The Shetland Dividend

[Ghostrider]

I see and hear enough, perhaps more than the folk the council represents. I have met several of your present councillors on various matters and have had dealings with Officers. Being prepared to work into the establishment, understanding the way and how it works reveals more of the relationship between both parties. Without the Trojan Horse how would you expect to be able to change what is the "unchangable". Councils develop thick skins, but can be soft and vulnerable to change from within. Insulting folk with names that undermine what many of them do, especially with such a broad brush. However, some I have met have the mettle to stay to try to improve any way they can, others just bail out as they do not have such substance.

After all, all the "hate" that is extruded towards the Councils and its representatives are generally based of a few experiences, if you were to take every meeting between the two, the council and who it represents as a single figure of experience.

 

Yet however, a job no one else seems to want to do. The psychological side of that is one of great interest and shows sometimes how shallow folks lives can be. It verges up to a disorder in some cases, not many though.

 

Looking into how a council works and understanding that structure is at the present, the only way anything that seems wrong can be unpicked and reassembled into something that may appear to work better, though, as with the Criminal Justice System, it too is something that has grown many different layers. Some of these layers are quite important, others could be removed, however, due to current contractual agreements, the time folk within the council have to deal with things becomes less. The work load will remain. The way forward then is to lessen the workload, this falls onto how you can get the population to become less reliant on the council. In a county council such as Shetland, it has many responsibilities. If current changes within the health service migrate even more, its role will become different again.

 

If you are seriously going to change the internal workings of the council, you will need to be the Cordycepin. If that is how you feel about councils. Or stay tethered to your high chair screaming at the sweet as it constantly remains out of reach.

 

Just a thought to provoke others...

 

You're not getting it are you Peat, it is the establishment that is the problem, its FUBAR. There is nothing "unchangable" about it, it just takes somebody to get so pissed off by the idiocy that they take them on face first.

 

Anyhow, this thread is supposed to be about the SIC getting in to bed with the Orkneymen and Western Isles guys and those further up the totem letting them. As for the latter point, I'll believe it when it happens, at the moment it reads as a bribe that need never be delivered, and as for working with the other isles, that's a mugs game as what any one group want and need is different to the others, the only thing all the isles have in common is that they are isles, Shetland would serve itself much better seeking Faroese status, independence or whatever than shacking up with the rest if we must get involved in some silly fudge.

[fionajohn]

the way to overcome the sitting council foul ups is to vote every one of the sitting council off and vote for new blood cannot  be any worse than what we have 

[shetlandpeat]

Faroese have not had a good time of it though, having to be propped up by the Motherland.

 

It may be prudent to use a common denominator, alas, you will have to share but the numbers just may make it possible.

 

I will look forward to the poll on this, alas it would depend though on how they ask the questions.

 

There was a little new blood last time, perhaps some more!!

[Scorrie]

..........

 

Like him or loathe him, Stuart Hill hit the nail on the head when he said this week that both the London and Edinburgh Governments have just been stringing the "Our Islands Our Future" campaing along with empty promises and meetings which looked impressive but were hollow. 

 

Odd, isn't it?

 

I must have been one of Mr Hills most vociferous critics on here because of his antics with the courts, but he has spoken a lot of sense and rattled a lot of cages outwith his ridiculous stunt-pulling.

 

Regarding the Faroes, SP is right that the Faroese are subsidised by quite a large lump from Denmark. But the big difference is that Shetland could be quite reasonable in its demands for a fairly large portion of oil revenue. 

 

Cooncillors and MP's? Cooncillors are more susceptible/ agreeable to local opinion, unfortunately some get a bit far up their own backsides.

 

MPs? Yup, with a few exceptions, they've definitely morphed into a shower of spineless 'don't rock the party boat' inept middle-management types. Regardless of what folk think of  their political persuasions, we need more Wedgie Benns, Margo MacDonalds, Boris Johnsons and..dare I say it...George Galloways. People prepared to stand up and challenge, not a just a bunch of media-sensitive political administrators.

 

I reckon we should be gunning for the same status as the Faroes have with Denmark.

[Colin]

Always had a bit of a soft spot for Mr Hill's views although I remember saying on another thread that he was going about things in completely the wrong way.  Right ideas, wrong man....  Thought that he could 'play the gallery' and lost his way doing it.

 

As for Faroese and their subsidies.  We wouldn't need them because, wait for it, it would be our oil and our fishing rights that we would be able to sell.  Even our totally inept councillors would find it very difficult to not make a profit from that lot.

