Shetland's cultural diversity and integration

[Styumpie]

How difficult is it to cut grass?! Is it any more difficult than say boiling an egg, or tying your shoe laces? Lets face it, there are not many people of reasonable physical and mental fitness who are not capable of operating a lawn mower or strimmer. What I would like to know is... What reason did the council give for rejecting this Shetlandic applicant?, who was obviously wanting to do the job.

 

As far as I can see, this debate is not about xenophobia, or foreigners coming from wherever to work, its more about the lack of common sense used by the council, and their willingness to blatantly waste our public money.

[engineer21]

why do people say we need more people in shetland! why?? i cannot understand why we need more and more, too improve our links with the mainland? what just cos we have 4000 more ppl living here aberdeens gonna overhaul the harbour so we can have a bigger ferry? or british airways are goning too further reduce the price of air travel?

 

in fact in my opion what will happen is a bigger strain on our transport links esp too the mainland.

yes ok mabye the bus service around shetland would be improved but thats only if all these ppl take low paid jobs therefore cannot aford a car /dnt want one, and decide too live in the country where living costs are higher ie traveling too work.

 

Shetland has a steady population of approx the 20000 mark and too me this is good shetland is a great place too live without all the hassel that more ppl bring

 

as a small island (which we are) we cannot support that many folk

already there is a problem with rising house prices, less and less jobs esp for uni grads all i can see is more ppl will no make this effect any less

[Medziotojas]

^^^

I don't think we're in any real danger of becoming overpopulated.

 

Shetland News 27 April 2007 - However both island groups have seen a gradual fall in numbers over the decade from 1995 to 2005, Shetland significantly losing 970 folk, or 4.2 per cent of its population. In comparison Orkney lost 220 people, or 1.1 per cent, over the period

 

It was never my intention to go overseas and work, but I now have a family here and have found employment, and I must say I've been welcomed with open arms. I would only hope that, be the boot on the other foot, this would be reciprocated.

[islandhopper]

... come on folks: Who is that Shetlander who wants to cut the grass, where is that German who wants to harvest asparagus sprouts or strawberries ... season just beginning here in the north of Germany ... for some 6 € quit or even less???

 

Those chaps from eastern Poland or nowadays from the Ukraine, from Byela Rus or the Lord knows from where they are not volunteering!!! They are looking for some way how to make a living for their families and would prefer to stay with their loved ones if they would have a chance to do so at home.

 

Within the green belt around Hamburg we have farm workers from the east comming here for 20 years and more. When they see their offspring getting married they have seen them for less then 10 years ... for the rest of the time they went to our strawberry fields, then to the asparagus fields, followed by the cherry trees, then the apple trees ...

All that just for the fun that we can buy our asparagus sprouts for 5€/kg instead of 22€/kg if we would intend to make such jobs attractive to a Shetlander, an Irish or a German.

 

It's some kind of "modern slavery", nothing else!

 

If we do not want to pay more for such jobs we should at least pay some respect to the folks doing that jobs and thus comforting ourselves ...

[Guest Anonymous]

I agree fully with abraxas post. From my own experienceall the foriegn workers i have met (and worked with in a variety of jobs ) are hard working polite and on the whole very nice people.

I am of the opinion that anybody who is willing to work and stick it out in this climate are welcome to it .

The truth is there could easily be zero unemployment in shetland ,, but there is a small percentage of local lazy b**sterds who prefer to scam the social benifits service and sit on there arses.

ANd also the pissheads and drug users who cant perform simple jobs and probably are happier not to.

[BigMouth]

My experience is that Shetlanders look after their own and even as an incomer I think that this is the way that I would expect it to be. It was the same way in Sussex.

 

Of course, when you are on the outside it is difficult to accept this, but you just grin and bear it. It is either nepotism or racism depending on which angle you are looking from.

 

Shetland will benefit from more incomers because they will be spending money in your economy, renting your houses, using your shops and businesses, and providing you with vital services that you either don't want to do or can't do yourselves.

 

From the outside there are organisations in Shetland that give the impression of discriminating against incomers by not employing them. This builds up resentment and an underclass. Sections of society feel that it is hardly equitable.

 

There is only one thing I really don't like about Shetland and that is the racism from a minority of people here. My partner was sat at her desk one day when a member of a Jarl squad came in and stuck a sticker on her monitor that said No Soothmoothers. It was seen as an offensive act.

 

Shetland is known for its warm welcome. It is sad that it is spolied by a few all too obviously uneducated and predjudiced numpties that must vote for the BNP.

 

If all of the incomers left tomorrow Shetland would be a far worse place and many of your organisations would grind to a halt. I always point to GPs as a classic example. How many are Shetlanders?

 

Start celebrating the diversity of your island and accept that many of those that come here do so to fill the gaps in your infrastructure and want to be accepted as contributing members of your society. Treat people badly and they will act the way.

[KOYAANISQATSI]

The Ukrainian we had liftin boxes with us was rubbish at it and it smelt like he only ate garlic and onions, fine enough bloke though.

No other complaints about any, I would be a bit put off if I got one as a manager.

[Tomblands]

 

Whatever is happening in Shetland today.

We are not racist, but feel we should look after our own first.

we know for a fact this is not happening, as foreigners are getting jobs over our own,

also a council job, a (grass cutter) came in the Shetland times.

Guess who got the job-not one of our own but a council worker from down south,who will have to be rehoused here.

We do not think this is fair.

please,please look after your own first.

They will all disappear and we will be left to pick up the peices.

Come on Shetlanders, stand against this injustice.

Anon.

 

Stop using the word "We" you narrow minded fool.

 

If the said person applied for the job and was the best candidate, they should be offered the job because of that.

 

You wouldn't happen to read the Daily Mail would you?

[Styles]

They maybe like speaking like the queen.

[Twerto]

why should the fact you were here first, so to speak have anything to do with it, in the first place?

 

as Tombland and a few others mentioned surely if you were hiring someone for a job you would be looking to hire the person best suited for the job.

 

what would you rather have a doctor who was from Shetland but only fresh out of uni doing a quadruple bypass on you or the Indian doctor who had been doing it for 20 years?

 

yes people need to be given a chance and all that.. but that is up to the person hireing to make the decision. after all in theory he is the one who knows more than anyone what he needs.

[junior]

why should the fact you were here first, so to speak have anything to do with it, in the first place?

 

Because our communities are worth protecting. The same can be said in the housing argument. Don't get me wrong, I'd echo the positive sentiments made already about the generally excellent ethics of incoming Eastern Europeans, I've posted about it on here in the past, but I won't feel guilty for having some bias.

 

I think Styles had got it right, if residence in the isles is the deciding factor then so be it, otherwise the best man gets the job. I'm sure that is what already happens 99% of the time.

[BigMouth]

I started to think about how far this could go and realised that we would need special (wooden) seats on buses, residents only areas of restaurants and segregation in every walk of life. We could call it apartheid.

 

Then again it didn't work in South Africa .....

[Fjool]

Maybe apartheid failed because it was based on skin colour. Perhaps if such a system of segregation were based on the way in which someone spoke instead?

[Guest Anonymous]

Maybe apartheid failed because it was based on skin colour. Perhaps if such a system of segregation were based on the way in which someone spoke instead?

 

Now, if du's goin ta segregate against fok dat spaek sh*te,, du'll hae a fecht upo dy haands...

And du'll alienate da entire cooncil at da sam time

[in_vacanza]

why should the fact you were here first, so to speak have anything to do with it, in the first place?

 

Because our communities are worth protecting.

Protecting from what?