David & Sue

This afternoon I met with David MacIsaac, Head Teacher of Ae Primary School , along with his wife Sue.

He is from America and has been leading the school for 7 years. He is greatly liked and respected in the community and is contributing a vast amount to the area and to education. He is currently pioneering development and international education for his region.

He is however at risk of being thrown out of the country because of the crass and insensitive approach of the UK Home Office who have questioned the validity of his marriage ( even though he is
also caring for his wife who has cancer and helping to look after her parents) and who have completely ignored the views of the community he serves, his employers, his representatives and everyone who has met and spoken with him.

He is presently appealing against an incredible decision to refuse him a renewal of his visa and alas this is the third such case I have seen this week. That of the two Chinese teachers has been resolved but they all illustrate the absolute necessity for Scotland to control our own immigration policy rather than have it run from South East England and determined by a Government that panders to prejudice, xenophobia and extremism.

I thought a picture of him and Sue in front of the Scots Language Version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( which always hangs in my office) might be an appropriate message to send as widely as possible , so here it is.

Kevin McKenna of the "Observer" has been writing about the matter recently , to great effect, and Joan MAlpine MSP along with Cllr Andrew Wood and Russell Brown MP have all been making strong representations. Please join your voices to theirs.