Carmichael and new MSP Goodlad hold ‘useful’ meeting
NORTHERN Isles MP Alistair Carmichael says his recent meeting with new Shetland MSP Hannah Mary Goodlad was “useful” – and stressed that the focus lies on getting the best outcomes for the community.
Goodlad, representing the SNP, was elected at May’s Scottish Parliament election – ending the Liberal Democrats’ political dominance over the isles.
It will be the first time that Liberal Democrat MP Carmichael will be working alongside a Shetland MSP who is not from the same party.
After meeting in Lerwick on Monday, Goodlad said that if done right, the collaboration could be a “winning combination” for Shetland.
She said the pair had agreed on tunnels and Goodlad’s proposed Shetland energy act as “starter ambitions”.
Reflecting on the meeting, Carmichael told Shetland News that the pair have a “fairly good working understanding”.
“I emailed her just a few days after the result, and said we should sit down and work out how we handle areas of overlap,” he said.
“There are things like broadband for example where the regulation is reserved, but a lot of the delivery is devolved.
“Fishing is another example of that – annual talks are reserved but the management is devolved.
“It was just to have a protocol for how we do business and work together. It was a useful chat, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Carmichael, who has represented Orkney and Shetland at Westminster since 2001, said strong process are important.
“But the process has got to the focused on the outcome, and the outcome has got to be what is going to be in the best interests of the community,” he continued.
“I will always believe that the best interests of the community lie in having a Liberal Democrat representation, but we’re not going to have that for the next five years.
“The voters give you your instructions, and you get on with making them work.”
In May’s election Goodlad received 5,453 votes compared to the 3,936 secured by the Liberal Democrats’ Emma Macdonald. She was later given the government role of minister for public finance.
The Orkney and Shetland constituency has been represented by the liberals at the Westminster parliament since 1950.
Shetland had also been represented at the Scottish Parliament by the Liberal Democrats since its opening in 1999, before the SNP took the seat in May.
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