The Cutty Sark

I doubt the UHI Shetland just attracts enough foreign students to make this worthwhile (before or after the vote to leave the EU), I'm surprised of all the campuses around the Highlands and Islands this has even been on the cards anyway. The UHI, while a great place to study, doesn't offer the "student life" that can be found in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow. The "majority" of young students from Shetland want to experience student life in Scotland and England.

Well Wotsit, we can't wait for all these real world things you're promising:
 
- In that "real world" most UK Airports get a regular railway, tram or bus services and they normally run every 30 minutes and seven days a week.
 
- In that "real world" they can charge for parking because the public transport service is so good. Though most of the "real world" airports have private parking businesses that offer cheap long term parking away from the airport and then offer a free shuttle service.
 
-In that "real world" you are talking about, "real" airports service millions of passengers a year; over 70 million a year from Heathrow down to 1.3 million a year from Manchester.
 
- In that "real world" you can get a direct budget flight to most European cities for well under £100.00. Can't wait for that one
 
Anyway, I can't wait for you to help us join this "real world" so we can finally enjoy a bus or a tram service that will run every 30 minutes, seven days a week to all areas of Shetland!!!!

The real world? This will be the same "real world" that results in Shetlanders having a 20-60% higher cost of living than the UK average?
 
Is it not right that we fight against anything that is going to make that figure worse? 
 
"Compared to other airports" - which probably without exception have better public transport links than Sumburgh does. 
 
Remember this is a lifeline link for DOMESTIC travel within (ostensibly) our own country. We already face exorbitant costs to get anywhere, the last thing we need is Government agencies making it worse. 

The new passenger survey will be carried out by independent consultants at the three affected airports from 20 April and will also cover subjects like airport facilities. - So I guess unless you're travelling at the moment, you'll not get a chance to express your opinion on the decision that has already been made to go ahead and introduce parking charges at Sumburgh Airport. I'll just have to send them a pointless email and get my own copy of the stock answer.
If the real world is, Edinburgh, Heathrow, Gatwick etc, then this is not the real world because Sumburgh is run by HIAL which is wholly owned by Scottish Ministers and funded by Scottish Government. Taxpayers money! How much public money/ taxpayers money has been given to the airport in recent years, e.g. runway extension. This is further exploitation of the traveler/ taxpayer/lifeline service user. Not on!

Well Wotsit, we can't wait for all these real world things you're promising:
 
- In that "real world" most UK Airports get a regular railway, tram or bus services and they normally run every 30 minutes and seven days a week.
 
- In that "real world" they can charge for parking because the public transport service is so good. Though most of the "real world" airports have private parking businesses that offer cheap long term parking away from the airport and then offer a free shuttle service.
 
-In that "real world" you are talking about, "real" airports service millions of passengers a year; over 70 million a year from Heathrow down to 1.3 million a year from Manchester.
 
- In that "real world" you can get a direct budget flight to most European cities for well under £100.00. Can't wait for that one
 
Anyway, I can't wait for you to help us join this "real world" so we can finally enjoy a bus or a tram service that will run every 30 minutes, seven days a week to all areas of Shetland!!!!

Extortionate? Cabins maybe, but an all inclusive breakfast is £7.50 for an adult with a child eating free. When I'm with my kids one of them (cough ha ha) eats for free! Then I make up a take-away toasted bacon-sandwich and a take-away cappuccino for the journey. Bargain. Not sure about your fried egg and bacon though, sounds weird. Mind you when I'm coming home , I like to go into the Harbour café, so I've not tried it both directions.

Oh yes, balls at the ready   I doubt that the influence of Germany over the EU will stop anytime soon.
 

I think the boat is actually a decent breakfast for the price with it being all you can eat on the boat. Then you just stuff your pockets with hash browns, toast and sausages and stop anywhere you like!

