FIRST and foremost, my thoughts are with the family of Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone, who passed away last week.

Perhaps we did not always see eye to eye politically, but there is no doubt that Alex fought for his cause with a passion and integrity that can be admired, no matter what your political views may be. His presence at debates will be greatly missed here at Parliament. Symbolic of that respect, which was felt by all who knew him, the flags at Parliament were lowered to half-mast last Thursday.

A measure of good news came last week when ScotRail announced that six-carriage trains will be introduced on the busy North Berwick line this upcoming February. This is a welcome announcement for commuters in the Musselburgh area, who have often had to deal with frustrating delays. The fix, however, is expected to be a short-term solution, as new trains are already on order for autumn of next year.

Hopefully this demonstrates that the Scottish government is actively listening to people and is not afraid to act when the situation calls for it. Something needed to be done to ameliorate passenger loads on the North Berwick route and I hope that this option will prove adequate until more permanent measures are in place next year.

Lastly, I was delighted to hear about Musselburgh Area Partnership’s successful pop-up discussion shop on High Street.

Suggestions included everything from reducing air pollution and improving area bus stops to making the streets safer and better using local green spaces. It also highlighted Musselburgh Area Partnership’s numerous projects that have already been finished or are currently under way.

I hope that all of those who participated, and those who didn’t get a chance to, will continue to stay involved in bettering our community in the future.