Trust speaks at land reform conference  

Trust invited to take part in REVIVE’s national conference for land reform held in Perth.

Following news that the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill has been passed by the Scottish Government, around 360 people gathered to hear speakers from REVIVE and other organisations discuss real land reform at its annual conference held in Perth last weekend. 
 
Chaired by actor/director David Hayman, the audience - some of whom had travelled from as far as Orkney and Skye - was warned that the Bill included some measures of what was hoped for, but to prepare for robust arguments and legal challenges from landowners who opposed change. 
 
The Trust was part of a panel invited to share their views on how best to achieve a new vision for Scotland’s land, before taking questions from conference delegates.

Joining our Head of Campaigns Thomas Widrow on the panel were: Robin McAlpine, Head of Strategic Development at Common Weal; Kirsty Jenkins, Director of Policy for OneKind; Josh Doble, Policy Manager for Community Land Scotland; Charlotte Maddix, Advocacy Coordinator for Rewilding Scotland; and Donna Smith, Chief Executive of the Scottish Crofting Federation.
 
The audience was reminded to ‘keep going’ and press their MSPs to achieve real land reform. The panel quoted author Alastair McIntosh and urged everyone to ‘dig where we stand’.

The great disease of our times is meaninglessness. If fresh wellsprings of hope are to be found, we must first cut through the collective hallucination that ‘there is no alternative’ to nihilism. We must dig where we stand.

Alastair McIntosh, Soil and Soul

The conference ended with an opportunity to question representatives of various political parties before Andy Wightman gave a keynote speech.

Huge thanks to everyone who visited our stall last weekend to say hello and buy festive gifts.