Letters / Reject Nationalism
With little time remaining before the General Election, may I urge voters in Orkney and Shetland to overwhelmingly reject the SNP on polling day.
With good reason we gave a resounding “NO” to nationalism in September last year – by more than two to one in Orkney, a whisker less than that in Shetland.
No reason has emerged in the last six months to make me, and I’m sure the vast numbers who like me voted for Scotland to remain in the Union, have a change of heart.
Quite to the contrary, I’m afraid. For example, only in the last few days has it come to public notice that the award by the Scottish Government of the contract to provide lifeline ferry services to the northern isles is now mired in controversy and fingers are being pointed at SNP ministers to provide a satisfactory explanation of their actions as to how it now appears that the contract was not awarded to the lowest bidder. (Scott demands inquiry into ferry contract; SN, 03/05/15)
Denial but no explanation….!
Here in the isles we are particularly concerned about transport infrastructure and have looked on in amazement and disgust as greatly extended periods of “trial” public subsidy in the form of Road Equivalent Tariff have been rolled out by SNP ministers to inhabitants of their fiefdom in the western isles who by the strangest of coincidences have returned a nationalist MP or MSPs.
There is little doubt that in Shetland the benefit of RET would be less than elsewhere but in Orkney people are being sold short …big time!
Punishment for daring to reject the nationalist creed? I’ll let you draw your own conclusions! Fairness? Competence? I think not!
I urge voters to consider their tactics very, very carefully. Nationalism is as much a cancer of your wellbeing as the disease is of your body.
Only by combining our efforts are we beginning to combat the illness and likewise only by acting together will we stem the threat to our wellbeing and that of our United Kingdom.
Use your vote considerately and wisely…..and please remember…a vote for the SNP is neither considerate nor wise!
George Jacobson
Exnaboe
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