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101 blog posts on ‘The Common Clearances’

101 Blog Posts on 'The Commom Clearances'

For some ‘The Common Clearances’ have been the equivalent of being sent to Room 101. Many have suggested who should be sent to room 101!

When I published a post on here back in April 2016 on alleged abuse of power within the Crofting Commission I did not think for one minute it would spawn 100 further blog posts all linked to the same issue and in effect stemming from what has been dubbed ‘The Common Clearances‘. Here is a handy index to the first 101 posts. Perhaps I should have called this blog post ‘101 reasons why the Crofting Commission is not fit for purpose’ 😉  More such posts will undoubtedly follow! At least 9 are currently pending.

  1. Abuse of power within the Crofting Commission?
  2. The Common Clearances
  3. Crofting Commission’s appointment of Grazings Constable is illegal
  4. Crofting Federation hold meeting on Common Grazings Calamity
  5. Crofting Commission Statement on ‘Common Clearances’
  6. When the costs of administering a Common Grazings Fund would exceed the income
  7. Whose best practice?
  8. Claims against Mangersta Common Grazings Committee withdrawn
  9. Vote of no confidence in Crofting Commission and calls for their Convener to stand aside pending the outcome of a full external enquiry
  10. No let up on the Common Clearances crisis whilst on holiday!
  11. ‘A Menacing Presence’
  12. Common Grazings and the Spirit of the Law
  13. Crofting Commissioner Resigns over situation the Scottish Government and Crofting Commission need to sort out
  14. Crofting Commission deletes its history
  15. The deleted Crofting Commission post
  16. Crofting Commission must be audited “and we do mean a full audit”
  17. Pressure mounts for a full investigation of the Crofting Commission
  18. It’s been 125 years
  19. Crofting Commission flouts the will of Parliament
  20. The Emperor’s New Clothes
  21. The Commission is for turning
  22. Yes Crofting Minister
  23. Ignore the law and the lawyers
  24. You might think that, I couldn’t possibly comment
  25. Crofting Crossroads
  26. Dismissed before you can resign
  27. Back to the Future of Crofting
  28. Grazings Constables Risk the Clink
  29. Carry on Grazings Constable
  30. Reports from a ‘Grazing Constable’
  31. The Chief Grazings Constable
  32. Crofting Commission knew they were acting illegally in appointing Grazings Constables
  33. Grazings Constables were added to the Sump by the Crofting Commission
  34. Time for Kennedy to go
  35. Grazings Puppets
  36. Keystone Crofting Cops
  37. ‘Allo ‘allo ‘allo
 what’s all this then?
  38. Lewis and Harris Crofters’ Meeting
  39. Who pays the Grazings Constables?
  40. How much are Grazings Constables paid?
  41. The cost of the Common Clearances
  42. Crofting Convener must go
  43. A “big step” or a just step?
  44. Cabinet Secretary “wholly disagrees” with Crofting Commission Convener
  45. Fudged response from Crofting Commission
  46. Decisions “have been divisive, unacceptable and not in line with crofting law”
  47. Statement by Crofting Commission gets no better in Gaelic
  48. Crofting Convener seeks to stop SRDP funding for Common Grazings
  49. Who calls the shots at the Crofting Commission?
  50. Lacklustre response by Crofting Commission
  51. Croft Wars: Return of the Committee
  52. Croft Wars: The Constable Strikes Back
  53. Who are we supposed to believe?
  54. Not a Grazings ‘gamechanger’
  55. Crofters and Lawyers
  56. The Wrong Grazings Committee!
  57. What the Grazings ‘Constable’ didn’t do
  58. Crofting VATgate
  59. Catriona moves on from herding the Commissioner(s)
  60. Inspector Constable
  61. The Crofting Bat Phone
  62. Conflict of Interest at Upper Coll
  63. A chair fit for a Crofting Convener
  64. Twitter Hashtags poke fun at Crofting Convener
  65. New Grazings Committee formed at Upper Coll
  66. The Scottish Farmer adds balance to the tales of the Upper Coll ‘Constable’
  67. Crofting is about People
  68. Crofters, Lawyers, VAT and a Grazings ‘Constable’
  69. Constable Propaganda
  70. The T-1000 Grazings ‘Constable’
  71. Decisive Ministerial intervention in crofting crisis is now required
  72. Grazings ‘Constable’ must stand aside or be removed
  73. Brown Envelopes at the Crofting Commission?
  74. Croft Wars: A New Hope
  75. Crofting Convener in Hiding
  76. Crofting Commission must “swiftly resolve” Common Grazings Crisis
  77. Scottish Farmer confused over Common Grazings Crisis
  78. Kennedy walks out of Brora meeting and remaining Commissioners apologise and call for his resignation
  79. Crofting Premonition
  80. Souter to step down “as soon as possible”
  81. Kennedy refuses to adhere to the law
  82. Few tears should be shed
  83. Crofting Farce
  84. Shackles lifted on Murdo Maclennan
  85. First Minister answers questions on “intolerable” Convener
  86. Either he Jumps or he will be Pushed
  87. Kennedy stays in post and seeks legal advice
  88. Sunday Politics Scotland: Chaos on the Croft
  89. Has the Convener lost his memory?
  90. Crofting Federation call on the Commission’s Convener to be ousted
  91. An elective despotism is not the Crofting Commission we fought for
  92. Kennedy says hell will freeze over before he resigns and that the Cabinet Secretary for Crofting should stand down!
  93. Radio Crofting GaGa
  94. Bad penny?
  95. Colin Kennedy and the Holy Grail
  96. Crofting Law whilst in Milan
  97. The end game?
  98. The Cross-Party Elephant?
  99. Why are the Crofting Commissioners not meeting?
  100. A Crofting Cabal?
  101. Secret meeting declares Brora meeting valid

