The (other) election

[JustMe]

Many people could well claim they did not know there is an election on 22nd May when Scotland (as an electoral zone rather than a nation) elects 6 MEPs to represent us in the European Parliament.  But indeed there is an election and 9 parties are on the ballot paper.  This I know because I have a postal vote so I need to make my mark an the paper and return it to Lerwick and am advised to do this quickly so my vote gets counted.

 

Sadly of the 9 parties on the paper only two have so far told me why I should vote for them.  Of the remaining 7 there are 5 parties I at least know more or less what they are about but also two that I have no knowledge of except what I can guess from their name.  Starting to think that if parties do not want my vote enough to tell me what they stand for I am tempted to decide that apathy is the winner in this election and just write a big NO against each parties name.

 

BTW the two parties who want my vote enough to tell me why they think I should vote for them are the SNP and UKIP.  Well done to both of them.

[Gorgonzola Butt-cheese]

Vote UKIP 

[JustMe]

This quotation ""UKIP has been forced to suspend it freepost address after people sent them torn up UKIP leaflets, bricks, rubbish, blood and faeces as well as a copy of Dostoyevsky's The Idiot with Nigel Farage's face stuck to the front."" came from a well respected newspaper somewhat south of Shetland.  I fear UKIP do not enjoy universal support.

[Ironwithin]

Getting out of the EU would help the Shetland fishing industry as only UK boats would have acess to our fishing grounds, which would also help to make it more sustainable. So im voting UKIP.

[Gorgonzola Butt-cheese]

Well I wouldn't completely rule out foreign vessels catching fish in our waters . How ever the chance to scrap the quota system completely and introduce a management system based purely on fishing effort and fishing time in conjunction with an evolving system of seasonally closed or permanent closed areas would be fantastic.

The european parliament is quite simply a big gravy train for the political class, entirely corrupt.

The cost for each MEP is £1.25 million

[JustMe]

Vote UKIP 

You may kip if you want to.  I could not possibly comment.  Meanwhile Scottish labour and the Greens have also sent their election literature. 

 

I doubt if leaving (or being refused entry to the EU if Scotland votes yes and Spain says no) would actually stop EU vessels fishing in Shetland waters and I hope it would not stop Shetland vessels fishing in EU waters but my vote in the EU election may well be based on what I think the result of the referendum will be.

 

Must confess that I am in favour of the EU but think some changes are needed including to the fishing and agricultural policies but I also think the EU must deal with the idea that a single nation (possibly Spain in the case of an independent Scotland seeking to join) can veto things.

[shetlandpeat]

I doubt there will be automatic fishing rights, or the right to use the EU to market goods to other lands, all this will need to be negotiated. UaKIPs record on rights for women are somewhat lacking, as their plan to distribute the NHS to the highest bidder. Many round here are failed Tories, too right wing for Camoron.

[Gorgonzola Butt-cheese]

Shetland Peat , . The ball is in our court on this and we in the UK could be protecting our fisheries resource better and be making more money out of it if we were clear of the CFP and managing our seas ourselves. As an ex-fisherman whose livelihood was destroyed by the witless and corrupt policy makers of Brussels I know what I am talking about, and may I say politely that you don't.

The markets of europe and the world wont stop wanting to eat our seafood if we manage the grounds at a national and local level.

I also note you are just another drone who has fallen for the Establishment media's relentless campaign to discredit UKIP using any tactic they can.

UKIP are fielding several women in the forth coming Euro elections probably on a par with any other party.

I am not a racist, I can assure you, I have nothing against any people of europe either.

I am not in favour of faceless buearacrats I did not vote for badly managing the affairs of this country at huge expense.

Whats wrong with wanting a controlled immigration system that is equally fair to the entire planet as opposed to what is in place now ?

European politics is corrupt and largely responsible for the Ukranian disaster. The liblabcon is 3 cheeks of the same ass.

The SNP have stated " we will take our place at the brussels table" Its not independance in any shape or form.

 

Just me  - The only EU country waters that shetland boats ever fish in is Ireland and that is exclusively the pelagic fleet as they follow the mackerals migration south, the other places we might fish is Norway and Faroe, both of which run their fishing grounds themselves and work on bi-lateral agreements which protect the interests of their own fishing industry first.

The CFP doesnt need changed , it needs scrapped.

I hope if anything at all comes out of this independance debate it's that shetland gets autonomy just like faroe, I rather shetland as an autonomous region of a united kingdom with a Europe trade agreement and nothing more.

oh and lets get rid of the royal family too while we are at it!!

Edited May 8, 2014 by Gorgonzola Butt-cheese

[shetlandpeat]

Perhaps you should debate with UKIP candidates, you may think differently. Their policies are haphazard.

 

As for the fishing, even though, on paper it bring in over one hundred million already, how much of that will filter back through to the population? I recall that most of the fishing processes, from net to transport are not publicly owned. How many are owned by companies either signed up to EU agreements or are part of it?

 

As the UK trades through the EU to many countries, how will that affect the trade from Shetland?

 

As for immigration, it is a know fact that it benefits the country more than it costs. You will lose a huge chunk of NHS staff, Doctors who have the experiance of medicines abroad as we are so proud of where we live, we cannot wait to go to foreign lands for a break and catch tropical infections. Many oil workers, merchant seamen, fisherfolk are from off UK soil. I agree that controls should remain, but not so to strangle the country. Shetland has thrived from immigration, without it, how would all you have hapen?

[Colin]

"As for the fishing, even though, on paper it bring in over one hundred million already, how much of that will filter back through to the population? I recall that most of the fishing processes, from net to transport are not publicly owned. How many are owned by companies either signed up to EU agreements or are part of it?"

 

Are you seriously suggesting that the entire shetland fishing effort should be in public ownership?  That would be a 'first'.

 

"As the UK trades through the EU to many countries, how will that affect the trade from Shetland?"

 

Well, for starters, they could probably (not) do without our oil and fish.  The whole world is hungry for food and fuels.  Why would anyone not want to look further than the EU?

 

"As for immigration, it is a know fact that it benefits the country more than it costs. You will lose a huge chunk of NHS staff, Doctors who have the experiance of medicines abroad as we are so proud of where we live, we cannot wait to go to foreign lands for a break and catch tropical infections. Many oil workers, merchant seamen, fisherfolk are from off UK soil. I agree that controls should remain, but not so to strangle the country. Shetland has thrived from immigration, without it, how would all you have hapen?"

 

Not a 'fact' at all, just pure supposition based on 'party lines' and political 'mantras'.  A little proper 'evidence' (if you can find it) would be a good thing to back up this particular claim.

[Gorgonzola Butt-cheese]

"I am not in favour of faceless buearacrats I did not vote for badly managing the affairs of this country at huge expense.

Whats wrong with wanting a controlled immigration system that is equally fair to the entire planet as opposed to what is in place now"

 

Sheland Peat , Note I said controlled immigration equally available for all to apply, this is also the UKIP policy , no where have they ever said there would be no immigration, they want quality migration, taking in people with the skills and expertise the country is lacking in.

You once again sounded like an Establishment media drone,with a fear story " we would lose a huge chunk of NHS staff!"

Nobody is advocating throwing anybody out, just halting uncontrolled migration from Europe and giving the rest of the world an equal chance.

There are several other UKIP policies I am in full agreement with , the main one being a flat rate of tax for everybody and a massive simplification of the tax collecting system.

 

As for a fishing industry with a complete new set of rules set by the nation state, foreign vessels coming in could be required to buy a permit for each entry, a rule that their fish is landed locally and that taxable revenue is filtered out of them through fuel sales and port charges.