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  • Johnston backs praises response of Lib Dem MEP Watson August 31, 2010
    Paul Johnston, a leading Aberdeenshire Councillor has welcomed the link between the Pakistan floods to climate change and the need for the UK to tackle it in a more co-ordinated manner. “In much of the coverage of the tragedy that is Pakistan at the moment it is hard to make the connection to the UK.  Its […]

Energy

 ------News-------

Cautious welcome to Supermarket Ombudsman by North East Councillor.

Paul Johnston, leader of Aberdeenshire’s Democrat Independent Councillors, who has advocated fairer deals for North East Farmers, has welcomed the Government announcement on the creation of a Supermarket Ombudsman.

“The move has the potential for helping many North East Farmers and Fishers get a better deal from the big retailers. The imbalance of real power in the trading relationship may be altered with the creation of this ombudsman.” said Cllr Johnston.

“Calls form MP’s Tim Farron and Andrew George, that I have supported in the past, have now been accepted by the Government. Scottish food producers, essential to the long term prosperity of the North East of Scotland, will benefit from a level playing field between producers and the dominant retailers – the big four supermarket chains.”

Paul joins with Scottish NFU and the Federation of Small business in supporting the move.

But the Councillor sounded a word of warning. “This should turn into the government only helping the large food processors squeeze a percent extra margin out of the Supermarkets – that will not help either producers or customers. The function of the Ombudsman will have to be to ensure fair dealing for our producers and to rebalance the power within the industry. It will be something to watch carefully that it helps the real backbone of food production – farmers and fishers” said the Councillor.

Paul Johnston is an Independent Councillor on Aberdeenshire Council representing the largely rural Mid Formartine Ward which has numerous food and farming businesses. He is a member of the Liberal Democrats nationally, and a strong advocate of justice in trade issues such as FAIRTRADE.

January 14th, 2010 | Tags: , , , , , | Category: News

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Paul's Blog

  • Exams and Scottish Higher Education
    August 5, 2010 | 7:21 pm

    On the day that Scottish Exam results drop through the letterboxes of expecting students, there remains the unresolved debate about the future of higher education that underlies all the comments that will flow forth from the great and good.

    My concerns that commentators will rubbish the results again, as they do when any increase in pass rates are announced.  The requirements of any qualification change with time.  It does not mean it gets easier – it can, but there is no evidence that it actually has.  But there is evidence it has changed in another way.

    Change in the the topics covered by exams have always happened.  How many doing Maths now would be able to handle a slide rule?  In my day, it was part of the exam.  Now students would no know what a slide rule was.

    For all those who are tempted to suggest the utter nonsense of advising students not to go to further Education but study things that industry bosses want now, could I enter the thought that we are really teaching people for occupations in technologies and systems that have not even been invented yet.  Such is the challenge of the future.

    Congratulations to all students in your results.  I just hope that the generation currently making decisions about your futures, your higher education places and the very sustainability of the Country, will not indulge in the short term thinking of ‘government spending’.  I hope they will have the courage for the investment in peoples’ futures and not our selfish present.

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