A Spanish-owned wind farm off Iona will send power to the GB grid and profits to Qatar and BlackRock. The islands get the view & nothing else. MachairWind: proposed 2GW fixed-bottom project NW of Islay & west of Colonsay (visible from Iona, Mull, Colonsay, Jura, Staffa). Up to 91 turbines ~335-340m tip height (or more smaller ones) over ~448-450 km². Owned by ScottishPower Renewables, wholly owned by Iberdrola. Profits flow to Iberdrola & major shareholders including Qatar Investment Authority (~7%) BlackRock (~6%). Seabed rights from Crown Estate Scotland’s 2022 ScotWind round. Consent decision expected ~2027. Power lands near Girvan & enters the GB transmission network via SP Energy Networks’ Western Link 2 (HVDC with National Grid) at the proposed Grangestone switching station, enabling flow to Wales & the grid. None goes to the host islands. Both Scotland and Wales are already net exporters. Once connected, the electricity will be sold on the open wholesale market (or under any private deal). If a later Contract for Difference is won, a government company tops up or claws back to a fixed price. The system operator decides use based on demand & grid limits. No specific customer is locked in. The host communities are not even on the distribution map. Local resistance is clear & documented. Iona Community Council reported ~92% of responding households formally objected while supporting renewables in principle and better locations. National Trust for Scotland has formally objected over significant impacts on island communities, landscape, tourism, marine life & the cultural heritage of Iona, Staffa & the Treshnish Isles. Visit Mull & Iona & other local groups have done the same. This is not Nimbyism. It is communities defending nationally important seascapes against external extraction. Consent is fully devolved. Scottish Ministers decide Section 36 consent & marine licences on the recommendation of the Marine Directorate. They can refuse, condition or demand redesign. Westminster does not control the consent decision. Political responsibility sits with First Minister John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary Gillian Martin MSP, Minister Jim Fairlie MSP & Minister Stephen Gethins MSP. If the Scottish Government prioritises Iberdrola’s shareholders over the people of Iona, Mull and Colonsay, rural Scotland will notice in the May 2027 council elections. This is a test of whether communities who live with the impacts have real weight. A decision that treats nationally important cultural landscapes as a resource zone for distant capital will be remembered. Scotland already has the power to act. Within existing powers the Scottish Government can: treat community & NTS evidence as high-weight; be prepared to refuse or require major redesign; secure binding local equity or revenue shares instead of voluntary crumbs; enforce real local jobs & supply-chain commitments; & protect key viewpoints from Iona & Staffa. Doing so would show an SNP-led government protects the sovereign democratic and human rights of Scottish communities by standing with them against external vested interests. It would prove Scotland already exercises meaningful control over its marine resources & that independence is the logical next step to complete that control. A protest vote for Reform would be an unforced error. Reform’s UK-centralising politics have no interest in expanding Holyrood’s powers or prioritising Scottish landscapes & community ownership. MachairWind is not just a planning file. It is the moment to prove Scotland’s renewable transition can be done with, rather than to, its coastal communities & that the value of the wind over Scottish waters belongs first to the people of Scotland. Contact your MSPs. Support the island community councils and the National Trust for Scotland. Make clear that consent without real local ownership and protection of the seascape is unacceptable