Self-sustaining Shetland

[Capeesh]

 "Any Shetlander who runs a small business" - not any then...

As is often necessary in SNP Bad rants a quick fact check is needed.

The quote from me actually said "Any Shetlander who runs a small business and enjoyed rate relief".

At no time anywhere did I say any or all small businesses would qualify for rate relief.

You can check for yourself it's only a few posts up.

[whalsa]

I really did not want to get dragged in to this debate Capeesh as it is detracting from the real issues as it usually does. The policies you mentioned are national policies which affect everyone in Scotland (and are therefore vote winners). The ones I referred to (ferry provision and education) are ones which are being applied inconsistently in a way which disadvantages Shetland and scoffs up our Councils finances - saving the SG money at the cost of a handful of unhappy voters.

You can argue about the positives and negatives of England and Scotland all you want but to me it is irrelevant. As has been stated before we would have the ability to set these policies for ourselves instead of having to rely on a distant, uncaring Government to do it for us.  

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

@ Capeesh - My apologies.

 

However, the scheme is for businesses where the premises have a combined rateable value of up to £35,000 - how many businesses do you reckon that affects then in Shetland?  Right now, you've got a situation whereby council tax is frozen affecting the income of local authorities.  How many properties in the street are exempt?  And there's no money in the pot to regenerate the area so you've got Living Lerwick wanting businesses to make voluntary payments to them in order to get cash.

 

Whether you like it or not, someone somewhere along the line pays for these types of scheme in one form or another.

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

I really did not want to get dragged in to this debate Capeesh as it is detracting from the real issues as it usually does. The policies you mentioned are national policies which affect everyone in Scotland (and are therefore vote winners). The ones I referred to (ferry provision and education) are ones which are being applied inconsistently in a way which disadvantages Shetland and scoffs up our Councils finances - saving the SG money at the cost of a handful of unhappy voters.

 

You can argue about the positives and negatives of England and Scotland all you want but to me it is irrelevant. As has been stated before we would have the ability to set these policies for ourselves instead of having to rely on a distant, uncaring Government to do it for us.  

 

Well if anything, it demonstrates that we can take the good, the bad and the ugly and decide what is and what isn't working.  Our lives are affected in so many ways by legislation which simply doesn't meet the needs of Shetland.

[Capeesh]

@ Capeesh - My apologies.

 

However, the scheme is for businesses where the premises have a combined rateable value of up to £35,000 - how many businesses do you reckon that affects then in Shetland? Right now, you've got a situation whereby council tax is frozen affecting the income of local authorities. How many properties in the street are exempt? And there's no money in the pot to regenerate the area so you've got Living Lerwick wanting businesses to make voluntary payments to them in order to get cash.

 

Whether you like it or not, someone somewhere along the line pays for these types of scheme in one form or another.

No apologies necessary, but thanks anyway.

Regarding the amount of Shetland businesses it affects, I just googled the stats, it shows that there are 752 non domestic properties in receipt of rate relief.

Edited April 24, 2016 by Capeesh

[Who Knows]

I presume Wir Shetland would not want SIC to transfer the responsibility for the inter island ferries to the Scottish Government?

 

Currently SIC receive around £6 million directly from the Scottish Government to run the inter island ferry service. The ferries in the Western Isles are directly run by SG arms length company Calmac.

I believe WS favour a referendum on whether their should be fixed links or replacement ferries which if it is would be a positive step in the community deciding on a major investment project in the local infrastructure.

 

There is also a sizeable subsidy built in to the Northlink Ferry contract and lessons would appeared to be learned from last tender as Zettrans involved in creating the service provision specification for the new tender.

 

Only £21 billion of the £120 billion spent across the Uk in the NHS is funded form National insurance the rest is paid out of general tax and charges the Government makes.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472142/National_Insurance_Fund_Accounts_Great_Britain_2014_to_2015.pdf

 

In England if you earn more than £16,000 and do not qualify for an exemption you have to pay prescription charges which currently is £8.40 for a single item or for those on long term conditions £29.10 for 3 months or £104 annually.

 

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Pages/Prescriptioncosts.aspx

 

However prescription charges were not brought in specifically to fund the NHS but to help fund a war. When the NHS was created in 1948 with the vision of providing free healthcare to all at the point of delivery there was no prescription charges. The founder of the NHS quit the Labour Government when they introduced prescription charges.

 

To ask the people of Shetland to support the creation of an independent state/country these two subjects and taxation are areas people will want to know what the alternate other way has to offer over the status quo.

[Who Knows]

Governments of all persuasions at both Westminister and Holyrood are probably guilty of not considering any of the Isles at the formation of their core policies.

 

For example when the police service call centres were originally moved to Inverness was when they potentially lost the local knowledge. The same training those in Inverness were given are transferreble to elsewhere on the mainland.

 

All Governments are guilty to varying degrees of the accusation that they centralise too much. Locally SIC are often receive criticism for being too Lerwick centric.

 

WS if they want to win the debate need to concentrate on a positive campaign about the benefits and steer clear of political mud slinging in their message of another way is possible for Shetland.

Edited April 24, 2016 by Who Knows

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

... snip

To ask the people of Shetland to support the creation of an independent state/country these two subjects and taxation are areas people will want to know what the alternate other way has to offer over the status quo.

