The Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MP

January Column (2)

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After the devastation, where next for Haiti?

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The scale of death and destruction caused by the Haiti earthquake is almost unprecedented and has shocked the world. Development Economics Professor Paul Collier is absolutely right when he says the challenge is not about getting Haiti back on its feet because the country has never been on its feet.

Decades of brutal dictatorship has left Haiti impoverished and without the basic infrastructure of a functioning state. That is why the United Nations has such a presence in the country and they too suffered the destruction of their own headquarters and loss of life.

There clearly was some chaos in this situation when the airport and seaport were both seriously damaged. It was ironic that hoards of the media managed to get to the island when relief supplies were having difficulty getting in and out of the airport.

However, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander assured me that the airport which could only handle three planes a day at first had quickly increased it to over 100 and secured refuelling supplies.

The United Kingdom does not have a particularly close relationship with Haiti which after all is a francophone country which looks to the USA, France and Canada as its key development partners.

The UK's immediate response therefore was to send in the equipment and expertise that we had best suited to saving lives and securing the means of life.

As always the British public have responded generously to the emergency appeal by the leading charities and NGOs. It is worth stressing that the UK Government, apart from delivering direct assistance of £20 million is a major contributor to the United Nations and the European Commission.

It is sensible that the United States should take the lead being a near neighbour with the necessary resources. In the longer term there needs to be an administration for Haiti which is accountable to the people and is led by the Government of Haiti and the UN and key donors.

The task is to build the basics of a functioning state from scratch and learn how the international community can best respond to this kind of situation as, in spite of recent reforms, the United Nations is not ready to take on the role by itself.

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Rededication celebration for Ellon Parish Church

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I was delighted to attend the service of re-dedication of Ellon Parish Church last Sunday. I have had a long association with the church over the years and see it as an effective and active part of the Ellon community through the popular Kirk Centre and its leading role in making Ellon a Fair Trade town.

Now, after major refurbishment the church has made itself a focal point. Gone are the old wooden pews to be replaced by comfy chairs, under floor heating and computer controlled lighting and sound systems.

The church is warm and welcoming and ready to be even more engaged with the community, through its many organisations and its basic approach of opening the door to all comers.

I am sure there will be many and varied well attended activities in the building in the future and I wish it well.

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What does the future look like for Digital Radio?

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The Government is trying to get its Digital Britain Bill through Parliament before the election. One aspect of the bill, which is generally supported, is generating some controversy.

The Government has declared that they intend to switch to Digital Radio in 2015 which means that all radio stations broadcasting on DAB will cease broadcasting on FM which will be reserved for small local stations.

This presents a number of problems. The overwhelming majority of radios, in the UK, including those in cars, are analogue. Digital is almost certainly the future but if local stations are left behind on FM they may find it difficult to survive.

One idea is to have a tuning system that seeks for all available stations - digital and FM, so that the user does not have to switch between the two sources - but this does not yet exist.

The concern is that some time in the future FM may disappear and with it the local option unless we opt for what is known as DAB+ a much more advances system that could accommodate all radio stations - although there is still a cost to switching to digital that smaller stations may not afford.

In the North East we are well served by a plethora of local commercial stations. The BBC, which offers 24 hour local services to many parts of England does not offer that service in Scotland and are not a player in local radio.

I am writing to all our local commercial radio stations to seek their opinion as to how the changeover will affect them to ensure that the North East does not lose out when the switchover happens.

Of course the TV switchover happens next year but it is becoming clear that radio may not be quite so straightforward.

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Gordon Highlander veteran receives Normandy honour

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I was delighted to have the opportunity to present the Normandy Bar medal to local World War Two veteran, Mr Jim Glennie last week.

Malcolm presents WW2 veteran Mr Glennie with a Normandy Bar Medal on behalf of the Normandie Memoire Association

Mr Glennie was a private in the Gordon Highlanders who landed in France on D-Day, June 6 1944 but he was unable to travel to France for the 65th anniversary of the invasion last year.

I wrote to ask if Mr Glennie could be given the medal, as he wasn't able to attend the ceremony, and the Normandie Memoire Association asked if I could present the medal on their behalf, which I was honoured to do.

It is a small token of appreciation from the people of Normandy to those who fought to liberate them in 1944 and commemorates the 65th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

We should never forget the sacrifice and courage of those like Mr Glennie who fought for freedom on D-Day.

ENDS