Shot himself in the foot
Despite frequently disagreeing with Jonathan Wills, I have tried to persuade myself of the integrity of his views and maintain a respect for them and him. However, he certainly did his reputation no favours on Thursday’s Public Platform on BBC Radio Shetland.
Mr Wills showed his childish side and his facile comments were a great disappointment.
His pathetic “slip of the tongue” when he referred to “Sustainable Shetland” as “Sabotage Shetland” would not have been clever coming from a 10 year old and his suggestion that Billy Fox “should abstain from personal attacks” smacks of pots and kettles.
Mr Wills uses the recent report published by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change as some sort of guarantee that the government is willing to do something about transmission costs to the Scottish islands. It seems that he and SCT are prepared to listen to, believe and put their trust in anything that supports their aspirations.
It would be comforting to have heard a more measured approach with the questions – will the government act on this report and if so, when, what action will they take and will it be sufficient to make the VE project viable?
On the subject of turbines, Mr Wills agreed that fewer turbines mean less profit yet he wants the numbers further reduced.
Mr Wills stated that investment in VE was a safer investment than SYIS, citing unspecified irregularities by the latter as being the reason. The list of half truths, contradictions, and unfounded claims made by VE have been listed many times in the media with more coming to light as time passes. Again, Mr Wills dons his rose tinted spectacles to overlook these.
Mr Wills maintained that “taking advice” negated the suggestion that “investment” in VE was a gamble. If I put money on a horse, I would check form and take advice from the experts in the racing papers and Sporting Life – but it still remains a gamble.
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All the indications are that Mr Wills has backed the wrong horse but, clever man that he is, he is using money that others have entrusted him with and against the wishes of many of those people.
Mr Wills, always a man to want the last word, achieved that dubious goal but in doing so, managed to shoot himself in the foot. He rather smugly informed us that “you speculate to accumulate.”
My understanding of the meaning of “speculate” is a) an assumption of truth without conclusive evidence and b) investment in the hope of gain but with the risk of loss. Need I say more?
Mike Bennett
Sandsound
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