IT HAS been a constant challenge thrown at the Scottish Government by opposition parties.

“It’s all very well blaming Westminster for everything,” they argue, “but what are you doing right now to make Scotland a better, fairer country?”

Of course it’s a political ploy. If Westminster retains control over most economic levers and most welfare payments Holyrood has very limited room for manoeuvre.

But the challenge nevertheless has a point. Westminster is the architect of austerity but can we be sure that our MSPs are doing everything in their power to protect the most vulnerable from the attack on their living standards?

The appointment of Scotland’s first poverty advisor is to be welcomed as an attempt to answer that question.

Naomi Eisenstadt emphasises that it is her job to ask the hard questions and push ministers to examine if their plans to tackle poverty in Scotland are radical and innovative enough to have a real effect.

This bold appointment should guard against potential complacency and force our MSPs to constantly question the effectiveness of their policies.

It is also a smart and responsible response to jibes that the SNP is more interested in attacking Westminster than using the powers Holyrood does have to make a difference to the lives of those most at risk from austerity.

It has to be said, however, that the more power Scotland can wrest from Wesminster in the discussions over the Scotland Bill the better.

Powers which could, for instance, add some bite to discussions such as those at Holyrood yesterday, when the Welfare Reform Committee questioned

Atos on its assessment of disabled people’s eligibility for benefits.

Some committee members were dismissive of Atos claims that benefit claims were dealt with in four weeks.

We look forward to the day that a Scottish parliament can turn disapproving words into action.

Land reform can be of benefit to all


LAND reform is a cause dear to the hearts of many Scots. There is justifiable questioning of an ownership structure that leaves much of the area of the country in the hands of a tiny minority of landowners. With events such as the Clearances part of our relatively recent history, the clamour for wholesale reform of land ownership can be strong.

The new Land Reform Bill will not see the break-up of the big estates: measures such as scrapping the exemption of sporting estates from business rates will not achieve that, and the rest of the package may seem modest to those who want to see radical change. But it is right to be cautious. There are estates that are run well, and landowners who do not fit the stereotype of the toff who tramples on others. There are also badly run estates with owners who disregard access rights and local feeling. 

The planned reforms are a shot over the bows of the latter while, as the response from Scottish Land and Estates shows, good landowners are not against reform. The Tories want to portray the measures as a Mugabe-style land grab but the truth is they are a well-considered step towards a modern system of the land being used for the benefit of all people.

Andy Wightman: 'Land Reform Bill doesn't do everything that has to be done ... but it's still an important moment'