Skunnered

^^Second bests, as opposed to what we have at the moment, which is...

Are you suggesting that none of the other Councillors would be suitable or capable? Perhaps that's precisely the problem that they have, and that may be the reason that Flea has had so little support.

Absolutely spot-on on all counts!

Yes I do realise that, and yes I do know where Rosyth is. I also know how fast the boats can go to be economical. All of that was the point I was actually making.

^^The ideal timing, probably, is to leave no earlier than 5pm, possibly about 6pm, and arrive about 7.30am. Both ways. And to do that at an economical speed. That's just about what they do at the moment, except when they go via Orkney. They wouldn't be able to do all of that if they sailed to Rosyth.

^^Poor fellow, he'll be ostracised!

^^Wasn't that what some people used them for when they were installed in the street?

OK, I don't know if it's the majority that prefer Aberdeen, but it's certainly a large proportion. Of course it would take a lot longer to sail further south, so depending on what time it left Lerwick, the boat probably wouldn't get in first thing in the morning. In the end, what we really need is a service to Aberdeen AND to Rossyth, but I'm sure that couldn't be justified economically.

The worry is that after everything that has gone on with this lot, we may find that very few capable people are willing to put themselves forward at the next election. And if that happens, we'll be stuck with the same old same!

I stand corrected!

^^That's fine for lorries and for people driving further south, but no good for the majority of Shetlanders who want to get to Aberdeen or thereabouts for a whole variety of reasons. Aberdeen is the traditional connection point for Shetland.

^^I'm not suggesting that it's negative, just pointing out that there's a "commitment" to break even i.e. no subsidy. Nor am I suggesting that it should or shouldn't be subsidised, I'm just wondering whether they will be able to meet their break-even target given the huge capital investment. I note your point that half of the funding was provided from outside Shetland. Presumably they will have to pay interest or some sort of return on this part of the capital? I can't see anyone giving them that sort of money for nothing.

Of course it's not just Sandy. All of the other Councillors who are supporting him in this headlong suicidal rush to the edge of the precipice are equally responsible (I mean irresponsible!) for this crazy situation.

^^I think it depends on the objectives that are set when the funding decision is made. As I understand it, the funding for Mareel was made on the basis that it would be self-sufficient and not require to be subsidised. I'm not sure if that sort of commitment was made when the funding for the museum was released. Also, as the funding (£12M) would have earned about 8% pa (average, I believe) in the hands of the CT or SIC investment managers, this is income that is forfeited and therefore ought to be made up by the project if it is to "break even", so I'm really being rather lenient in my previous posting by using 5%.

If it's costing about £12M to build, and if they want a simple return of say 5% per annum on their investment, then they need to make a clear profit of £600,000 every year. I very much doubt if they will achieve even that.

^^Yep, and we are also European!

^^

I don't really understand Sandy's concerns. Why does he think that there is any greater risk of elected Trustees acting inappropriately than there is of elected councillors acting inappropriately? I agree with Vicky that those Councillors who voted today for a further delay do not deserve to be voted back in. They are all taking a huge risk with the CT funds. It is not just an accounting issue, and not just about conflict of interest, but I suspect there is now a very real risk that the CT could lose its charitable status and have to pay huge amounts of tax to the tax man. On top of that, Shetland could lose control of the CT funds altogether as they seem determined to break all of the rules.

What's wrong with Kristiansund? This is a genuine question as I don't know anything about the place. I believe that John White's proposal was driven mainly by cargo rather than passengers.

Before we know it, we'll be back on to killing seals again!

We should either: a) legalise drugs, or classify alcohol because alcohol is basically drugs in liquid form, and does just as much harm to individuals and to society as drugs. If not more so. IMHO.

It really doesn't matter how much or how little it costs GM Fuels to deliver to Shetland by ship-tanker, they are still going to charge the service stations as much as they can get away with. It probably costs them about 2p or 3p per litre at the moment but they are still loading the price they charge to the service stations by about 15p so if they were able to reduce their actual costs it would just mean more profit for them.

Yeah, but I had a helluva job getting my car on the flight...

Shetland isn't an SNP seat, so I doubt if we can expect any favours from the SNP Government.

^^Where would you like to go on these themed Northlink cruises?