It may be that there was no "right" way to do it, but nevertheless Scottish Enterprise seems to have made a tremendous horlicks of the community consultation over their proposed marine energy park at Cockenzie, abandoned last week.
While outsiders might ask what could be more of an eyesore than the giant (now decommissioned) Cockenzie Power Station, local residents insist that the proposed development, with its giant "harbour" jutting into the Firth of Forth, plus extensive onshore parts, some violating both the John Muir coastal walkway and the site of the Battle of Prestonpans, was considerably worse. But it was not just the scale of the development that had well-heeled and well-informed locals to threaten QCs and European courts, it was also the allegedly shifty manner of the public presentation, which, according to the Coastal Regeneration Alliance, was both hurried and selective in detail. Unfortunately for those protestors, Scottish Enterprise has said that it is "not abandoning East Lothian" and will be supporting East Lothian Council to bring forward alternative uses for the site.
The recent death of Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew prompts Agenda to wonder about Wealthy Nation, the Yes campaign group that saw Scotland as a bastion of free enterprise akin to the Southeast Asian city state. Its leader historian Michael Fry is splendidly undaunted that his post-indy vision are supported by single figures of Yes folk. Who cares? The website www.wealthynationinstitute.com shows the group alive and well, advocating "a growing national and personal sense of Responsibility".
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