Windwalker

I winder, did Nicola Sturgen try tae book da boat tae come here, and be tell da best she could hope fir would be a reclining chair or a seat in da bar. Maybe if she had tae endure a packed boat sleeping next tae strangers, she wid understand whit we hae tae pit up we. Poor capacity and no fit fir purpose. The chances o her booking da boat wid be brawly slim, nae doot she flew up, she widna hae gotten business class though. Hopefully she will realise dat travel in and oot o Shetland is a lifeline service, not the luxury business class she’s nae doot used to. As far as I’m concerned her visit is aa aboot waffle and false promises. We’ve been listening tae it fir years noo. I doot Mr Wills will soon find oot he has tae tow the party line if he gets in.

I don't see how du comes tae dat conclusion. I hae nae particular interest in Scotland becoming independent, but I hae nae problem we folk being asked what dey tink either, particularly when dirs been a change in circumstances.The problem is, is that we were already asked and they decided just to ignore the wishes of the majority and carry on as normal with their desire to have an independent Scotland. Glad to hear your not an SNP man though.

And here's me tinkin dat regular voting is part o democracy! And things change. Circumstances and plans aroond Brexit (and if we crash oot, Scottish Independence) ir significantly different noo fae da last referendum. Whit's da problem wee checkin if folk are still in agreement? Du must be an SNP man as du seems tae be suggesting democracy is fine when it suits de.

Dunna worry about it Ghostie, if we dunna lik da outcome we can just argue fir anider vote. Dats whit da remainers and the SNP are doing. If it’s guid enough fir dem, it’s guid enough fir wis.

Completely agree Whalsa, having read the article, I’m amazed that he believes what he’s written or been quoted, typical snp rubbish, trying to distort the true picture. The snp Seem to think they can spoot ony old crap and we will all fall fir it.

I think Tom Wills could do a good job, but there is no way I would every vote for the SNP. So do you go for a party rep or an independent ? Usually I’m pretty sure who I’d vote for, but this is the first time I feel a few of them could be good in the job. Totally undecided at present, so let’s hope they take this short time to sell themselves and convince me who to vote for.

No because this can be done without putting considerable hardship on elderly individuals

I tend to use eBay on a regular basis and most items arrive without issue. I have found that a few sellers are saying they posted something, and when you tell them it has not arrived they won’t send out a replacement and cancel the order. One told me it the easiest way to avoid paying the high postage and keep within eBay rules. I have had several issues with buying an item, paying for it immediately, just followed by the order being cancelled by the seller with an excuse, like out of stock, once they realised where it was to be posted to. Interestingly when doing a search of their eBay shop, you will find they still have dozens if the same item for sale. But trying to find a way through the maze to complain is a waste if time. The usual is for most to contact you seeking additional shipping fees, I’ve noticed this is also creeping into Amazon, despite prime members getting free delivery. Searching for an item on eBay yesterday, became a task as most were stating, they won’t send to the islands. Eventually found one who would send it free

To get back to the subject ! Whilst equal pension ages make sense for fair equality, which we all should be striving for, the issue here is not so much about equality, but more about the fairness and methods of reaching equality on pensions. I would think that most would agree that men and women should have the same pension age, but also agree that the process that the government has used to introduce this has been far from fair and will leave a lot of women in a difficult financial position in their latter years. There was little advance notice giving women time to prepare and the changes have been introduced far to quickly. Had the government introduced this in several stages over a much longer period so that the effects were less damaging to one generation, it might have been more palatable. Secondly, It is important that any new regulations regarding equal pension age must be accompanied by stronger laws ensuring there is no difference in pay rates between men and women who are doing the same job. Why in this day and age do we still have firms getting away with paying women less. In my opinion the government has made a backside of this and need to go back to the drawing board and revise the process. They need to come up with a fairer system which will bring this in over a much longer period, so that the effect is not so damaging on one generation. I believe most sensible thinking men would agree that equality on this issue will take time to introduce and therefore will not see it as unequal.

I think the biggest issue with smells in that area is to do with the sewage pumping station is it not?

I recall many years ago, nets being stored near my house, don’t know if they were washed or not, but I could smell them with certain winds to the extent I was convinced the clothes on the line smelt of them. But the biggest issue was blue bottles, we had a house full of them all summer and couldn’t open the windows. I’m sure things have improved a lot since then though and if I were a resident in toft I would visit the net cleaning plant in Lerwick to see what I thought. It might put your mind at rest or confirm your concerns.

You’ve got my vote Ghostie.

