exciseman

Ticket allocation limits are set by event promoters, not Box Office staff In that case the Shetland Box Office (paid for by the Shetland public) should refuse to handle ticket sales on unfair basis set by the promotors - the Box Office are supposed to be working in the fair interests of the Shetland public -the promotors don't care so long as they get their money.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you bulk buy tickets for re-sale you are operating an agency and any profit will have to be declared on your tax return – not to make a declaration of income is breaking the law.

Nothing special about the tickets just the attitude of those who would prevent the enjoyment of others purely to line their own pockets.

Shetland Box Offfice completely at fault and cheating genuine fans ^^ theyshould limit sales to two per person and prevent resale. There is no law in Scotland against ticket touting but there should be see http://breakingnews.heraldscotland.com/breaking-news/?mode=article&site=hs&id=N0336961293369727725A

But you’d be perfectly happy to use ~30% of nuclear generated electricity that will come came along the cable from the mainland UK when we get connected to the national grid?

Look on the bright side – they money they’ve saved will keep the Whalsay and Lerwick golf courses open. This will save poor Whalsay fishermen and hard-up Lerwick merchants such as Josie Simpson and Caroline Miller from having to sit the pub all day and we will be able to see them out in the fresh air enjoying the game’s health attributes.

^^^^^^^ At any one time 25-30% of turbines will need to be undergoing maintenance or awaiting repair as is probably the case with Burradale. There will be an optimum size of turbine for efficiency so being bigger doesn’t mean more or equally efficient.

using those figures Bill Manson will probably claim that there is no support for keeping the station open!

There is no doubt that Viking Energy’s plans have been rejected by the Shetland community and if there is any just democracy in this country then the project will be refused by the Scottish minister. (** mod edit - comments removed **) The money already wasted by Manson and his cohorts should have been spent within the community it belongs to – for example the same amount of money if properly spent could have gone a long way to eliminating fuel poverty.

As well as believing that a small random poll wasn’t random, AT also thinks in his flights of fancy around the land of the cloud cuckoo that the question was ‘Are you in favour of Sustainable Shetland?’ He may well also believe that the question was ‘Are you in favour of SNH?’ or ‘Are you in favour of RSPB? Or ‘Are you in favour of Shetland Bird Club?’ or ‘Are you in favour of Shetland Angling Club?’ ‘Are you in favour of John Muir Trust?’ or ‘Are you in favour of Shetland Amenity Trust simply because all these and many many more are opposed to Viking Energy windfarm plans.

Opinion polls are just that - polls of opinion. No governments are formed by opinion poll, nor constitutional changes made by opinion poll. Opinion polls such as the one carried out by Shetland Times are random by definition (unless of course it was selective and targeted at known Viking Energy Supporters?). Minister Mather certainly won’t take into account a small random poll of little consequence when weighing it up against the massive level of rejection of Viking’s plans by the Shetland community and environmental bodies. The MORI poll was conducted before publication of EIA and detailed plans.

^ Absoloutely – lets save £35000 by getting rid of the Geopark status that brings tourists to Shetland and spend twice that on a communications advisor/spin doctor to cover Cluness, Simpson and Buchan every time they waste another few £million

First rule of forum etiquette. If you are going to air your views at least take the time to check out the first post in the thread if you can't be bothered to read the whole thing. If you feel so strongly about this issue then it might do you some good to actually take the time out to read the thread though. I personally couldn't care whether you agree or don't agree with this idea but from my viewpoint I think it is a step in the right direction. It gives people an area where they can voice their concerns and the slim possibility of somebody actually taking action. A bit better than the prior offering is it not? I did apologise for not reading page 1. I don’t care that you don’t care. I do care about the waste of public funds by employing more of Buchan’s little helpers to design a propaganda machine.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ First rule of spin – label all criticism, however justified, as negativity.

^^^^^^^ Spot on JustMe. Complaints and criticism are something that kale-yard councillors hate that is why our rates are being spent on ‘spin-doctors’ and a ‘communications strategy’. It is absolutely ridiculous that for a population of just 22000 with an already massive number of council employees per head of population we have to employ so called specialist communication advisors and communication ‘project-managers’. If SIC councillors, departments and employees can’t already communicate effectively with the small population we have then they shouldn’t be in the job in the first place.

A ‘communications strategy’ is just a press officer’s spin-speak for a control system that ensures all information between the SIC corporate body and the public pass through a single filtering point to ensure that everything is ‘on message’. Just another way of gagging individuality from SIC employees or Councillors when dealing with the public. The same is true in reverse when the members of public tries to deal with individuals within SIC departments - a ‘communications strategy’ will insure that any requests or complaints will be denied the flexibility of the individual approach within the SIC as everything will have to pass through the corporate filter. If SIC councillors such as Cllr Baisley, SIC departments and employees can’t already communicate effectively with the small population we have and have to rely on internet forums then they shouldn’t be in the job in the first place.

