Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election

[whalsa]

I prefer to vote for something, this policy free, voting to stop somebody else negativity is the biggest cop out imaginable.

How far the Liberals have fallen, no wonder they only have 4 MSP's in Holyrood if that's all they've got in the locker. What do they stand for nowadays? What's their vision? What's their message? That Tory coalition has stolen their soul.

But what have the SNP done for Shetland since taking power? Besides promising things before elections then reneging that is. 

 

It shouldn't matter what party your MSP belongs to, vital services should be properly funded in all parts of the country. For far too long Holyrood have relied on the SIC dipping in to it's reserves to prop up struggling services which really should be funded by central government. That is not what the oil money was for. They have coveted it since we got it. Why bother using their budgets when they know fine well that the socially conscious Shetland Councillors will spend their own resources rather than make unpalatable cuts. This has to end or we will have nothing left. 

[Ghostrider]

I prefer to vote for something, this policy free, voting to stop somebody else negativity is the biggest cop out imaginable.

 

You can't vote for something when no candidate/party is offering anything you want. Nor does it make any sense to vote for someone who is offering what you want, but has absolutely zero chance of being elected in your constituency, that's just a waste of time and just political gesturing, it achieves zero.

 

If you're in either of the above situations, and you find yourself also on the situation of there being one candidate which seems to have a chance at winning, but is standing for policies/party that you believe are the worst thing that could possibly happen, it sure as hell makes sense to vote for their apparent main rival (if their policies/party are remotely palatable0 just to make sure what you perceive as a walking disaster area waiting to happen is kept out.

 

In an ideal world voting for the candidate/policies/party that you believe would do the job best would always happen, unfortunately in all but a tiny minority of elections you end up voting (if you vote at all) for a compromise choice.

[BigMouth]

Colonel Ruth has gone missing. Deserted perhaps?

[Capeesh]

 

 

 

 

I prefer to vote for something, this policy free, voting to stop somebody else negativity is the biggest cop out imaginable.

How far the Liberals have fallen, no wonder they only have 4 MSP's in Holyrood if that's all they've got in the locker. What do they stand for nowadays? What's their vision? What's their message? That Tory coalition has stolen their soul.

 

But what have the SNP done for Shetland since taking power?

 

Humblest apologies for repeating myself but in my defence you did ask...

100's of affordable homes you can see all over Shetland and loads more in the pipeline for those Shetlanders who can't afford extortionate private rents or massive mortgages.

Shetlanders can go to University without having to pay for the privilege, they pay 9k a year in England.

Built a new high school,

Free prescriptions for sick Shetlanders,

Free personal care for elderly Shetlanders and then went on to extend it to those that need it regardless of age.

Bigger discounts on travel to the mainland,

Nearly doubled the free nursery hours for Shetlanders with young families.

Mitigated some of the Tory/LibDem welfare cuts like the bedroom tax.

This is a shortened version off the top of my head, there's probably more.

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

@ Capeesh

100's of affordable homes you can see all over Shetland and loads more in the pipeline for those Shetlanders who can't afford extortionate private rents or massive mortgages. - Many mortgages are less than the cost of renting.  I doubt that we actually need as much social housing as the powers that be would like to make out that we do.

Shetlanders can go to University without having to pay for the privilege, they pay 9k a year in England. - I'm not in favour of free higher education for all, see earlier comments.

Built a new high school, - Wasn't it PFI, thus costing an arm and a leg in the long run?
Free prescriptions for sick Shetlanders, - That's if you can actually get your GP to prescribe the drug you need plus I don't see why someone on say £100k should get free prescriptions.

Free personal care for elderly Shetlanders and then went on to extend it to those that need it regardless of age. - nope, it isn't free personal care for all, it depends upon how you have been assessed by your local authority with shopping and housework, etc., still being chargeable in many circumstances.

Bigger discounts on travel to the mainland, - Suggesting freezing air fares/keeping discounts at a certain level isn't really factoring in any overheads' increases Loganair/Northlink might face plus for every £ spent on the mainland, it's a £ less being spent in local shops.  Also, if you don't sort out paying ya staff well enough (Air traffic controllers), you ain't gonna be able to fly to the mainland.

Nearly doubled the free nursery hours for Shetlanders with young families. - At the expense of local private nurseries being forced to close/considering closing.

 

[mikeyboy]

So Tom Wills is going to phone Nicola first thing on Friday if he wins and start the process to bring some of his promises to fruition. Now is there any doubt left here as regards the well thought out plan?

 

"Hold back on the good stuff till they vote the right way, then we've got them."

 

Been planned for a while this one.

 

Sounds more like he intends to fulfill his promises.

[mikeyboy]

I see the Liberals out in force canvassing now. Good to see some balance.

 

 

Or suddenly realised that they can't take the Shetland voter for granted anymore.

