Letters / Councils should be careful
I’m surprised that John Tulloch, Shetland’s most prominent exile, is so short of things to write to Shetland News about that he has to misrepresent a comment that was made by me as a footnote to an article on another newspaper’s website (True Shetland spirit; SN, 15/04/14).
My point was merely that the leaders of the three island councils should be careful what they ask for, either in Westminster or Edinburgh, irrespective of the result of the independence vote in September. Politicians are good at making promises before votes, but not so good at delivering on them afterwards.
What I actually said was:
“At the end of all this Shetland (Orkney and the Western Isles) may well get ‘more powers’, but from wherever these ‘powers’ come they will come at a price.
“That price may well be a cut in the many subsides we enjoy. It may mean a cut in our representation(s) at Westminster to one MP for all the island groups and one MSP at Edinburgh for Shetland and Orkney.
“If the adjacent island groups of Shetland and Orkney get the same new devolved ‘powers and responsibilities’ then there is no need for them to be separate local authorities; they could be merged to become one. Perhaps not a bad idea at that; just think of the savings that could be made by joining local government posts, thus halving local government management numbers.”
As for the wind farm; Shetland doesn’t need independence to stop that, the SIC has that power already.
Allen Fraser
Meal
Hamnavoe
Burra
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