Who would be president?Mhhhh now. That’s a difficult one, however assuming it’s someone local they would be easier to get rid off, contact or girn about in da Shetland times. (:

Can’t make up my mind whether to laugh or scream. For me as a voter the process was clear and democratic. Concerning Brexit, we voted as a union. The decision was clear, the UK, which we are are part of voted to leave. Despite voting remain I can’t understand why the will of the people, that these clowns in Westminster are there to represent, hasn’t been carried through. Concerning Scottish Independence, the Scottish people voted to remain part of the union, yet despite this the clowns in the Scottish parliament continue to ignore the will of the people. The only thing that seem to be clear is the Clowns are running the asylum and totally ignoring democracy and the will of the people. Bring on Shetland independence and let’s get clear of the lot of them.

The programme description was: “A unique insight into life onboard the MV Hrossey, seen through the eyes of the crew and passengers who travel on it” What I saw was certainly not my experience travelling on board. I’ve had many a fine night with friends and family and never been aware of any hastle. The food was good, trip to cinema, a couple o drams and a good yarn, before head down for the night. This all seemed very negative. In my opinion will do nothing to encourage folk to give the boat a try.

Did anyone watch the programme “All Aboard” on STV last night? I like to watch anything ‘Shetland’ related and although I didn’t expect it to be about Shetland, I was so disappointed in the programme and struggled to maintain interest in it. Virtually all on board shots, showed a boat with less then half a dozen people on it and the ramblings of some if the crew, who spoke about people getting a bit heat up or spewing all over the place, whilst there wasn’t a soul to be seen was laughable. The shot where the barmaid has to deal with a roudy customer on what looks like a ghost ship couldn’t have looked more contrived it was laughable. Can’t see how this could possibly encourage anyone to sail on the boat. speak about shooting yourself in the foot. I don’t understand why they didn’t show the boat as it usually is, buzzing with folk and families, a rough trip and a smooth one etc. After watching I just though ‘what’s the point’ Maybe we’ve just been spoilt with other Shetland related programmes, let’s hope they don’t turn this in to a regular thing.

But George the people choice is being ignored despite them voting.. we are only getting what they choose despite the majority voting otherwise.

Very true, the majority have not got what they wanted. That shows us, yet again, just how democratic the U. K. actually is. Having said that, if you don't vote then you have no complaint when it all goes wrong.I think you missing my point George. Despite folk voting it has all gone wrong.!! Well that is where democracy is concerned. Perhaps if everyone decided not to vote in the next election the politicians might take notice.

If we don't vote we will never get what we want.The point is, the majority have not got what they wanted. The country voted and the result is being ignored, so what’s the sense in voting in the future. I for one will think twice about leaving the house in a night o rain and wind to go to a polling station, when I think peoples votes are being ignored anyway. I voted to stay but I fully accept our democratic process.

@Davie P. “A key choice for me, if and when independence gets back on the agenda, is whether a border with England or the EU is least bad.” An independent Shetland would be my choice, we’ve got a natural water border, but unfortunately I’m not convinced that we could go it alone, no more than I’m convinced that Scotland could. The EU would grab our fish, oil and charge us a fortune for the privilege. We would be left at their door with the begging bowl, completely at their beck and call. They have a proven record. Despite the vote against independence, it’s never been off the agenda, is Sturgen not considering launching it again shortly. Mind you maybe if the vote goes against her again, she will accept it, but some how I doubt it.

And yet those wanting an independent Scotland remaining in the EU never mention there would be a border between Scotland and England and the same issues will arise.

Nah nah, we have already voted, we’ve had all the clarity we need. That’s democracy. This ‘lets keep going until they get the answer they want’ attitude is certainly not democracy. I voted to stay in both the UK and the EU but I fully accept the results of the vote. Now that’s democracy.

Couldn’t agree more Capeesh, but we voted to remain part of the uk and the uk as a whole voted to leave. But why care about democracy, the snp has ignored the wishes of the majority ever since where Scottish independence is concerned and are doing the same with the EU vote. As I’ve said previously, what’s the sense in voting anymore if our “elected” government, who are supposed to represent the people and democracy just put their fingers in their ears and go la la la la la la.

I’m sure I heard on bbc question time that Macdonald’s and other large companies were currently moving headquarters to uk, despite the fear mongering over brexit. Win some lose some. I voted to remain in the EU, but after seeing how they want to screw us over and tie us in, I’m now all for just bitting the bullet and making the break. Only when this seems to be the way things are going, will the EU come back with a reasonable deal. EU countries would be up sh*t creek if we didn’t buy their goods etc. Their current strategy is an attempt to get us to change our minds and if we’re daft enough to do so then I would think they will only let us remain after they reduce our position in the club. Whilst I didn’t vote to leave, I accept democracy, I’m sick to the back teeth of our political parties ignoring the votes of the people. The SNP are speaking about shortly launching another Scottish referendum and want us to stay in the EU. This is despite the majority of people voting differently. I see little sense in voting for anything anymore, they don’t listen. They are ignoring democracy.

Thanks, eventually found it at Shetland webcams, missed it last year and was told it was on Facebook, but can’t stand Facebook so didn’t see it. Must congratulate Andy and crew for the coverage which was fantastic due to the fine night.