Letters / Autonomy remains stalled and unresolved
Whilst myself and other fledgling potential colleagues interested in local democracy and autonomy were delighted to have been approached by you concerning increased interest in SAAT – Shetland Autonomy Action Team on Facebook – assuming you had some genuine interest, given you have a local government reporter, it was nevertheless interesting to see the piece use one of the only two councillors currently against progressing local autonomy, or certainly against the ‘vanity'(?) motion of the former leader and convenor in the death throes of the last administration in 2020, before they both withdrew from local politics.
Autonomy ‘action’ group picking up interest ahead of inaugural meeting
Autonomy remains stalled, malformed and unresolved within the SIC policy regime. SAAT aims to constructively assist them move on from that position.
Did SN not think to seek views from the majority position of councillors in favour, the leader or her deputy say? The new convener, Cllr Andrea Manson certainly, and rightly, threw down the gauntlet to the local populace on this issue.
However the new council has itself yet to discuss it. One for the new year perhaps? Who then is in fact seriously interested in Shetland’s future?
If Nicola [Sturgeon] is finally getting round to talking about democracy, she could start at home with a much-needed reform of local government to make it leaner, more democratic, more accountable, more efficient and more responsible. Cllr Stephen Leask would surely be up for that?
Cllr Leask’s views are most welcome on the SAAT – Shetland Autonomy Action Team FB page – where he has not to date contributed in two years – and indeed at the forthcoming inaugural face-to-face meeting.
It seems a number of assumptions are flying around about this as yet unformed ‘group’ and its membership – we do not have a membership and may never actually be a formal group, and remain a research, discussion
and development group in support of improving and enhancing current failing local democracy, never mind addressing the failings and dysfunctionality at both Westminster and Holyrood.
Cllr Stephen Leask may have been premature. He may not have been. We’ll see. A tentative first step with the meeting on Wednesday 21st Dec; we believe in beginnings.
Be interesting to see who and how many, of those involved in local governance at community, council or indeed voluntary sector and all our various trusts, including the Shetland Charitable Trust, show up.
An autonomous Shetland may, for example, have differing views to that of Scottish charity law on how, and on what, monies belonging to the Shetland public should be spent on?
James J Paton
Co-Moderator and Co-Administrator
SAAT -Shetland Autonomy Action Team Facebook Page
