Too stupid or cowardly?

There have been so many letters about the Viking Energy wind farm over the years that people have become jaded and, I suspect, don’t bother to read them so I will keep this short and to the point.

Our councillors have each individually refuted the idea of a discussion of the Viking wind farm in the council chamber. Clearly a debate in the council chamber about whether it should go ahead or not would be entirely pointless. Consent has been granted and that boat has sailed. However, I suspect our councillors can’t see the wood for the trees (or the bog for the turbines?).

Should it go ahead, this will be the largest scale construction project ever to take place in these islands, and it does impact on a number of areas that fall within the council’s remit – roads, transport, environmental protection, tourism development, planning, public health and various local and national policies to name but a few. Since all stem from this single large project it would be most sensible, efficient and cost effective to consider them together.

If our councillors seriously think they can sit back and watch from the sidelines without a single meaningful, public discussion then they are either too stupid, or too cowardly, to hold public office.

Robina Barton

Birka, Bressay