Just shocking
There is a bittersweet irony about the report in Tuesday’s Shetland News that the Junior Up Helly Aa committee is to discuss allowing girls into the junior squad (Junior UHA to discuss letting girls take part; SN 6/02/2018).
At a time when there is wall to wall news about the hundred year anniversary of Women’s Suffrage, the anachronistic nature of the Lerwick Up Helly Aa men and boys only situation is plain ludicrous.
No doubt there are many and varied excuses why women and girls are ‘not allowed’ in the squads, but not one of them can be valid, and I don’t care what the reasons/excuses actually are.
The language is also archaic in this day and age. That the Junior committee is having a meeting to discuss if girls can be ‘allowed’ into squads is quite frankly outrageous.
It should be automatic, not a matter for discussion for boys to ‘allow’ girls.
Just shocking.
Dorothy O’Brien
Brae
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