SNP hopeful

[Claadehol]

I see our SNP hopeful Miriam Brett is going to fight for cheaper ferry fares for the Northern Isles. Do I sound a little cynical when I envisage progress being suddenly made here after all this time?

Just imagine voting in an SNP representative and hey! suddenly things start moving. We've been waiting a long time for a fair deal, voting as always for the Liberals and just a vague promise of future cuts in fares.

Vote the right way now, and fair fares can become reality. Is that really the choice we may have to face?

I'd rather leave the fares as they are if that is the case.

 

[menkeeeaneahi]

Miriam Brett is going to fight for cheaper ferry fares for the Northern Isles.

 

must be an echo in here, sure ive heard that line before

 

oh yeah two years ago

[Claadehol]

Yeah! was about 2 years ago, but we didn't vote SNP.  Hint of blackmail here now! That's the way they seem to operate. Not overly keen on that!

[whalsa]

She promises to give us something which was promised two years ago... as well as something the Council has been negotiating over for years (inter island ferry funding)...

Is she saying if she doesn't get elected we won't get these things.. which we have already been promised by her Government? 

She also says she would like to see the CFP reformed or scrapped (hurrah!) but that seems at odds with her parties stance of rejoining the EU.

I don't want to vote SNP or Lib Dems due to their current tendency to ignore democratic results. I don't want to vote for the Tories because I basically disagree with everything they do (minus there candidates stance on the fishing industry). Maybe I will protest vote for Stuart Hill, at least he supports Shetland autonomy, although I have always disagreed with his methods. 

[Urabug]

If the SNP respected democracy then i might have supported them,but just because they have a bright,good looking candidate I personally won't be persuaded to alter my vote,or for that matter vote at all.

[tirvaluk]

How are the SNP not respecting democracy? We are being dragged out of Europe when we voted by a huge majority in Scotland to stay in. 

[whalsa]

How are the SNP not respecting democracy? We are being dragged out of Europe when we voted by a huge majority in Scotland to stay in. 

A relatively small majority in Shetland (56.5%). Whalsay in fact voted ~85% Leave. However the ballot paper did not mention Whalsay, Shetland or Scotland for that matter. The question was should the UK leave the EU. As a nation we voted, rightly or wrongly, to Leave. The Lib Dems and SNP have had a hard time accepting that. A Scottish vote for Remain does not automatically translate into support for independence.

 

Mind you, in principle I am not opposed to another independence referendum, I am just not convinced the people of Scotland actually want another one so soon, before the end result of leaving the EU is known.

 

I would also like to see Shetland having a say on it's own future, everyone knows my views on that though! 

[Kavi Ugl]

Well, apparently Miriam Brett was/is  "senior economic adviser to the SNP’s Westminster group".  

 

In other words, there was someone from Shetland at the heart of the SNP and it still didn't do us one jot of good.

 

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/14515-miriam-brett-selected-as-snp-candidate

 

Carmichael needs to pull his socks up(more interest in, and support for the fishing industry) but I'll be voting LibDem simply to keep the SNP out.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Kavi Ugl

[menkeeeaneahi]

^ what was their westminster group needing an economic advisor for anyway - to figure out whether they could afford chocolate degestives or have to make do with plain ones

 

its not like that group have a function, fifty odd against five hundred odd - it didn't win at the alamo and doesn't work in london either

[Capeesh]

I'm all for keeping the pressure on the SNP to fulfill their promise of cheaper ferry fares for Shetland and Orkney sooner rather than later but as far as I can see they've not reneged on that Scottish election manifesto pledge.

They only won the election this time last year, they're one year into a five year parliamentary term, if at the end of the five year term there's no reduction in ferry fares then they can be judged at the ballot box.

If this unexpected early UK election spurs them on then all the better, I've got a ferry to book later in the year and family visiting after that.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Capeesh

[Urabug]

I'm more concerned about keeping well paid jobs in Shetland.

 

If folk do not have such jobs then i guess they will not be in a position to travel on the ferries anyway.

 

We need to get our priorities correct.

[menkeeeaneahi]

i dont really get the lower ferry fares thing the vast majority of folk travelling are doing so for pleasure not necessity its a choice they make

 

are freight charge reductions not far more important the cheaper it is to import and export the more bouyant the local economy is and the more money is about to keep wages up and pay for fares whatever their cost.

[whalsa]

I'm more concerned about keeping well paid jobs in Shetland.

 

If folk do not have such jobs then i guess they will not be in a position to travel on the ferries anyway.

 

We need to get our priorities correct.

What jobs are you referring to and how do you propose we keep them? Per capita I reckon there are a lot of higher paid jobs in Shetland, this is reflected by our massive contributions to the national economy. 

 

 

i dont really get the lower ferry fares thing the vast majority of folk travelling are doing so for pleasure not necessity its a choice they make

 

are freight charge reductions not far more important the cheaper it is to import and export the more bouyant the local economy is and the more money is about to keep wages up and pay for fares whatever their cost.

 

Assume (and hope!) you are referring to the Northlink rather than the inter island ferries. Comparing the two is apples and oranges but far more people depend on travelling on the inter island routes daily. As you say, Northlink freight charges are more relevant economically than passenger fares. 

 

However, overly high fares stifle tourism which is bad for the economy and also restricts peoples ability to travel to the Mainland, sometimes but not always a necessity. Even still, it is a (massively) subsidised, domestic, lifeline service - if it is too expensive for the average family to go to the Mainland once a year then there is something far wrong with it IMO.

 

[menkeeeaneahi]

 

i dont really get the lower ferry fares thing the vast majority of folk travelling are doing so for pleasure not necessity its a choice they make

 

are freight charge reductions not far more important the cheaper it is to import and export the more bouyant the local economy is and the more money is about to keep wages up and pay for fares whatever their cost.

 

Assume (and hope!) you are referring to the Northlink rather than the inter island ferries. Comparing the two is apples and oranges but far more people depend on travelling on the inter island routes daily. As you say, Northlink freight charges are more relevant economically than passenger fares.

 

yup definitely two entirely different things

[Urabug]

With the economic changes in the oil and building industry, zero hour contracts,also modern technology reducing the need for manpower if what I hear on the grapevine is correct a number of well paid jobs are at risk throughout .

 

Lerwick Harbour Trust has spent thousands at Dales Voe preparing a site for decommissioning work but with this new vessel that can now remove the oil rigs directly of there legs possibly I'm being sceptical but i cannot see much of that line of work coming this way. 

 

Just possible that there is already some contracts in place

 

is there any political influence that will help.

 

Jobs come and go but looking back a few years their is not so many steady well paid good pensioned positions around that used to be.

 

But when all is said and done if all ferry fares could be reduced that would be a help.