Self-sustaining Shetland

[wotsit]

What is the" sign up" for supporting the restaurant or vote of no confidence in planning dept /council ?

[Ghostrider]

I am probably wrong but  get the impression that there is an automatic  "how can I stop this"  response to planning requests, rather than a positive helpful reaction.

It seems to be a council thing,  emphasising the negative, can't do instead of can do. 

 

No change with them there then. How many year ago was "Peerie Glessy Porch" written.

[wotsit]

Surely Planning departments are there to pass applications where possible, NOT to fail planning applications if they can.

[whalsa]

I see a lot of fuss being made over fruit and vegetables running out due to the boat not running. I have noticed a lack of fresh fruit here at work recently also. However I am led to believe some country shops have remained stocked throughout?

My question is this, how reliant is Shetland on food imports? Obviously there are some things which you simply can't get here but could Shetland feed itself if some catastrophe meant we were cut off for an extended period? 

Perhaps an autonomous Shetland with a plentiful, secure power supply (gas from a new power station supplied from SGP), an abundance of water (no shortage here) could explore the use of vertical farming (or some other methods?) to grow our own produce?

[Ghostrider]

My question is this, how reliant is Shetland on food imports? Obviously there are some things which you simply can't get here but could Shetland feed itself if some catastrophe meant we were cut off for an extended period?

 

Far too reliant. Theoretically we could feed ourselves for an extended period, but the way things are in the present, we couldn't. Perhaps ironically given what passes through Sullom, the biggest issue would be fuel, without a fuel boat, getting what food was available to the people needing it, would rapidly become almost impossible. Secondary to that is that a lot of things we could be providing for ourselves aren't being, on account of being unable to compete with imports produced by huge automated operations which are impossible given our terrain and climate, and/or importers using them as loss leaders.

 

Case in hand, milk, we could very easily provide more than everybody could possible use, but with Tesco selling imported milk retail at 25p per pint, they have the market cornered. No business can survive producing product that they'll only sell *if* the usual supply chain falls over which they end up having to dump 99.99% of the time. Similar situations exist with much of what we can produce, ie. most meats, basic veg etc.

 

Its a difficult one, we could feed ourselves reasonably well, but it would cost the consumer a little more than at present, and producers would need to know before spring that they had a guaranteed market for when the produce became available the following autumn/winter. As it is, local wholesalers/retailers know that if they price everything they import just slightly under what the comparable local product could viably be sold at (which in some cases still allows them a very generous profit compared to what they could expect if they had the same operation South), they have teh mrket cornered and have it made.

[whalsa]

I have not put a lot of thought in to the whole self sufficient Shetland idea it was merely the title of this thread that got me thinking about it. I have always been bemused by the irony of high fuel costs in Shetland when so much North Sea oil has flown through SVT, it is a shame a refinery was not built at the same time. 

You cite fuel as Shetlands main weakness in terms of relying on imports, I wonder if a micro-refinery built to process oil from SVT would be viable or would it simply cost way too much? 

 

All a bit pie-in-the-sky at the moment but interesting nonetheless. I have long felt that Shetland is too reliant on our links to the UK mainland and that the more we can produce and use locally the better. 

[whalsa]

A very well written piece here from our Chairman. I urge everyone to join the fight for our future. No one can be expected to look after Shetland but those who live here. 

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/letters/12058-a-failing-organisation
 

 

[shetlander]

No one can be expected to look after Shetland but those who live here.

 

Kinda rules oot your chairman then Edited January 15, 2016 by shetlander

[Roachmill]

^Zing! And a good point. TBO, the way he and certain others carry on in the Shetland Times comments section, makes me give the whole thing a wide berth. There's way too much ego stroking and playground name calling going on to give them any credence. They could learn a thing or two from you Whalsa!

[whalsa]

Haha very good.   The fact that he doesn't CURRENTLY live here is not really relevant in my opinion, he is not seeking to govern Shetland and neither is the Wir Shetland group. 

Sad to hear that you have been put off Roachmill. The group as it is encompasses people from a variety of backgrounds and political leanings and when people are passionate about something tempers can often flare. The fact is the vast majority of us are not politicians or public figures, people are bound to say things they perhaps shouldn't from time to time. Not sure what they could learn from me in that respect to be honest but I will take that as a compliment   

However one thing that has been clear to me from the start is that everyone involved has Shetland's interests at heart. Hopefully people can see beyond the personalities at the heart of the campaign and see the logic of our arguments.

As far as I see it getting some form of self governance really is the best way to safeguard our way of life for not only our own future but our children and grandchildren. I want any children of mine to enjoy the same (or better) opportunities that I have enjoyed. 

Edited January 15, 2016 by whalsa

[Capeesh]

It's the British overseas territory thing that puts me off.

Why on earth would we want to be a British colony?

The British empire doesn't exist anymore, they all couldn't wait to leave, I wonder why?

Would we have to dress up and perform for our imperial masters from London when they visit?

Would we have to kiss the toes of an appointed Lord Governor?

They called the Beja tribes in Sudan the fuzzy wuzzies, would we get a similar nickname?

Edited January 15, 2016 by Capeesh

[whalsa]

Its a means to an end Capeesh. As a BOT we would not have to worry about defence etc, would retain the benefits of being UK citizens and have free trade with the EU whilst being free of their policies and regulations. It seems to work well for other island groups (bermuda, the Falklands, Gibraltar etc). Faroe has a similar set up with Denmark. In the long run if people here were unhappy with the arrangement we could democratically decide to do something else, full independence or whatever. 

[Ghostrider]

Would we have to dress up and perform for our imperial masters from London when they visit?

Would we have to kiss the toes of an appointed Lord Governor?

They called the Beja tribes in Sudan the fuzzy wuzzies, would we get a similar nickname?

 

Do folk in Bermuda, Gibraltar, The Falklands, Virgin Islands and the other ten?

 

As for a nickname, we're all considered to be sheepshaggers already, so what's to lose?

 

BOT or Crown Dependency is the best of both worlds, independence in the areas where we would benefit from it, but back up with the things we'd struggle with if the going got heavy. Its independence piggy-backing on another nation for all intents and purposes.

 

The alternatives to BOT or Crown Dependency are the status quo or full independence, we're going to hell in a hand-cart with the former, and while the latter might be the most desirable, its also highest risk. Isn't it being more realistic and responsible to opt for one of the lower risk and lower "cost" options.

[Capeesh]

So when we're on our knees begging to be a British colony, who's going to tell them the massive tax reciepts they enjoy from the waters around Shetland has come to an end?

Edited January 15, 2016 by Capeesh

[Ghostrider]

So when we're on our knees begging to be a British colony, who's going to tell them the massive tax reciepts they enjoy from the waters around Shetland has come to an end?

 

The tax receipts as such may come to an end, but the flow of cash won't. We'd still have to pay them something as a BOT for what we got from them. If they won't play ball and talk sensible numbers, that's when we just say "F*** You then, we're declaring indepencence" and keep everything, and as I understand it, in international law they'd have no option but accept that.

 

There's nothing like being about to lose it all to motivate folk to negotiate seriously and sensibly.

 

BOT/Crown Dependency is the best outcome for both parties, we send less cash to Westminster, and Westminster sends less to us. They'd be little other than our insurance policy to provide military etc when required, and like all insurance policies they'd be collecting their premium every year, and most years they have to make no payouts on it. Clean money for them!