As we approach the General Election, it seems some parties have been inspired by the ongoing Euros as there are a lot of political footballs flying around.

North of the border, none seems to be getting volleyed more than the rumbling issue of the dualling of the A9 from Perth to Inverness.

The Scottish Government’s target to upgrade the route through the Highlands from one lane to two was recently pushed back from 2025 to 2035.

This has led to criticism of the SNP government from the Conservatives as figures indicate there are more injuries and deaths on single carriageways than dual carriageways.

Transport Scotland statistics indicate that from 2020-2023 there were 199 injuries and 15 deaths on single-carriage sections of the road, compared to 114 and seven respectively for dualled sections.

Of course, the safety of the public utilising the road – which is the main route into the Highlands from the Central Belt – is of paramount importance.

However, I’d like to highlight the economic issues that could come with improper infrastructure and a continued lack of investment in the Highlands such as the snail’s pace dualling of the A9.

In recent weeks, we have seen the remarkable story of Scottish League One football club Inverness Caledonian Thistle making a bid to, essentially, relocate to Kelty in Fife.

The Caley Jags initially stated the decision to move their training base and weekday operations 136 miles down the road was motivated by how difficult it was to get players to relocate to the Highlands.

The club cited “extremely limited” housing stock in the city as another reason for the proposal.

Caley Thistle have since pulled out of the deal, but I can’t help but think the entire saga only adds to the feeling Inverness and the Highlands have been forgotten about.

The area, and access to and from it, is not seen as a priority by those in power, business leaders or even community clubs such as ICT.

However, for me, it should be a region we are investing in heavily in fact, and upping the pace with the dualling of the A9 is crucial to the success of other sectors in the area.

As we approach school holidays and summer kicks into gear, we will see an explosion of tourism in the north of the country.

The Highland economy relies on holidaymakers, campers and adventures over the summer months and those tourists, too, rely on efficient and proper transport routes to get them where they need to be.

Yes, there is a lot made about the virtues or otherwise of the likes of the North Coast 500 or people descending on the Isle of Skye to marvel at its natural beauty.

Locals warn against the impact on the landscape because of the sheer volume of tourists which rock up to the region each year.

However, I would argue that, with proper investment, the Highlands would be coping better with this influx of visitors, all the while still reaping the benefits of the money they bring to the area.

Another initiative that would benefit from a properly-functioning A9 is the new Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport.

The special trading area, which allows business to flow under different tax rules, should be seen as a boon for the Highlands after it opened in April.

Designed to attract trade to flow through its port and the city of Inverness, while also providing jobs for Highland people, I worry it’s in danger of becoming a white elephant without the A9 being dualled first.

Without a proper connection to Inverness from the Central Belt, the economic heart of Scotland and route into the wider UK, the freeport may not achieve its full potential.

Indeed, that is what is at stake for the region as a whole, and no one party is at fault.

In this game, as they lump the issue around, all involved are guilty of not letting the Highlands play ball.

 

Side

Over the past few years, Dundee has really put in both the effort and work to create as many enticing reasons as possible for tourists to add the Tayside city to their ‘next destination’ ambitions.

Tying into the £1 billion master plan to regenerate the city’s iconic Waterfront between 2001 and 2031, Dundee’s ambitions to put themselves back on the map so far includes the colossally successful Dundee V&A Museum, which has single-handedly boosted the city’s economy since it opened back in 2018.

But these ambitions are still growing it seems, as this past week planning permission for Dundee’s new £130 million Eden Project has received approval.

Aiming to be a Scottish version of the iconic Cornwall attraction billed as “the largest indoor rainforest in the world”, I imagine councillors are hoping to dip into the million annual visitors who flock to the original site and steer them north of the border.

The Dundee edition of the iconic landmark will be based on the former gasworks site to the north of East Dock Street and feature three stand out venues – fitting very literally into the sustainable and green image of The Eden Project.

As well as the gardens and indoor jungle, the attraction will also provide a unique spot for art exhibitions and live music, as well as hundreds of jobs for the area.

Now that this is a done deal for Dundee, it continues to impress me just how much ‘The City of Discovery’ has evolved into a tourist beacon that shows you just how it’s done.

Laugh

Going viral on the internet is an enigma, but kudos to everyone who cracks that code.

A recent example is from the most unlikely source too – a farmer from South East Scotland, who decided to one day film himself at work caring for his cow’s hooves, which has now turned into a viewership of over 100 million people a month.

Graeme Parker, online pseudonym Hoof GP, has seen a surge of online fame while hoof trimming to over 2.27 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, which is now its very own business that employs five people.

As well as cow care, he’s also a champion of all things Scottish countryside and it’s great to see that even the most niche interests in Scotland can find its audience.

Weep

With the Euros in full swing and the Tartan Army proving that there’d be no party without Scotland throughout Germany, it’s frustrating to see several horror stories of Scotland fans getting scammed when heading to the tournament.

Images of poor accommodation resembling an ‘abandoned dungeon’, which some Scotland fans have found themselves stuck in due to agencies such as booking.com are horrendous.

It’s annoying that our Scottish cheer in some cases has been welcomed with hotel rooms ‘straight out of a horror movie’. 

Here’s hoping that these fans get refunded for these awful apartments and have a ball watching the lads enjoy another international tournament – win, lose or draw.