Empires? Anglophobia? Welsh bashing? Invasions? I'm pretty sure I only made a point about there being no need for a student block because of a lack of foreign students. Then, I leave the room for 10 minutes and you kids just start going off bickering on some imperialist tangent. Well, that's it. There will be no treats after tea for any of you.

3 members of Shetland kung fu were selected to go to the WUMA Scottish open martial arts championship on the 18th March in Arbroath.
the lads fought in the colored belt section
 
Matt Wright taking 1st place and becoming Scottish Champion
Andrew Cross taking 2nd place
Joe Robertson taking 4th place
 
Thanks to Jason Aston and his Arbroath team for making the lads so welcome
 
 
Also
Would like to say a huge "thank you" to
Grieg Seafoods Lerwick
as we would never have been there without their help
Cheers
 

Folks, come on over to AltspaceVR and listen to me read from my debut novel 'The AdderStane' - take a virtual short flight from Sumburgh airport to the island of Fetlar where the AdderStane was born.
 
Saturday 28th April, 9-10pm
 
Virtual Reality headset not required to attend event, download AltspaceVR for PC/MAC - HERE
 
Use mouse and keyboard to move your avatar around. If you have a headset (mic and headphone) you can attend events fully interactively with others - this is a new frontier in social media.
 
Take a leap into the dark and try other events too.
 
Message me if you want more info.
 
I'm also hosting free events for authors to read from their own novels - come on Shetland authors, reach to the world from your front room - full support - no cost - promoting authors...

Not abuse I hope!
 
But there has always been a fisheries issue with the Grey Seal especially, long before this US had an interest. The problem is that the UK are the guardians of just over 50% of the worlds population of this amazing animal. 
 
Unfortunately, Seals feed with there senses (they are sometimes blind!) and often do not know they are approaching a fish farm and secondly, a fish farm is an unnatural (and bloody ugly looking) addition their natural environment, and clearly, they do not know it's supposed to stay away. It's understandable that a rogue seal will need to be shot, but maybe we need to be more innovative with our methods if we are going to infringe on the territory of a wild animal. 
 
On the positive side. The Scottish Government statistics  (if people are reporting legally and correctly), show that despite the number of licenses applied for in 2016 compared to the number actually shot is actually extremely low, and with the common seal, often this is zero! http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Licensing/SealLicensing/2011/2016
 
The number shot has fallen by 80% so there is not really a crisis as far as animal control goes. So I find the US position a bit puzzling.

Not abuse I hope!
 
But there has always been a fisheries issue with the Grey Seal especially, long before this US had an interest. The problem is that the UK are the guardians of just over 50% of the worlds population of this amazing animal. 
 
Unfortunately, Seals feed with there senses (they are sometimes blind!) and often do not know they are approaching a fish farm and secondly, a fish farm is an unnatural (and bloody ugly looking) addition their natural environment, and clearly, they do not know it's supposed to stay away. It's understandable that a rogue seal will need to be shot, but maybe we need to be more innovative with our methods if we are going to infringe on the territory of a wild animal. 
 
On the positive side. The Scottish Government statistics  (if people are reporting legally and correctly), show that despite the number of licenses applied for in 2016 compared to the number actually shot is actually extremely low, and with the common seal, often this is zero! http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Licensing/SealLicensing/2011/2016
 
The number shot has fallen by 80% so there is not really a crisis as far as animal control goes. So I find the US position a bit puzzling.

Personally. I believe if anyone visits and changes from a  "Visiting Scotland" to a "Visiting Nordic" perspective, they will find Shetland is a far more interesting place, especially as you travel the Islands off Mainland. Shetland is a land and a people born of the Sea.
 

Ok, scratch out "council" and replace with the organisation of your choice. The council give out the street trading licenses and entertainment licenses, they should encourage the use of both for the betterment of the street. Maybe it is time then that they take a more active role in the same.
 
 

http://myshetland.co.uk/a-hard-days-washing/

Hard work. Oh, my poor back.

