Tuesday 5 November 2024
 10.1°C   SSE Gentle Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

News / Get Shetland on the map!

The Daily Mirror stormed to victory in the "Get Shetland on the Map!" page's mishap of the year category back in 2013 after unilaterally moving the islands into the path of a storm.

ISLANDERS are all too used to seeing their homeland squashed into a box somewhere to the east of the Scottish mainland on TV and in print – but now Shetland MSP Tavish Scott is seeking to ensure that official publications are compelled put the islands in their rightful place.

The Liberal Democrat MSP has tabled an amendment to the Scottish Government’s islands bill to that effect.

His move has been welcomed by Neil Henderson, the initiator of a Facebook page called “Get Shetland on the map!”

The often light-hearted social media group has been digging out offending examples for years, with the Royal Mail recently reissuing an online map following complaints it had omitted Shetland altogether.

Earlier this month the graphics department of BBC’s Newsnight went for the novel option of placing Shetland to the north-west of the Hebrides, while recent months have seen media outlets from Russia to Norway messing with the geographical location of the UK’s most northerly community.

Henderson said: “It’s good to see one of our group members fighting the cause on a new level! Whilst ‘Get Shetland on the Map!’ was formed for a bit of fun, we have seen over the years now a large number of clangers which folk have highlighted on the page and which have caused a chuckle – particularly when it is the likes of the government or an institution like the BBC or ITV who really should know better.

“We’ve seen Shetland in all sorts of places around the North Sea and Atlantic, sometimes not even in a box and of course regularly not even on a map at all, so it would appear there are no limits to the heights of lazy editorial!”

Scott said some Scottish Government publications featured Shetland enclosed in a box, lying either in the Moray Firth or just off the north east coast of the Scottish mainland.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

Amendments to the islands bill will be debated next Wednesday at Holyrood.

“Shetlanders are rightly irked when they see Shetland placed in a box in the Moray Firth,” the MSP said. “I strongly believe the Scottish Government should portray the country it serves with accuracy.

“The principle is important here. A recent Scottish Government strategy on loneliness made this geographical mistake. I asked Scotland’s most senior civil servant to correct the error.

“But from now on, I want to ensure that mistake just cannot happen. Putting Shetland in its appropriate place would go some way to rectifying the perception that the islands are an afterthought.

“It will visually align the government with its stated political commitment to island proofing. I therefore trust the government will accept this amendment.”

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Categories
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.