I grew up in the west Highlands in the 1950s, and the situation in the whole Highlands and Islands region at that time was that young people were haemorrhaging away, the traditional primary industries were exporting their produce south with little added value, hydro schemes were coming to an end, the short tourist season was about to be hit by cheap holidays in Spain—people preferred to go to Benidorm rather than Oban—and there was massive emigration to the central belt, Canada, Australia and New Zealand of everybody from hotel workers to university graduates.