Friendly warning:
 
Be aware of the advert for the Westie in the pets section. It will be a postage scam. 

It should actually be self-funding as councils make a lot of money from recycled waste which they sell to recycling businesses, it's why many perform the task in the UK, and ask tenants to help separate waste for them.
 
Sadly though, Greenpeace found that over 500,000 tonnes of the recycling effort (in the form of plastics) from UK citizens was exported from the UK, mostly to Asia, and much of this is buried or placed in an incinerator. And while oil prices continue to fall, the need for recycled plastic is becoming less cost effective to use, with many UK recycle centres who specialise in plastic recycling going out of business. How this will effect UK councils funding of all these very worthwhile initiatives will need to be seen. I have no idea who SIC intend to sell their plastics, paper and metals to, we should hope that it is to a responsible business.
 
I agree with you completely on personal responsibility, it does not take much to pick up a few bits of plastic when you're out at the beach for example (I always carry a canvas bag for that purpose), there is a clean up going on in the south at West Voe, I believe by people from the area, so there are positives all around us.
 

It should actually be self-funding as councils make a lot of money from recycled waste which they sell to recycling businesses, it's why many perform the task in the UK, and ask tenants to help separate waste for them.
 
Sadly though, Greenpeace found that over 500,000 tonnes of the recycling effort (in the form of plastics) from UK citizens was exported from the UK, mostly to Asia, and much of this is buried or placed in an incinerator. And while oil prices continue to fall, the need for recycled plastic is becoming less cost effective to use, with many UK recycle centres who specialise in plastic recycling going out of business. How this will effect UK councils funding of all these very worthwhile initiatives will need to be seen. I have no idea who SIC intend to sell their plastics, paper and metals to, we should hope that it is to a responsible business.
 
I agree with you completely on personal responsibility, it does not take much to pick up a few bits of plastic when you're out at the beach for example (I always carry a canvas bag for that purpose), there is a clean up going on in the south at West Voe, I believe by people from the area, so there are positives all around us.
 

I wish that was true. But sadly, current statistics from separate polls performed by the "Recycling and Waste organisation" and "Cleaning Matters" both show that millennial's are the least likely to perform recycling tasks, assist in clean up operations, are most likely to use dangerous single use plastics. 
 
On recycling, both polls were similar and generally resulted in the following:
 
Aged 16-34 49% Recycle
Aged 35-54 75% Recycle
Aged 55-90 80% Recycle
 
Interestingly though, Scotland comes top with the number of people who recycle at 80%    while London was lowest with only 54% 
 
As for cynicism, I can only guess this is because older people tend to grumble a lot, but still do what's required    
 
 

That may well be the case just now, as its the aged flower power, hippie, peace, love maan generation that's the 'older people' at the moment.
 
In a decade, it'll be the punk generation that are the 'older people'
 
Anarchy on zimmer frames and in old folk's homes rools OK.

^Last person I saw dropping litter was a teenager. Empty beer bottle lobbed over a fence into a park. I don't think it's old vs young, it a cultural thing. Older people were brought up in a time where there was less awareness of impact of waste, litter etc. I think the whole community should get behind something and work together including education/ awareness.

When was any Tory a politician, as opposed to a leech doing no more tan the very best for himself?

I'm not sure anyone has been particularly pompous or arrogant. You started a good thread which made for some good discussions with a good number of people, you should be pleased about that. Maybe you could close it off with some more context and embellishment to why people should see this as a positive step, and maybe add what initiatives the government/council will also do to ensure what they are doing is worth while.
 
Anyway, give all my love to Ray    (just kiddin')
 
 

I'm not sure anyone has been particularly pompous or arrogant. You started a good thread which made for some good discussions with a good number of people, you should be pleased about that. Maybe you could close it off with some more context and embellishment to why people should see this as a positive step, and maybe add what initiatives the government/council will also do to ensure what they are doing is worth while.
 
Anyway, give all my love to Ray    (just kiddin')