Presumptions

Shetland seems to be a society ruled by presumptions – presumptions carefully nurtured by those who may not have our best interests at heart.

Here are some:

• There is a presumption that the SARS Cov 2 virus has been isolated, but is there any proof?
• There is a presumption that the PCR test proves the presence of the virus, but does it?
• There is a presumption that Covid 19 can transmit person to person, but are there any studies proving that?
• There is a presumption that lockdowns, social distancing and face coverings affect the spread of the disease, but is there any proof?
• Can we presume that the government numbers on Covid are reliable?
• Can we presume that the mainstream media is reporting the truth?
• Boris Johnson just used the waters around Shetland as a negotiating chip in the Brexit negotiations on the presumption that those waters belong to the UK. Is there any proof?
• Meanwhile, [council convener] Malcolm Bell has not responded to my open letter asking if any autonomy negotiations will start with the question to the other side: “Do you have proof that Shetland is part of Scotland?”. Will he remove the presumption?

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Just asking. I can expect a torrent of abuse from unquestioning believers, but this is not a time for reliance on blind belief.

We know a good deal about sheep farming on Shetland. Maybe we should reflect on the possibility that we are the ones being farmed.

As has often been said: “The mind is like a parachute – it works better when it’s open”.

What does it mean if those presumptions are incorrect?

The social media giants have pronounced that they will remove posts that question the official narrative. Let’s hope we can rely on our local media not to follow suit and that it will allow healthy debate.

Stuart Hill
Cunningsburgh