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Self-sustaining Shetland


BGDDisco
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so vote for the laird son. after all the lib dems really value you. i would think its even more important for an independence movement to be led by a local or at least one that lives on island. all four live up here and quite honestly an accident of birth really means nowt. they have committed to live here what more do you want.

Or vote for the chameleon clan chief skene of skene with the hereditary title and the eton education. So the accident of birth only matters in Tavish s case?

Edited by Da Burra Shop
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^ If folk can't see that increased autonomy for Shetland transcends all UK party politics, as in a BOT, independent of whatever Shetland, UK parties will not only have no relevance, they won't even exist. Then IMHO they're highly unlikely to be folk with sufficient vision to see the potential benefits of increased autonomy, whatever group may be promoting it or how they are preceived by those folk.

I totally agree, if this was really about autonomy why on earth are WS getting involved in party politics?

This is exactly the point Amanda Westlake got shot down in flames for. She was treated like a leper by WS for asking exactly the same question.

I see no evidence whatsoever of WS "transcending UK party politics", you just need to take a quick glance at any letter and comment emanating from WS and you'll see the dull and predictable daily dose of SNP bad/vote LibDem waffle.

I did not have the energy to repeat myself replying to Capeesh's silly comments so well done Ghostrider. 

Most of our opponents seem to be people who are, in my view, far too absorbed in UK party politics and bickering...

 

Have you read the stuff your group is churning out? People in glass houses...
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^^^ WS have recommended a candidate for a local election based on our belief he is the most conducive to furthering our aims. I don't know how many times I have to explain this to you.

The fact that we are a group made up of a variety of people, who all share different political views, shows that we are already transcending British party politics. It is just people like yourself who refuse to accept that. If you personally knew many of our members, as I do, you would see that this is not an anti-SNP conspiracy, simply a group of Shetlanders who want to protect these islands from uncaring and distant Governments.

As for what we are "churning out", if you don't like it don't read it.

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With a small population and coveted resources we are far too vulnerable to being sacrificed on the altar of politics in the name of the perceived "greater good". This is sadly the case whichever party is in power. 

A self-governing Shetland may not be perfect but at least we could then rely on the Government to always try to do what is in our best interests.

 

Lift away all the layers of EU, National & Scottish political mindset and you find it just the same right here on our tiny doorstep. The SIC also propagates the same principle of " being sacrificed on the alter of politics in the name of 'greater good' .

 

This & past administrations drive to get us all to move into Lerwick and its ever expanding overspill zones is a social & economic cancer to the rest of Shetland. I love the concept of local control over local issues but if we cannot get it right in our tiny world, shot hold is there?

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^^^ I agree with you Vik regarding the SIC. I frequently criticise them for their centralist agenda. I see this as an opportunity to "wipe the slate clean" and start again, it would not be the current SIC running Shetland. We would have a new constitution and laws. We could place a greater emphasis on protecting our rural areas. 

Getting it "right in our own tiny world" is difficult at present for a multitude of reasons, not all of which can be blamed on the SIC. With a tailor made set up of Government, with greater resources and real power to affect change we could look after and develop all of Shetland's communities.

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This & past administrations drive to get us all to move into Lerwick and its ever expanding overspill zones is a social & economic cancer to the rest of Shetland. I love the concept of local control over local issues but if we cannot get it right in our tiny world, shot hold is there?

It all comes down to cost,if one has to transport materials to and from the town it is far more expensive.but still many seem to manage like bakers & butchers .

 

What is the point of building houses in areas where there is no work and little possibility of work,simply to create a situation where the necessity of transport becomes a problem for work ,schools ect. 

 

Many could work from home but the "data protection act" prevents this .Would you like the "friends ,neighbours and children"viewing your personal files in someones home as they pop along for a chat and a cup of coffee. How could one prevent this outside an office enviroment

 

It is this problem with confidentiality that deters many from allowing staff to work fom home.

 

If someone is interested in croft work and has some land then the little bit extra earned from this along with a job can make it worth while being out in the country.Not everyone is in this position.