My apologies for not going back to the very first post to translate the nom-de-plumes of the SIC officers who are no doubt giving good value to rate-payer by posting on Shetlink.

^^^ SIC officers should say openly and precisely who they are and what their position is within the organisation when trawling for information on a public forum on behalf of Shetland Islands Council.

No more chance of getting free electricity because we have a wind-farm than there is of getting free heating oil or petrol because we have Sullom Voe. EU rules and treasury rules wouldn’t allow it if we were connected to the national grid and SSE wouldn’t agree because they would have to offer the same elsewhere in Scotland.

Not bad, almost 3 full pages in before someone kills the thread by suggesting that the SIC are a bunch of facists.. Not at all – some good advice in there and will achieve the result Cluness and Buchan want..........

I can only say that's not the case here. There have already been detailed points raised that will definitely be taken further. Noticeboards in libraries (and indeed other community buildings) is such a straightforward and simple 'technology' that it would be easy to forget it. The community councils issue is very interesting. And yes, we're looking at opening up parts of the council survey to Shetlink (some sections are, I think, irrelevant if you don't work for the council). More, too. In a week or two we will collate the issues raised here and hopefully give Shetlinkers a further chance to respond. Next week, ads will appear elsewhere inviting responses by phone, email and on paper. We're committed to a culture of openness and transparency at the SIC, and this process is an absolutely honest and straightforward attempt to express that. spot on jaydee67 Some tips here for SICspinners and SICconns Goebbels' Principles of Propaganda 1. Propagandist must have access to intelligence concerning events and public opinion. 2. Propaganda must be planned and executed by only one authority. a. It must issue all the propaganda directives. b. It must explain propaganda directives to important officials and maintain their morale. c. It must oversee other agencies' activities which have propaganda consequences 3. The propaganda consequences of an action must be considered in planning that action. 4. Propaganda must affect the enemy's policy and action. a. By suppressing propagandistically desirable material which can provide the enemy with useful intelligence b. By openly disseminating propaganda whose content or tone causes the enemy to draw the desired conclusions c. By goading the enemy into revealing vital information about himself d. By making no reference to a desired enemy activity when any reference would discredit that activity 5. Declassified, operational information must be available to implement a propaganda campaign 6. To be perceived, propaganda must evoke the interest of an audience and must be transmitted through an attention-getting communications medium. 7. Credibility alone must determine whether propaganda output should be true or false. 8. The purpose, content and effectiveness of enemy propaganda; the strength and effects of an expose; and the nature of current propaganda campaigns determine whether enemy propaganda should be ignored or refuted. 9. Credibility, intelligence, and the possible effects of communicating determine whether propaganda materials should be censored. 10. Material from enemy propaganda may be utilized in operations when it helps diminish that enemy's prestige or lends support to the propagandist's own objective. 11. Black rather than white propaganda may be employed when the latter is less credible or produces undesirable effects. 12. Propaganda may be facilitated by leaders with prestige. 13. Propaganda must be carefully timed. a. The communication must reach the audience ahead of competing propaganda. b. A propaganda campaign must begin at the optimum moment c. A propaganda theme must be repeated, but not beyond some point of diminishing effectiveness 14. Propaganda must label events and people with distinctive phrases or slogans. a. They must evoke desired responses which the audience previously possesses b. They must be capable of being easily learned c. They must be utilized again and again, but only in appropriate situations d. They must be boomerang-proof 15. Propaganda to the home front must prevent the raising of false hopes which can be blasted by future events. 16. Propaganda to the home front must create an optimum anxiety level. a. Propaganda must reinforce anxiety concerning the consequences of defeat b. Propaganda must diminish anxiety (other than concerning the consequences of defeat) which is too high and which cannot be reduced by people themselves 17. Propaganda to the home front must diminish the impact of frustration. a. Inevitable frustrations must be anticipated b. Inevitable frustrations must be placed in perspective 18. Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred. 19. Propaganda cannot immediately affect strong counter-tendencies; instead it must offer some form of action or diversion, or both.

The councillors are the shareholders - and voting as shareholders and windfarm developers: they voted to block any further public consultation on the windfarm when the addendum was published.; they voted against the advice of their own planning department and blocked a Local Public Inquiry; they voted against the advice from the Community Councils that represent the people who live within the windfarm area by voting to block consultation on the windfarm and to approve the Converter Station.

What will happen is that the ‘Toon’ youngsters will grab on to this proclamation as a weapon to bully the ‘Country’ youngsters when they arrive at the AHS. Use of the term ‘Village Idiots’ towards bairns is much more offensive than the use of the ‘S’ word a few years back

Yep - 99 change hands!

173 others have signed it but wir mp still has failed to show his support for something that is so important to the folk up here. what a tosser Government ministers including our Deputy Chief Whip (Mr Whippy?) are not allowed to sign early day motions under the Ministerial Code.