamentary elections on May 3.
A senior figure in the Scottish National Party (SNP) told Gulf News his party would not accept a recent proposal from Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament for a post-election cross-party convention to look at constitutional issues.
Nicol Stephen, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group in the Scottish Parliament has proposed the convention so that his party would be able to form a joint administration with the SNP.
The nationalist SNP is expected to take over from Labour as the party with the largest group in the Holyrood parliament after May 3, but is likely to need a coalition partner if it is to have a working majority in the 129-member chamber.
Stewart Stevenson, an SNP Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) who is close to party leader Alex Salmond, told Gulf News the convention proposal was unacceptable.
Second guess "I think it's time for the people of Scotland to make their decision, not for parties to sit down and try to second guess them.
"I think we should trust the people and not sideline them," said Stevenson, who was elected an MSP in 2001.
However, Lib Dem MSP Mike Rumbles said there was much in the constitutional convention proposal to give heart to those who favour reducing links to the UK Parliament.
He told Gulf News the convention would "without a doubt" lead to increased powers for the Scottish Parliament, which first sat in 1999.
to read the original story click on Gulf News
2 April 2007
Stevenson Slams Scottish Water 'Arrogance' Over Water Meter Investigation
WATER OMBUDSMAN SNUBBED
Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has reacted angrily to the news that ombudsman body WaterWatch Scotland has received no response from Scottish Water to questions put formally to it in January.
The questions – regarding Scottish Water's contract with meter-reading company H2O and on compensation for customers – were raised by Mr Stevenson at his meeting with Scottish Water and WaterWatch in Parliament in December. At that time, Scottish Water agreed to look into the matter and it was agreed that WaterWatch would pursue this issue with them.
However, it has emerged that despite several reminders, Scottish Water have failed to respond to the ombudsman and a final request for information has had to be issued.
Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:
"This display of arrogance on the part of Scottish Water simply beggars belief.
"Scottish Water has not come out of this episode very well to date and they have now compounded this by snubbing WaterWatch in this way.
"These are legitimate questions which I posed to Scottish Water at my meeting and which the ombudsman body agreed to pursue. For Scottish Water to treat the ombudsman in this way is a gross discourtesy to them, to an elected Member of Parliament and shows nothing but contempt for their customers in Peterhead on whose behalf we are acting.
"The conclusion from this is either that Scottish Water are stalling because they have something to hide, or that the organisation is riddled with incompetence. I want to know which answer is correct."
Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has reacted angrily to the news that ombudsman body WaterWatch Scotland has received no response from Scottish Water to questions put formally to it in January.
The questions – regarding Scottish Water's contract with meter-reading company H2O and on compensation for customers – were raised by Mr Stevenson at his meeting with Scottish Water and WaterWatch in Parliament in December. At that time, Scottish Water agreed to look into the matter and it was agreed that WaterWatch would pursue this issue with them.
However, it has emerged that despite several reminders, Scottish Water have failed to respond to the ombudsman and a final request for information has had to be issued.
Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:
"This display of arrogance on the part of Scottish Water simply beggars belief.
"Scottish Water has not come out of this episode very well to date and they have now compounded this by snubbing WaterWatch in this way.
"These are legitimate questions which I posed to Scottish Water at my meeting and which the ombudsman body agreed to pursue. For Scottish Water to treat the ombudsman in this way is a gross discourtesy to them, to an elected Member of Parliament and shows nothing but contempt for their customers in Peterhead on whose behalf we are acting.
"The conclusion from this is either that Scottish Water are stalling because they have something to hide, or that the organisation is riddled with incompetence. I want to know which answer is correct."
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