Power in numbers

When the National Trust for Scotland advertised for families to move to Fair Isle and Canna, it received hundreds of applications from people wanting to live their dream. The reality is almost always tougher than the most practical imagine. With remoteness comes fragility, yet the further away you are from central decision-making the less likely your particular needs are to be heard. It is good news for all of Scotland's island communities that 95,000 islanders have decided to form an alliance to push their concerns up the political pecking order. It is time their voices were heard.