 

And they can decide at the ballot box.  You know, what's the difference between private healthcare and what's already going down?  You pay your premium via NI to the Government.  You pay tax to the Governments.  The NHS has internal markets.  NHS Shetland buys services from certain providers.  Is healthcare better in Norway, Spain, England, for example?  Do we want a reciprocal agreement like the Isle of Man has regarding healthcare?  Would it be more cost effective to build a new hospital and have services here or to carry on buying from mainland Scotland?  NHS Shetland is already struggling.  It might be all private, it might be all state provided; it's down to the people to decide what they want instead of at the moment, having NI taken off them whether or not they want to opt into the NHS or not.

 

We have the opportunity to think outside the box.  We can decide what is good about the present systems and what, quite frankly, sucks, and put forward more than one case model for consideration.  Yes, research has to be done but right now, it's the principles as to what alternatives can be offered as a direct result of having more autonomy.  We've already seen what was set out by the Scottish Government as to what they envisaged would happen with pensions and the like; there's no reason why negotiations can't take place with Westminster if Shetland decided to be either a BOT, crown dependent, republic, whatever, as to what services could continue to be provided or alternatively what sum was being offered instead.

 

We're having a mixture right now of private and state with Northlink Serco.  We're seeing too FlyBe under LogainAir and HIAL for air travel - yet already there's been talk of another airline providing flights into Shetland.

 

Do we want the same judicial system, whereby the Sheriff and the solicitors have cosy little chats each day in his chambers out of earshot of everyone?

 

Figures can look scary but when you break it down £ per head, is it that scary?  Change is scary to some people whereas others embrace it.  Other countries manage it, why can't we?

[Wheelsup]

Who knows, what a future Scottish Government might do. If it gets independence you can be assured that there will (hopefully) be free elections and that any promises made now can only last as long as the promisee holds power.. So a bit of a gamble all round.

[Vik]

 

 

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.

The Mossbsnk houses was a mistake as what the SIC should have done was build temporary accommodation to address the temporary need for Sullom construction accommodation.

 

As too building houses in places where there is no work - there are several reasons why. Firstly its where folk want to bide and services (shop, school, fish factory, bakery, builders etc) should be encouraged & supported by all involved agencies, SIC etc. There isn't enough room in Lereick for everything & what a crap place Shetland would be if everything, everyone lived & worked in or around the toon.

 

More importantly if our local political, planning & development agencies don't support rural Shetland & continually force things into Lerwick, a future Scottish government might start applying the same stupid ideology and cut support to Shetland, encouraging folk to relocate to Aberdeenshire.

 

Date protection as an excuse for not encouraging home working or rural hubs is just that, an excuse. Data protection is no better protected in one big building in a town or city centre.

[Urabug]

 

 

 

 

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The Mossbsnk houses was a mistake as what the SIC should have done was build temporary accommodation to address the temporary need for Sullom construction accommodation.

 

 

 

Date protection as an excuse for not encouraging home working or rural hubs is just that, an excuse. Data protection is no better protected in one big building in a town or city centre.

 

The houses in Mossbank were certainly no mistake,they were intended to house the Sullom Voe construction workers and then the staff required at the terminal after the completion of construction.

 

This is more or less what happened,but thanks to the good wages and conditions that most if not all of those employed on site enjoyed,many were in a position to get good mortgages and consequently proceeded to built there own houses.

 

This was good for the community as a whole in Shetland,created extra work ect,but lead to the de-population of many of the houses at Mossbank  and with little or no jobs available in the area it was impossible to find tenants to occupy them. 

 

As for Data Protection, in these days of litigation and mitagation,few if any reputable establishments really want to take the risk of staff working from home,they would rather pay for an office,which offers better security, than have to pay of £? compensation to some successful complainent who has sued for some breach of information.  I believe insurance costs become an issue, having listened sometime ago to a discussion on the radio on this very subject  

 

Guess it is easier to keep an eye on someone in an office environment than watch them at  some remote address !

Edited April 26, 2016 by Urabug

[George.]

Guess it is easier to keep an eye on someone in an office environment than watch them at  some remote address !

 

 

Of course, the remote employer can access the remote computer that is being operated by the remote employee at some remote address, regardless of whereabouts they are.

 

Please define "Remote."

 

Remote employees are used, successfully, all over the world. It won't be long until the S.I.C finally realises that its office space is a waste of space, encourages its employees to work from home and disposes of all the unneeded buildings by giving them to Mrs Ho to turn into restaurants, cafe's, whatever.

Edited April 26, 2016 by George.

[Roachmill]

Is it SIC policy that staff do no it work from home? I can think of at least one management level SIC "worker" that "works" from "home" more often than their office. Can you feel the love?

[Wheelsup]

I know of  an SIC manager who mainly works from home to get away from the "distraction" caused by staff

[Urabug]

 

Guess it is easier to keep an eye on someone in an office environment than watch them at  some remote address !

 

 

 

 

Please define "Remote."

 

1mm to infinity.

 

Remember George if you have £1in your pocket then you can be sure that someone else wants it,so you try to look after it.Well it is the same with these computers there is always someone "hacking" away trying to get through the security and get there hands,or in this case there eyes on what ever information they can for there own benifit or to sell to someone else.

 

Big companys as we all know have had there security compromised with many folks bank details released for example

 

Offices probably have a better system of security deployed among there servers than one might have at home.

 

Millions of folk are working from home useing computers,I guess it is no different to say driving,most of the time no problems then someday "crash" someone runs into you or you into them. The consequencies of course can be serious.

 

But this is 2016 and we have to embrace this modern tecnology and overcome it's many problems.