A Conservative politician has said it is his belief that the SNP 'does not get the Highlands' and this is to blame for the challenges the region is experiencing in population growth.
Donald Cameron, who represents the Highlands and Islands, said the Scottish Government's last two leaders had come from the Central Belt and claimed the party did not understand the realities of life in his constituency area "apart from a couple of honourable exceptions".
He said Scotland's rural populations had been in freefall for a long time and said there was a need to turbo-charge local economies.
Mr Cameron praised The Herald's series looking at depopulation in the Highlands and Islands at Holyrood earlier this week.
"There are so many interconnected problems," said Mr Cameron.
"It's important to note that Scotland's rural population, particularly in the Highlands and Islands has been in freefall for a long time. It's not a new problem.
"There are some Scotland-wide problems - we have the lowest population growth in the UK.
"Drilling that down to the Highlands there are obvious problems with the ferries, roads and lack of broadband.
"I was in Stornoway last year and someone said to me, with the ferries we have to factor in a day at the start of our holiday and a day at the end of our holiday to take account of problems that might happen.
"In my first term as a MSP there was a couple who ran a property business and they were in the Western Isles.
"They needed absolutely prime internet access and they could have run that business anywhere else in the UK. In the end they packed up because they said it was too unreliable."
The MSP said the long-running problem with the ferries were not just about "standing up in parliament and having a ding dong."
He said: "It has a genuine real-life impact on peoples' livelihoods and I don't think they [The Scottish Government] do get that actually.
"There are a couple of honourable exceptions but as a party they are a central belt party.
"They have had two leaders now who come from the central belt and don't sort of understand the pressures of daily life."
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He said problems with transport infrastructure were holding back companies moving into the area.
"There are some parts of the Highlands that are busy and thriving such as Fort William which does really well in the high season but there are also places that aren't doing really well," said Mr Cameron.
"I do blame the SNP for this - a lack of a viable, local economic policy, notwithstanding the shocks we've had, is a really significant factor.
"People will move to Fort William if there are good jobs, there will be good jobs if companies want to move there and there will be companies there if they can travel easily by road and rail."
Mr Cameron became the 28th chieftain of Clan Cameron after the passing of his father last year at the age of 77.
Donald Cameron of Lochiel, known as Cameron of Lochiel, the name by which all Cameron chiefs are known, was a close friend of the King and also served as Lord Lieutenant of Inverness from 2002 until 2021.
He mentioned that his family had once owned Spean Bridge Hotel in the 1980s, which was at the time thriving but has now fallen into disrepair.
"It's a hotel that has sat there for so long," said Mr Cameron. There was talk of it locally, someone taking it over.
"I think it still has clan Cameron carpets somewhere.
"People like Johnny Cash either stayed in it or played in it.
"My grandfather walked up to him and introduced himself in a slightly formal way and Johnny Cash looked at him and had absolutely no idea what he was saying."
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