 

Why was there empty houses in Mossbank for years.?

 

This is a very complex issue that requires much thought,council cannot just built houses in rural areas and then face additional costs transporting children to and from school and the extra cost to the country of unemployment benifits if there is no work.

Edited by Urabug
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This & past administrations drive to get us all to move into Lerwick and its ever expanding overspill zones is a social & economic cancer to the rest of Shetland. I love the concept of local control over local issues but if we cannot get it right in our tiny world, shot hold is there?

It all comes down to cost,if one has to transport materials to and from the town it is far more expensive.but still many seem to manage like bakers & butchers .

 

What is the point of building houses in areas where there is no work and little possibility of work,simply to create a situation where the necessity of transport becomes a problem for work ,schools ect. 

 

Many could work from home but the "data protection act" prevents this .Would you like the "friends ,neighbours and children"viewing your personal files in someones home as they pop along for a chat and a cup of coffee. How could one prevent this outside an office enviroment

 

It is this problem with confidentiality that deters many from allowing staff to work fom home.

 

If someone is interested in croft work and has some land then the little bit extra earned from this along with a job can make it worth while being out in the country.Not everyone is in this position.

 

Why was there empty houses in Mossbank for years.?

 

This is a very complex issue that requires much thought,council cannot just built houses in rural areas and then face additional costs transporting children to and from school and the extra cost to the country of unemployment benifits if there is no work.

 

It is a complex issue Urabug. You are saying Council staff cannot work from home due to data protection, why then could the SIC not locate offices in areas other than Lerwick? In these days of modern communications links is there any concrete need for all of the SIC to be located in Lerwick? 

 

You are correct in that the solution is not to just build houses everywhere there is a problem. There has to be a strategy to provide jobs, accommodation, transport links and better broadband to all of Shetlands rural areas. 

 

People forget that in the grand scheme of Shetland's economy it is the rural areas, through fishing, aquaculture, SVT/SGP etc, which support Lerwick, not the other way around.

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It is my belief that eventually all council offices will be centralised .Planning could end up in Dundee,Transport in Aberdeen , Social Services in Glasgow if not overseas and so on..

 

The advancements in Broadband and Mobile phone devices makes this more and more likely

 

We could end up with one office for a few supervisors and managers all the rest of the staff redundant or relocated.

 

I would not wish this but it could  save millions of pounds.

 

Remember this is exaclly what the Post Office Telephones did and my phone still works.!

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Much of the lack of rural employment opportunities is down to attitude, few if any ideas for development receive any real encourgement or support, those which have grown have been down to the effort and investment of individuals and/or outside business concerns, and as often as not despite the SIC's efforts, not because of them.

 

There's just been talk of establishing a fish factory in Whalsay, and instead of the SIC welcoming the idea with enthusiasm and working with those involved to try and find ways and means to make it happen (assuming its a viable plan), all they've offered is an emphatic "NO!", because they couldn't sign a cheque to cover it and of course take charge of it by default. Some years ago there was a proposal to look at developing a "super quarry" somewhere in the North Mainland to export aggregate. Folk living on the route between the site and the proposed export pier objected on the grounds of nuisance/dust etc from the lorry traffic, which was understandable. Again, instead of trying to work with the proposers and objectors to identify/create a route that was acceptable to both, the SIC simply nixed it there and then.

 

Using Data Protection as a reason not to use home workers is the biggest fallacy and red herring going. An office based employee is entrusted to keep their mouth shut concerning what they read on their screen and on other people's ones in that office, entrusting them to ensure other residents in their own home do not have access to their work material, or if they do, to keep their mouth shut, and to ensure that their work is not seen by visitors to their home, is only a very small step further, and works perfectly fine for numerous private firms, so why not public bodies? Are public bodies trying to say their employees by and large are less trustworthy/careless/irresponsible that their private enterprise equivalents?

 

In any case, it is seriously bloody rich for some of the public bodies in Shetland to cry "Data Protection" over anything, given their apparent blatant total disregard for the legislation.

