Puzzling politics

Politics is a “funny old game”. Politicians keep their cards close to their chests and play them, assiduously, in order, for optimal PR impact, to accentuate the positive and camouflage the negative.

As the cards are played, however, observers may think of them as a kind of political jigsaw puzzle, each piece carefully designed to slot into other pieces, which, together, will complete the picture.

Here is a selection of pieces from the tray.

1. Alistair Carmichael MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, has expressed concern that the promised grid connector cable will fail to materialise.
2. Vattenfall have threatened to pull out of their Shetland wave power venture because they say they think a mainland grid connection is unlikely to materialise.
3. UK Electricity Regulator OFGEM has interfered in the specification of Shetland’s proposed new power station.
4. The Scottish government has arranged for the UK Supreme Court hearing on Viking Energy to be held on 18 December, six months early.
5. The SIC sets its first balanced budget since 1997.
6. Jonathan Wills and Allison Duncan go to Edinburgh to report their fellow SIC councillors to the Audit Commission for not making further spending cuts.
7. Jonathan Wills, vice-chairman of Shetland Charitable Trust and arch-proponent of the Viking Energy project, tries to reignite a media row (My view on schools; SN 4/12/14) about the now-dead rural school closures issue, in the context of an alleged overriding need for the SIC to save money.

There’s no picture on the box, who will assemble the puzzle, that we may see what is in store for us at Christmas?

I think I’d rather have a piece of coal!

John Tulloch
Lyndon
Arrochar