Letters / They want total control
I was talking with one of Tavish Scott’s ‘real Shetlanders’ the other day who, shocked by the ‘on-carry’ over the SNP attempt to unseat Alistair Carmichael, exclaimed “Dis is no Shetlan’ ony mair!”
And it’s true, the opening of supporters’ rage throttles by the SNP hierarchy has spawned an internet feeding frenzy of vilification and abuse towards Mr Carmichael and sadly, even towards his family.
It isn’t immediately clear why the SNP are going to such lengths to win seat number 57 at Westminster, instead of focusing on the 56 they already have? However it doesn’t take long to work it out.
Shetland and Orkney traditionally vote for the union in referenda and because of their distinct geography, culture and history, have been recognised the right to ‘opt out’, should they vote No in the context of an overall Scottish Yes vote.
The value of this ‘opt out’ is incalculable. Islanders can still vote to join an independent Scotland in a local referendum or remain with the rUK however it will be on their own, freshly negotiated terms, as opposed to being frog marched to Holyrood without further ado.
Unsurprisingly, the SNP detest this arrangement because they recognise that without Shetland and Orkney they would lose most of the oil, gas and fish plus the immensely valuable strategic location of the isles for defence purposes.
Which explains their “no holds barred” approach to winning anything and everything in terms of political representation in the isles. They well know that Westminster will happily provide the opt-out but only if island leaders seek and accept it.
And they do want total control. Danus Skene is on record to supporters, targeting not only the MP and MSP parliamentary seats but also, control of the SIC.
Should the SNP succeed, Shetlanders can wave goodbye to their “opt out” clause at the next referendum, which could be 2018, one year after the council elections. SNP politicians do as they are told by their party chiefs.
In 2012 the SNP ordered their election-winning Argyll councillors not to go into a coalition administration because of impending cost cuts which would be damaging for their independence referendum campaign.
I’m pleased to say several councillors had the guts to resign from the party over it however it lead to burning acrimony and chaos in the council chamber for about two years before it finally settled down. That is the dictatorial nature of the SNP hierarchy who will brook no talk of future “opt outs” for the isles.
It bears repeating. Westminster will provide the “opt out”. However, Shetland’s political leaders must be prepared to request, accept and act upon it; territory that will be strictly “out of bounds” for SNP politicians.
Should the SNP win control of Shetland, there will be no ‘opt out’ from any future referendum. Islanders will have no choice and neither negotiations nor a local referendum will take place. Shetland will, simply, continue to be sucked dry via the ongoing “stealth under-funding” of vital services like education and transport while overpaying tax versus funding received by £80 million a year, not counting the perennial billions from natural resources.
The briefest examination of the SNP’s track record in Shetland over the past seven years will tell voters that, should the SNP become the gatekeepers at the next referendum, Shetland will be “sunk”, forever.
John Tulloch
Lyndon
Arrochar
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