How can it fail to appeal?

I see dat PAF, as Peter Allen Fraser wis always kent whin he wirkit wi me an fir me afore he lost his wye a bit, is still tryin ta pour petrol on da troubled waters dat is da windfarm controversy. I tink maybe hit is time we took a closser look at whit he says an see if dir ony sense in hit.

In a recent letter he says he’s no opposed ta da idea o a windfarm in principle; hit juist dis een is ower big an in da wrang place. Lat’s start fae dere an see whaar hit taks wis.
Suppose we start wi reducin da number o windmills tae 100, an instead o lumpin dem in a smaa area, brakk dem up inta units o 10, an spread dem trow Shetland. We cood pit wan group o 10 roond da Sands o Breckon, an anidder een at Westsandwick in Yell. Dan a group aroond da Hols o Scraada an anidder een roond da Grind o da Navir.

Finally in da Nort Mainland I kin see a group clustered aroond Lower Voe. In da sooth end we kin have a group at St Ninian’s Isle an anidder een in da Burn o Catpund. Dan we kin pit twa groups up da Weisdale valley, an da final een at da Sands o Meal in Burra.

Dis will vastly cut doon da amount o new road wark dat will be needed, an dir will no langer be ony danger o busloads o tourists bein able ta see areas o Shetland dey wid idderwise nivver lay eyes apun.

Da area o ootstaandin natural beauty dat is da Lang Kames will be left free an undisturbed fir da sheep an da hoody craas. Dir will be nae danger o fleggin a rainguis aff o her nest.

Dir will be virtually nae disturbance o paet bogs, so carbon payback should be just about zero. Also dir wid be nae risk o hit caasin areas o hill paet ta slide.

Since we hiv reduced da number o windmills below da economic limit, an sited dem awa fae areas o wind efficiency, dir sood be nae danger o bein accused o makkin a profit which could be used fir da good o Shetland.

Control o da new windfarm sood be taen away fae Viking Energy an da charitable trust an haanded ower ta Sustainable Shetland.

Ony surplus electricity at might accidentally be generated wid be allowed ta go ta waste, an da windfarm wid no longer be used ta encourage a cable ta be set up ta connect ta da National Grid, so at Shetland could further exploit its national reserves o wind, wave, an tidal power. Instead da electricity fae each group wid juist support da area roond aboot.

Da question o finance arrives of coorse. Since da project wid no longer be economic, Southern Electricity wid cease ta be interested. Perhaps Sustainable Shetland could fin a philanthropist laek Donald Trump dat wid be willin ta pit his money ahint it.

Lookin back at dis scheme, I canna see how it can fail ta appeal ta Sustainable Shetland an da vast majority day claim is ahint dem. I hoop da idea is taen up, an in da hard times in da years ahead, dey’ll all be able ta smile happily an say: “Boy, didna we du da right thin.”

Cavy Johnson
Carbury,
Aithsetter,
Cunningsburgh.