[mikeyboy]

Well Capeesh, stopping the SNP could well be vital for Shetland's future, that's just the way it is.

 

 

Please explain?

[BigMouth]

You ought to try to buy a house here now. A buyer is battling against buy to letters, builders, speculators, airBnB’rs. Then there are the ones that never make it to market. Then there is the bidding system and the extortionate cost of the property itself. Then you need surveyors and solicitors, and the bank will want their cut of you.

 

Social housing helps to keep the prices down by reducing, if only slightly, demand for houses in the private sector. I can't imagine that there are many renting who wouldn’t prefer to be buying. The trouble is that banks will often not give out mortgages on the grounds of affordability despite buying being cheaper than renting per month. Those renting are often paying the mortgage of the owner or keeping them in a lifestyle to which they have become accustomed.

 

Build more social housing as long as you have people that want it, and are usually financially unable to support private rents or mortgages.

[Ghostrider]

FFS I've just had 'Vote Tom Wills' flyer pushed through me door in the last hour. Nearly half way through election day, if folk haven't already made their mind up, chances are they never will, and yet one more leaflet with his mugshot ain't gonna make that change.

 

I've rapidly gone form, 'Well, if he hets voted in, he get's voted in. So, whatever........', to really hoping he doesn't get voted in, if for no other reason than to prove this incessant blanket bombing in your face tactics they've used does them no favours and winds folk up turning them against them.

[Ghostrider]

 

So Tom Wills is going to phone Nicola first thing on Friday if he wins and start the process to bring some of his promises to fruition. Now is there any doubt left here as regards the well thought out plan?

 

"Hold back on the good stuff till they vote the right way, then we've got them."

 

Been planned for a while this one.

 

Sounds more like he intends to fulfill his promises.

 

 

He can intend all he likes, but he's shackled himself to the wrong party to get the kind of promises he's made fulfilled.

[Claadehol]

Covered that before Mikey boy re autonomy

[Ghostrider]

FFS I've just had 'Vote Tom Wills' flyer pushed through me door in the last hour. Nearly half way through election day, if folk haven't already made their mind up, chances are they never will, and yet one more leaflet with his mugshot ain't gonna make that change.

 

I've rapidly gone form, 'Well, if he hets voted in, he get's voted in. So, whatever........', to really hoping he doesn't get voted in, if for no other reason than to prove this incessant blanket bombing in your face tactics they've used does them no favours and winds folk up turning them against them.

 

 

.....and another one! An SNP campaigner knocking just over an hour ago this time.

 

Talk about battering you in to submission......Two in a day, especially on the actual election day is too OTT for anybody's standards, surely!

 

If another one turns up tonight, I'll be upstairs emptying the piss pot out the window, I swear........

[Claadehol]

Tom Wills has been impressing the school kids at Brae High School, I have been talking to a pupil. Tom has been explaining how green his credentials are. When asked why if he was so "green" were there such a huge number of single use plastic signs all over our lamp posts. He explained that they could be used again. When pressed about the fact that his photo is all over them he explained that it could be blanked out and replaced. He was then asked about the single use cable ties fastening them to the posts he said that you can use a small screwdriver and shove it in the locking system and release the tie. I am soooo impressed, he has everything covered. Now I feel it is a duty for all of us to check that the devoted snp guys who will be required to take down the signs are using the Tom Wills green technique to salvage the cable ties. I will be following this with interest, I am hoping that they will not be using snips or some other fast but wasteful technique in order to release the signs. After all we must try and ensure that these guys are not letting Tom and his impressionable young followers down here. I will forever be impressed when I see these guys, (or gals), perched on ladders  while trying to utilise a small screwdriver in an awkward position all for the sake of the planet and a green future . I wonder if health and safety is being followed here, it can't be safe for one person surely, and even with two, one holding the ladder, and the other trying to hold on and manage with one hand to manoeuvre the screwdriver into position and release the tie at the same time. Perhaps Tom will be demonstrating the technique when he has a bit of time away from Nicola, the camera, or the microphone. Maybe a tower scaffold will be required if the ladder proves unsafe, one needs 3 points of contact remember. Anyway we'll see how our devoted SNP minions fare here, I do hope they don't let the kids down by using snips. Well they'll be letting Tom down too and his leader will be so displeased. Well, only if it hits the news I guess. 

[Ghostrider]

^ Cherry picker, that's the thing they need.

 

I'm sure someone local must have one to hire, at reasonable rates. Shipping one in would have serious carbon footprint implications I would imagine, that a such a 'green' candidate/party would highly disapprove of......

 

P.S. I hope they'l undergo adequate training in the screwdriver technique. It wouldn't do if they were too cack handed and broke of the little tab in the process of attempting to release them.....or worse, stabbed themselves with the screwdriver.

 

Jeez.....Whatever happened to the good old days of paper posters and wallpaper paste......Reasonably biodegradable/compostable and seldom survived the first day of wind and rain.