Letters / No reason not to sign
Oh dear, Yes Shetland (Glasgow) along with their fellow activists at Yes Orkney (Edinburgh) and Yes Western Isles (who knows where as they have hidden that info) Facebook pages are up to their old trick of misinformation and general hypocrisy.
First point:
Why should the people of Scotland need reassuring? We are only asking for a referendum just as they did; we are not declaring war.
Second point:
“Rather anonymous petition”, but then listing the names of the folk promoting it. Not all that anonymous, is it?
Third point:
It was the parliamentary petitions board at the launch of the petition process that said petitions affecting the isles would only need a thousand signatures; I guess the petitioners just want to hold them to their word.
Fourth point:
They claim support in the isles for a yes vote based on the combined likes on their pages. Reading their pages you would think that support was almost total in the isles, but as we can see the majority of likes coming from outside the isles. In fact a lot of the same names appear on all the pages, but at the same time dismissing the islands referenda petition because folk from outside the isles can sign it. Hypocrisy seems to be OK.
Fifth point:
“Independence is for countries not counties”. Lets examine that statement a bit closer and ask what makes somewhere a country. In Scotland’s case it was when Kenneth McAlpine killed a lot of people and stole their land.
And what makes Shetland a “county of Scotland”? That’s a bit harder because there is no legal proof it is. I hate to use Stuart Hill as an example, but in his court case the only proof the court could provide was a magazine article by local archivist Brian Smith.
I wonder if they would accept the same level of proof against them because now there is a book on the subject.
So why would they feel the need for the subterfuge? Why are they so scared of the isles getting their say in their own future?
I would say it is because they are terrified of islanders finding out that it is our resources that they will squander on billion pound bridges, on buying jobs for the central belt, on booze ups at the golf for Scottish ministers and their mates.
Folk always ask ‘would you trust the council to run things?’
Well yes and no, I will always distrust every politician but if we look at the council’s record of handling the pittance we got from the oil money less than £80 million compared to the 100s of £billions the government has taken, the council and Shetland Charitable Trust have between them £500 million in the bank (which Edinburgh has its greedy eyes on) and the government has saddled each and every tax payer among us with massive debts.
So on balance, I trust the Town Hall more than Westminster and Holyrood.
Speaking of Holyrood, I saw Eck on the TV saying a yes vote was not a vote for him or the SNP. Scotland would elect a government of its choosing, well the government of choice will be the same as the one that spent £400 million and counting on a fancy palace with bars, restaurants and gyms in case they get bored when their supposed to be working. So at the end of the day they are no different to the parasites at Westminster.
Well, to sum up, even if you disagree with me on independence, either ours or the Scots, it is no reason not to sign the petition,
As a Shetlander you should be looking to get the best deal for Shetland; no matter the outcome of the Scottish referendum.
Enough signatures will serve both governments that the people of Shetland are fed up with cuts that are caused by their mishandling of our resources.
We are fed up with hearing about a 12-mile limit for Shetland and how it’s Scottish oil.
We are fed up with Edinburgh mishandling the fisheries, (closing areas to local boats while letting every other nation fish there).
When was the last time you saw a foreign boat under arrest, but our own men being prosecuted for simple log book errors, and many being put out of business by the courts’ draconian punishments.
Ali Inkster
Hamnavoe
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/islandgroups
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