Has anything changed?

Reading the recent report of the council’s decisions to ignore the wishes of the community on so many issues, I am reminded of a situation many years ago, when the council were debating an issue which was environmentally and socially sensitive.

I belonged to a group who decided to oppose (peacefully, of course) the council’s proposed course of action.

We drafted a very coherent and logical argument against the council’s planned course of action.

As an insider subsequently reported back to us, when our objection was presented, it was met with some alarm, as they (the councillors) were a little taken aback at the audacity of these “people” standing up to them.

A certain member of the cooncil from the bailiwick of the midwest of da county apparently requested, indignantly –“who are these people”?

When informed that we were merely conscientious citizens, worried about the despoliation of our countryside, she was then heard (apparently) to respond – “Oh, that’s all right then, we can just ignore them”.

Has anything changed?

Alan Longmuir
Formerly of Shetland, now, thankfully, a Swedish (and, hopefully soon also a Scottish) citizen