'I left the SNP – I wasn’t content with the internal goings-on of the party'

Alba councillor Karl Rosie, who represents the Thurso and Northwest Caithness ward on Highland Council, tells Holyrood about growing up in a very political family and why politicians should get out of their comfort zone.

Describe the area you represent in one sentence

Beautiful and diverse with a range of fantastic seascapes that flow right into the Flow Country in Caithness, which was recently awarded World Heritage status. 

How long have you lived there?

Most of my life. I worked in oil and gas and was very fortunate to spend a period of time living in Cape Town as well as Cyprus and Ireland, but I was born in Thurso and now live in Wick and the majority of my life has been here.

Tell us something we won’t know about your local area

We’re fortunate in Caithness to have the level of community spirit we’ve got. An example is the drive there is around creating things like walking trails. People put in a huge amount of work doing that but they give up their time voluntarily. That’s the biggest thing, the voluntary effort. People do it because they understand what we have to offer.

Who is the best-known person from your area?

There are lots. There’s Alexander Bain, who invented the electric clock, and Robert Dick, the botanist. I was also quite astonished to come across the name of John Murray, who was an abolitionist. He worked with William Wilberforce’s brother in the West Indies and got involved in the abolitionist regime. I went to school with TV presenter Anne McKevitt and there’s also the author Neil Gunn, who came from Dunbeath.

Dounreay nuclear plant is a major employer in Caithness | Alamy

What challenges are unique to your particular part of the country?

This is a really interesting one if you think about the Dounreay nuclear site and the journey we’ve been on there. Up until quite recently the decommissioning process was expected to complete quite quickly. That created challenges and fears in the community about what people would do after but the decommissioning has been extended so there will be a continuing presence and jobs for the next 40 years. That’s great, but a unique challenge is that local businesses struggle to compete with the salary levels paid at Dounreay. There are about 1,300 people employed there and Rolls-Royce also has a presence with about 330 jobs. They are well-paid, high-quality jobs so staff retention for local employers can be a problem.

What made you stand for election?

My father [John Rosie] was one of Scotland’s longest-serving councillors – he started in 1964 and served in various guises as a Labour member and an independent on Caithness County Council, Caithness District Council and then Highland Council. My sister [Deirdre Mackay] was a Labour councillor. You get the point – the dinner table conversations when I was growing up were very political. I also worked at Rolls-Royce when I was younger and was involved in the trade union movement. We managed to get the working week reduced from 42 hours to 37 and we did it via negotiation – there was no industrial action. I got involved in politics to make a difference.

You were originally elected in 2017 as an SNP representative but joined Alba earlier this year – why did you make that change?

I just became disillusioned as an SNP member and didn’t feel we were heading in the right direction in regards to achieving independence. I also wasn’t content with the internal goings-on of the party.

What’s the one thing Holyrood politicians could do that would be of greatest benefit to the area you represent?

When Alex Salmond was first minister, he used to take the cabinet on the road. I’d like to see that being reinstated. Politics is politics, but I view that as taking democracy into communities. We’ll always have disagreements, but I think it would help politicians understand what’s going on around the country. You learn so much when you’re on the ground in an area and see and smell what’s happening.

What’s the best bit about living where you do?

The environment. I live on the edge of town and in two minutes I’m right on the coast where there are fantastic seascapes. The people are also fantastic and it’s a great place for kids to grow up.

Is there a particular word you love using that only people in your part of the country would recognise?

Foosum. Just imagine a parent bearing down on a child with a facecloth – “your face is foosum”.

If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

I’ve been very fortunate to be able to travel with my work. In 2011 I visited five continents in one year. There are so many fantastic places and the conclusion I’ve reached is that I wish I could sail as then I’d just sail around going to lots of different places.