In the week where Lesley,in her own words,"got her jotters from the Herald", we return to the controversy over HPMAs .We ask in the light of the success of the COAST charity that pioneered the no-take zone at Lamlash Bay, should this be the model for an effective,locally based approach to marine conservation.
This groundbreaking video was made 10 years ago by the divers who set up the COAST charity that pioneered the no-take zone at Lamlash Bay. Watch and be amazed!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tC2IAgeJrA
The Wild Isles episode number 5 - not shown on TV featuring award winning camera operator Doug Allan, who started his diving career at Lamlash Bay - speaks at 55.54'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0f21klc/wild-isles-series-1-5-ocean

The SNP has scheduled a one day "Independence Convention" in Dundee on the same day as the AUOB march in Stirling. Is this a sign of an opening up of party democracy in the Humza Yousaf era or simply a rebranding effort to disguise the SNP talking to itself?

Meanwhile at Westminster the anti-strike,minimum service levels, bill which will force workers in areas such as health and education to go to  work or face the sack, effectively removing their right to strike, was passed in the House of Commons last night. Despite the SNP,Labour and the Lib Dems voting for an amendment to make this an England only bill all Scottish Tories toed the party line to vote this down. What does it say about the state of Conservative Britain when this legislation mirrors that in place in such bastions of democracy as Russia and Belarus?
While cracking the whip of "firm government" Sunak seems incapable of keeping the far right in his party under control.More Tory MPs are deciding to step down at the next General Election and jump from the sinking ship while Braverman and her supporters are on maneuvers to stage a post-defeat leadership coup.

As the feart leave the Conservative benches Stellantis – one of the world’s biggest carmakers - has made it starkly clear that if there is no change in UK policy on Brexit they will pick up sticks and locate elsewhere. All this while Labour clings to  "Make Brexit Work" in another three word slogan so dominant in 2023 British political discourse.

Copies of Lesley's new book,Thrive are available here
https://lesleyriddoch.com/books/thrive
And if you fancy hearing her talk about it and the ideas in it pop along to one of these events
https://lesleyriddoch.com/events-mobile