Letters / I’m not angry
I would like to make it clear that I am not “angry” with Alistair Carmichael, as Shetland News suggests (…and the spat goes on; SN 12/12/13).
It’s a frank and robust disagreement between friends, not a “spat”, entertaining as it may be to dress it up as a gladiatorial contest.
If every political argument is presented as an angry row, this makes serious democratic debate more difficult.
As I recall, it was Alistair’s predecessor, Jo Grimond, who extracted a promise, from the Westminster government of the day, that the burden of paying for oil-related housing and other services would not fall on the people of Shetland through the rates or council house rents.
It is true that there has been help with paying the interest. What I am talking about is the outstanding capital sum.
In my opinion the Westminster government has a clear and continuing responsibility to relieve Shetland of this burden, and has had for a very long time.
If we compare the housing debt with the vastly greater amounts of money that have accrued to the UK Treasury as a result of the action Shetland took to help get the nation’s oil flowing, back in the 1970s, that puts the request in perspective.
I am not putting party before constituents, as Alistair mistakenly implies, because I am not currently a member of any political party.
Although I am in general an SNP supporter (an old-fashioned Scandinavian social democrat has to go somewhere), I was elected as an independent councillor and that is what I am.
I actually voted for Alistair the last time around because I thought he was the best candidate. That does not make me a Liberal Democrat.
But it does mean I have been disappointed by his taking part in this coalition government which has acted against the interests of our constituents on a number of issues, notably the bedroom tax and other benefits “reform”.
I hope he will use his influence to ensure that the outstanding housing debt, incurred by Shetland in the national interest, is cleared, so that our constituents do not have to face draconian rent increases.
Jonathan Wills
Lerwick South councillor
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