News / Independent candidates challenge LibDem’s Holyrood record
FRUSTRATION with the political establishment is what both independent Scottish Parliament candidates in the northern isles quote as the reason behind their decision to stand for election.
In what turns out to be one the most interesting election campaigns in years, both Billy Fox in Shetland and James Stockan in Orkney are convinced they can make significant inroads into the majority of two of the safest Liberal-Democrat seats in the country. Their challenge adds further election headache to the Scottish LibDems, desperate to show its independence from the national party and the Lib-Con coalition.
In 2007, Shetland MSP Tavish Scott won 66.7 per cent of the vote, while Liam McArthur, in Orkney, polled just under 50 per cent.
In the case of Orkney, the leadership of the local council turned against Liam MacArthur, the islands’ MSP for the last four years, when OIC vice-convener James Stockan, promoted by council convener Stephen Hagan, announced his candidacy at the end of March.
In Shetland, meanwhile, anti-Viking wind farm campaigner Billy Fox stood down from his chairmanship of Sustainable Shetland to throw his name into the ring as an independent candidate. Scottish LibDem leader, and the party’s Shetland candidate, Tavish Scott said people would see through the plot and would not listen to a “single issue” candidate.
For Orkney, Mr Scott announced serious consequences for the future professional relationships on local government level, hinting that the party would field their own candidates at next year’s council election.
“In Orkney, the convener of Orkney Islands Council is backing Mr Stockan; and that will have profound repercussions whatever happens at the May election,” Mr Scott said.
Mr Stockan said that over 12 years of Scottish Parliament, first Jim Wallace and then Liam McArthur had not delivered the goods expected of them. “Our financial settlements are so much lower than those of the other island groups. This year we have £769 per capita less than Shetland and £1,016 less than the western isles.
“We have been pursuing this for years but haven’t got anywhere because we need politicians in Edinburgh to change things. But when you have a safe seat, you end up at the bottom of everyone’s agenda,” he said.
Not surprisingly, this is a charge Mr McArthur rejects, arguing that the vice-convener does not really understand the dynamics of Holyrood politics.
“Devolution and the representation that Jim and I have provided over the last years have brought a range of benefits to Orkney such as the Air Discount Scheme and marine renewable energy investments.
“If you are asking me: ‘have we got all that we set out to achieve?’ then, of course, the answer would be ‘No’. But the argument is: “would we have had achieved more, were Orkney to be represented during that period by an independent candidate?’ The answer to that is again ‘No’.”
For Shetland, Mr Fox said that after 60 years of liberalism had become a “truly negative aspect” of political culture.
“The main parties ignore the islands because they view it as unwinnable; the SNP government over the last four years have made concessions to the western isles and marginal nationalist constituencies on the mainland.
“This would never happen for Shetland; instead Alex Salmond would quite happily turn the isles into a giant wind farm to serve the central belt,” he said.
This weekend, Mr Scott strongly refuted any suggestions that both men were “strong and credible candidates” capable of upsetting the political landscape in Orkney and Shetland.
The LibDem leader said the party was not tired and its candidates would be judged and re-elected on the basis of their record.
He said: “I would not get re-elected if that was the attitude. I work every working day for this community. People can attack me on my positions, but I don’t think anyone attacks me on the basis of how hard I work for Shetland. I think that would be unfair and pretty close to mudslinging.”
Mr Scott added: “All the other candidates, including the independent, back further centralisation and that cannot be in Shetland’s interest. That is a very clear dividing line between me and the rest of the candidates.”
With less than two weeks of canvassing left before the 5th May election, both Mr Fox and Mr Stockan said they were convinced that they had already changed the political culture in the island communities.
Mr Stockan: “What I have achieved so far? One is a change in culture here because Orcadians usually stand back and let someone else do things for them. Secondly, I think I have made people aware of the number of areas we have not had support over in the last number of years.”
Mr Fox said: “I think as well as a mood for change locally there is widespread disillusionment with the Lib/Dems. There are different reasons for this but it is mainly to do with their behaviour in coalition government at Westminster. The Scottish Lib/Dems cannot escape this fallout.
“I believe the turnout will be higher than it has ever been for a Scottish election in Shetland. At the very least I hope I can show he is not unbeatable, if not this time round then next, either by me or with a credible main party candidate coming forward from the isles.”
The other candidates standing for election are in Shetland: Sandy Cross, Conservatives; Jamie Kerr, Labour; and Jean Urquhart, Scottish Nationalist; and in Orkney: Donna Heddle, SNP; Jamie Halcro Johnston, Conservatives; and William Sharkey, Labour.
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