Letters / They have no mandate
The handful of largely unelected Shetland Charitable Trust trustees who took a cheap shot at Jonathan Wills last week (Lamentable contempt; SN, 28/2/2017) have a half-baked appreciation of democracy when they criticise him for not backing their “democratic” decisions.
They have decided to erode democracy yet have no mandate to do so. What they call their democratic decision was in fact the tyranny of the majority of a handful of unelected worthies. Notably only one councillor-trustee signed their duplicitous letter.
Liberals are meant to be able to spot when rogue elements try to claim the moral high ground by passing themselves off as democrats, and are expected to stand up against it. It’s kind of the point of having them.
This makes the failure of Tavish Scott MSP to specify his “reservations” about the democratic election of trustees all the more peculiar. Perhaps Tavish also sees no problem with the failure of Jonathan’s critics to explain what on earth they think they are up to.
Liberals Democrats are meant to welcome public discussion – particularly when it comes to matters of democracy. Again, it’s kind of the point of having them.
How did Shetland end up with a Liberal Democratic MSP who isn’t? It’s almost as if Shetland’s LibDems are the establishment in disguise.
Surely those who think the public does not deserve proper explanations are behaving with lamentable conceit.
Peter Hamilton
Scalloway
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