 

As for politicians.  Politics in this country (and elsewhere) has become a game that is monopolised by entrenched factions.  If you don't fit the mould then, you don't get in.  You only have to look at the furore surrounding UKIP to see it in action.  Not that I support UKIP but, the 'big players and the media seem to have ganged up to rubbish them at every opportunity yet, on some of their policies(?) they seem to have the 'common touch'.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Colin

[Scorrie]

Farage - another example of a politician who is not afraid of delivering broadsides and courting controversy 

[shetlandpeat]

I would think that claims to sole rights are pie in the sky really. Contracts will have to be drawn and of course there will be compensation. Shetland fisher folk already travel the world to fish, that may bring in over 100 million to Shetland but much is in private hands. Selling the rights will then reduce the numbers available for local boats, unless of course you introduce quotas. You would then need to police the system and have the means to punish.

Once you bail from EU, you would then need to re-negotiate. Where is the legal framework that shows that Shetland will be able to claim the rights to the oil up to 200 miles and without any substantial cost. You would need to share the area up between Scotland, the European mainland and Shetland, as it seems here that Shetland should not be in league with Orkney. As a Country, Scotland would need to start with the 200 mile zone, and go with the median line and not the current UKCS which is in UK law. If Orkney were to remain part of Scotland, that could push the median over the disputed fields. Creating a saw tooth looking boundary, which could take much of the rights to the oil revenues.

 

If Shetland can retain the oil, it will of course be the base, there will be a wonderful mix of folk from all over the world living there and integrating with the existing culture. That in its self will be a boon.

Edited April 26, 2014 by shetlandpeat

[shetlandpeat]

Farage - another example of a politician who is not afraid of delivering broadsides and courting controversy 

He is the only one who can speak for them as from what is reported, the rest appear to be bigoted. They also have many holes in their feet.

[Scorrie]

 

Farage - another example of a politician who is not afraid of delivering broadsides and courting controversy 

He is the only one who can speak for them as from what is reported, the rest appear to be bigoted. They also have many holes in their feet.

 

 

I'm commenting upon the man, not his politics or his party.

[Kavi Ugl]

Yes, I couldn't believe what I was hearing but my heart also sank when I heard Gary Robinson's comments.

 

As the man said, you couldn't make it up.

 

I think part of the answer is to send an email/write to him expressing our concerns and telling him that they need to let the people of Shetland decide. 

 

The political establishment is a brain-dead, behemoth which is very hard to fight.

 

I still feel that Stuart Hill needs to form his own political party and appraoch it from that angle.

 

I for one would put my cross down in support of it.

[Colin]

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/features/scottish-independence-debate/8458-let-s-run-our-own-affairs

 

Hooray!

 

Now, if Mr Inkster wants to start something, he can count me in...

[Windwalker]

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/features/scottish-independence-debate/8458-let-s-run-our-own-affairs

 

Hooray!

 

Now, if Mr Inkster wants to start something, he can count me in...

He does have some good points. The issue for me is I believe we are being sold down the river and with asking for crumbs we will be lucky to see much difference. Our starting point should have been " the oil is ours and we want it, then we could negotiate to a more sensible agreement.

 

Once the Scottish independence referendum is out of the way, we will be of no interest whatsoever. Whoever is left in charge will walk all over us yet again

[Colin]

Agreed,

 

The only reason 'powers' (whatever they are) are being offered is as a bribe to see which way we would jump and, indeed, once the referendum is over, they would either be withdrawn or, most likely, watered down to the poit that they are even more meaningless than they are now.

 

Think about it.  The UK is supposed to be a democracy so, what 'powers' can Westminster or Holyrood offer us that we do not have already?  Are they going to allow us to vary different laws etc..? 

 

I am a firm believer in full autonomy as the only real option and, as far as I am concerned, Gary Robinson (and a few others) have 'sold out' to vague promises that will never be fully realised.

I also believe that they are not 'smart' enough to deal with top civil servants and politicians.

 

Does anyone else really care what happens to the Western Isles or Orkney?  Establishing an united front at this time might be a good idea but, long term, forget it.  They would either hang on to their 'rich' neighbour or they would try to 'rule' us by way of majority. 

I also suspect that they would want something of a share of our wealth.

[Ghostrider]

Rule No. 1 of haggling, always start high.

 

Demand full independence with exclusive to 200 miles/median offshore/seabed, "concessions" can always be considered as negotiations unfold if "necessary". Start from an lesser position, it leaves you nothing to bargain with, and shows a complete lack of aspiration.

[Who Knows]

This article is often referred to as a guide for application of martime law of the sea boundaries around the United Kingdom and their interaction with Norway and Denmark.

 

http://www.ejil.org/pdfs/12/1/505.pdf

 

Draw your own conclusions from the guides of different rules that could be the basis of a negotiation strategy.