Image Credit: 1984: © Virgin Films

Law Awards of Scotland recognise Crofting Endeavours

Law Awards of Scotland - Finalist - Solicitor of the Year - Brian InksterBrian Inkster has been shortlisted for Solicitor of the Year at the Law Awards of Scotland.

This nomination recognises his endeavours in crofting law over the past year and in particular his quest to see justice done over the alleged abuse of power within the Crofting Commission over the sacking of three common grazings committees.

Brian Inkster has been very vocal in the press, radio and on TV over the issue. He has written 97 blog posts on this topic alone over the past six months.

The Crofting Commission recently accepted their decisions as being wrong and issued an apology to the crofters affected. However, conflict continues within the Crofting Commission with a clear divide between their convener and the other commissioners.

Brian Inkster said:-

I am honoured to be one of only three solicitors in Scotland shortlisted for this award.

Hopefully it will help to highlight further the plight of the ordinary crofter at the hands of a regulator that is out of control.

There is still much more that the Scottish Government needs to do to restore confidence in the Crofting Commission and I will be making my views known on that in the coming months.

Inksters Solicitors who have offices in Glasgow, Inverness, Forfar, Portree, Wick and a visiting base in Lerwick have also been shortlisted for Litigation Firm of the Year and their trainee solicitor, Alistair Sloan, for Trainee of the Year at this year’s Law Awards of Scotland.

The winners will be announced on 24 November at a gala dinner at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow.

Crofting Law Comments are back!

Comments for Inksters on Crofting LawSeveral months ago all comments that had ever been made by anyone on this Crofting Law Blog vanished. Any attempts to post new comments failed.

We didn’t know why.

It curtailed our ability to use this blog as an interactive one. Planned blog posts were put on hold pending a fix.

We couldn’t get it fixed. But then we specialise in crofting law and are not WordPress experts. Thankfully through a very useful blogger contact we eventually found such an expert. He fixed it overnight.

All old comments that were previously visible are now visible again. New comments will now come through for moderation. It is likely, however, that any comments made by anyone over the past few months when the comments function was not working have been lost. We are sorry if this is the case.

We are though now back in business at the Crofting Law Blog. Just as well as there have been some interesting crofting law developments of late and we can also now post several outstanding blog posts that had been on hold.

Brian Inkster