All at sea

It seems that we are stuck with handing over £1.2 million of public money towards the Tall Ships (The Shetland Times, 4th March) and that we should make the best of it. I think we can manage that.

But can it really be true, as stated in your report, that when the SIC entered into this contract in 2009 it was unaware of the impact of the financial crisis? I seem to remember that before 2009 the crisis was evident across the world. What happened here?

And can it also be true, as Allan Wishart is quoted as saying, that this amount of public money is well spent on the Tall Ships because young people “sometimes get a bit overlooked in council budgets”? Surely Allan means that young people have been “cut in council budgets” and that he and his colleagues did it?

If Betty Fullerton wants a “feel-good factor” out of all of this, then at least Betty might make us feel a bit better with a clear indication that the vanity projects have come to an end and that this is the last one.

And then get down to real business.

And once again, because this question has not gone away and because we are still waiting for the answer, how much does it cost the SIC to administer its schools? Before the SIC moves to close another four schools in this Tall Ships year, it might give us all the feel-good factor of an answer.

Gordon Dargie
Brough,
Hamnavoe,
Burra.