Letters / Role should be apolitical
It was careless (What more does he want, SN 12/3/13) of Donnie Morrison to suggest the SIC granted planning consent for the controversial Viking wind farm project when all they did was open the gate for the Scottish Government to “barrel” the project through without a public inquiry – I can’t understand how anyone could make such a groundless accusation, poor SIC, shame!
Still, it would be a pity if the substance of Donnie’s point was lost in pernickety bickering about details of SIC and Scottish Government processes.
It’s true of course that Lord Lieutenant Bobby Hunter spoke in support of the wind farm at the meeting at which the SIC backed the project thus avoiding the need for a public inquiry,
“He (Mr Hunter – JT) said the isles needed to make a contribution towards combating global warming, a phenomenon he personally had the chance to witness on a recent holiday to Antarctica.”
As it happens, Antarctic sea ice is currently expanding so fast that, should it continue, the entire world could be covered by ice in just 1,000 years!
The article continues “He said he felt “the tide turning” in public opinion in Shetland and recommended that councillors support the application.”
“He felt the tide turning,” very scientific, I’m sure.
It is obvious why Mr Hunter would resign from the Windfarm Supporters Group, as the Queen’s representative the position of Lord Lieutenant should be apolitical, not to mention the fact that he might have to explain to Prince Phillip over lunch why he thinks wind mills are such a great idea.
Of course, now that a scientific study funded by the Scottish Government has found that peat lands are valuable “carbon sinks” and that building wind farms on them “should be avoided,” Mr Hunter will presumably reverse his view on the wind farm in that if “the isles needed to make a contribution towards combating global warming,” then the most obvious way would be to not build a wind farm on peat lands thus saving “carbon emissions.”
Presumably, both Prince Phillip and Prince Charles would agree with that?
Now I have nothing to do with Sustainable Shetland, indeed, I’d be wary of approaching any of them in case they rounded on me with pitchforks and no doubt they will argue their own case when they feel the time is right, however, their oft-repeated argument about “carbon payback” so nonchalantly wafted away by wind farm supporters appears to have been completely vindicated.
It is a straight contest, money versus amenity – oh! …er, I mean, money versus amenity and “carbon emissions,” of course!
John Tulloch Lyndon Arrochar
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