 

I have had a SIC employee accost a visitor to my address as they were leaving, demanding they give the SIC employee access to my address, and when they were informed that they couldn't, and wouldn't even if they could. That SIC employee then proceeded to jump up and down and throw a hissy fit, semi-shouting at my departing visitor and within clear earshot of any of numerous neighbours who were passing/had windows, doors etc open, numerous private details, some true, some untrue concerning my reltionship with certain parts of the SIC. I have had an SIC employee contact a relative of mine and make wholly untrue and unforunded very personal and insulting allegations about me, I have had either the same employee or one of their colleagues contact other SIC employee(s) in other SIC departments repeating the same allegations to them, and urging them to act on them as if they were true. I have had SIC employee(s) make wholly untrue, unfounded, very personal and by all apperances downright malicious allegtions against acquaintences of mine, people the SIC had no knowledge of, and had no business having any knowledge of, and spreading these allegations around other SIC employee(s) in other SIC departments urging them to act on them as if they were true.

 

If this is how the SIC observe Data Protection and respect an individual's privacy when they have "full control" of how their employees operate as they are restricted to an "SIC office enviornment", I totally fail to see how it could get worse wherever else the "work" was undertaken.

Edited by Ghostrider
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If only we had the ability to see say 10 years into the future.

 

With less folk required in almost if not all industries due to mecanisation,shortage of fish,the decline in the oil industries, and opposition to many of the re-newable energy schemes ect it is not difficult to see the unemployment level rise considerably throughout Shetland.

 

The upgrade of "Broadband" is supposed to be a boon but it with help but a few in my opinion. 

 

If as I contemplate many if not all Council offices being privatised/amalgamated and centralised,many operating from the mainland Scotland,with frontline workers receiveing there jobs via mobile phone/computer,this will lead to the demise of many local office jobs.  

 

What will or what can "wir Shetland do to stop that"-NOTHING!

 

A lot will depend on what funds are available from poor Holyrood.

 

I do hope I am wrong.

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^ The art of politics is to accurately predict and best shape the future to ensure mximum prosperity. Proactive is required, not the reactive LA we've had for the last 25 years, incapable apprently of seeing beyind the next series of council meetings, and at best disinterested Scottish, UK and EU controls.

 

There would be no shortage of fish in a self-determining Shetland. Oil is far from done yet, its up to us to milk it for all its worth as long as it lasts and reinvest in future earners, not continue to sit passively being grateful for a few discarded crumbs, and fritter them away on frivilious b/s as we have been for the last 35 years. With self determination and a proactive ambitious leadership many new opportunities are very possible. Right now we're constrained by other people's laws, and their taxes, and their vested interests, we're pawns in far too many other people's little games.

 

Offshore Banking, Flag of conveninece, booze/fags cruises, gambling 'a la Las Vegas' stylee, energy hub, strategic military base(s), cargo hub, quarrying etc, etc.....Just straight off the top of the head. Pick one, pick them all, pick none and think up somthing else. The point is, all are possible, which are most profitable, and which are Shetlanders willing to live with are the only questions. Its all about getting the maximum cash inward, for the minimum cash outward, we have to utilise our location and natural resources to our greatest advantage as they are the only things we can reasonably rely on indefinitely, oil is a passing bonus that could be a temporary leg up with other things, that is all.

 

"Wir Shetland's" first and foremost aim is local control. With local control, what Holyrood gets up to is irrelevant, as we'd be doing our own thing while they made a kirk or a mill of the rest of it. Shetland's funds would have absolutely nothing to do with Holyrood, and neither would local government jobs, Shetland would be wholly responsible for both.

Edited by Ghostrider
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30 odd years fae  sine, an SIC convener predicted dat oer money Shetlanders hed huge mortages dae wid nivver pay aff.

Hoosumever working Shetlanders continue to thrive despite governments and cooncils.

Centralisation is a political machination dat is neither cost effective nor efficient.

Maks dem easier to caa, dats aa.

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