The Magnificent Nine
Over the past year through these columns some readers have slated councillors for not having the ability to make decisions which will benefit Shetland and its population. Then one day nine brave and true councillors stand up and make a decision which is going to guarantee Shetland has a prosperous future and once again they are slated.
Unsustainable Shetland is going to report councillors to the Standards Commission, another regular contributor to these columns called them numpties (kettle and pot come to mind), others just rambled on. The Shetland Times published the results of a poll showing that Shetlanders are in favour of a windfarm, The Magnificent Nine reflected that in their vote. Just what do our elected representatives have to do to be right?
We vote them in, they generously give their time and make sometimes unpopular decisions which is what we effectively gave them a mandate to do. What do we then do, we publicly blaspheme at them and call them numpties and an unsustainable group of us run to teacher crying.
These councillors have stood and have been counted, let their critics also stand and be counted, you don’t like what they do, then you stand for election. We could have a range of new local political parties such as Lord Sandy’s Monster Raving Numptie Party or even Unsustainable Shetland’s Raving Loony Party.
Gordon Harmer
Bayswater,
Brae.
Beth White
seems to me preserving our next generations of youth and families are more important than preserving a very minor section of pleasant countryside..
the stunning and beautiful countryside of shetland will always be there in many many generations to come,,nature being nature will take care of that..
what becomes of the youth of the future if there is no work for them..
I remember the days not too long ago when hundreds of families had to emigrate to Australia, New Zealand, Canada etc. to find work….do we want that situation again?
we had the Oil, now we have this wonderful opportunity with Windfarms to make a better life for future generations keeping them here in Shetland..
the stunning and beautiful Shetland Islands are not much good if no one is here to enjoy them.
Jimmy Black
As usual prosperity i.e money, seems to be the only thing Shetlanders are concerned about.
Maybe if more islanders concentrated on spiritual matters there wouldn’t be such a terrible drug and drink problem here. Prosperity for Shetland is all I read about and when you consider the money that the island has made out of BP over thew years it sickens me! Go and see the poverty and deprivation in the cities of Scotland.
The island is the spoilt brat child of Scotland.
Linda Tait
“a very minor section of pleasant countryside..” – have you actually looked at the size of the area concerned, and have you actually been there? I think a lot of West Side residents in particular might take umbrage at their district being described in such a way.
“the stunning and beautiful Shetland Islands are not much good if no one is here to enjoy them” – those stunning and beautiful islands won’t be so stunning and beautiful if VE have their way, and they won’t be so enjoyable any more either.
There is unlikely to be a mass exodus of families if the windfarm doesn’t go ahead in its present incarnation. What might happen instead is that people start thinking about developing businesses and employment that complement the environment instead of compromising it and risking Shetland’s future.