Glen Loth and the election

 I used to criticise people for living in the past , when talking about "the Clearances" and waxing all sentimental , however, yesterday  I found Glen Loth in Sutherland yesterday and it all came into focus for me i.e. the link between the current debates and the historical violence perpetrated on my people  so many years ago.  The sadness  and the destruction of a community by greed and racism albeit in the last 200 years.  Glen Loth was cleared with Kildonan and in a cruel and in 3 waves with burnings  in 1809,  1813 and 1819 Patrick Sellar(buried here in Elgin). People were cleared, their land stolen with no safety net and a devastated  environment to ensure the very rich benefited and a culture of collectivism dismantled. I drove the length of the Glen and stopped taking photographs, so several hours  were spent. In that time I saw no people , zero humans. I did see several hundred red deer and many remains of crofts .  The problem is that we have not yet resolved this crime against humanity and in this election we are  facing an election where we will see a maintenance of the status quo , so the issue of land ownership  remains untouched and we see a repeat of the mentality that caused the clearances inflicted  on the disabled , working class students , the unemployed and workers from Europe.  People will lose homes, people are being locked up in detention centres people will be expatriated and worse people are committing suicide and dying because of the benefit changes. The people who own our land , who continue to destroy our environment and continue to increase their wealth and privilage  are the only people who will gain in what is supposedly the "status quo, stability and security" . So as we cast our votes  next week remember that for the micro second it takes to  cast your vote  you have some power use it wisely.