Macwhirter to lead islands conference

AWARD winning political journalist Iain Macwhirter is to lead the Our Islands Our Future conference being held in Orkney on 19 and 20 September.

The political commentator for The Herald and The Sunday Herald has recently presented the three-part Road to the Referendum television series for STV.

Orkney Islands Council, Shetland Islands Council and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (western isles) are working together to secure a better deal for the island communities following the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence.

The three councils are staging a major conference in Kirkwall, bringing together leading figures from the political and business world to debate the issues raised by the campaign.

Macwhirter said: “With the current debate on independence dominating the Scottish political agenda, it’s important that the interests of the islands do not go unnoticed.”

OIC convener Steven Heddle added: “Challenging questions will be posed during the conference and we expect the content to be substantial and thought provoking, and the delegates to be of high calibre.

“To get the most from this we need the right facilitator, and Iain’s significant contributions to the wider political and constitutional reform debate have impressed us by their quality and objectivity.”