30 November 2006

Who needs a bridge?

YE GODS,

Is there anybody in Shetland besides myself who is fed up with hearing about bridge versus tunnel, what amount of money is being squandered on this project?

I would love to live on Bressay. If I did, I would not want a bridge or tunnel. That's the whole point, that's the uniqueness of the place, that's why people choose to live there.

If you try to connect it to Lerwick, you might as well connect Whalsay or Unst or any other island. Leave it the way it is.

So, you might have to replace the ferry, you will have to replace all the other ferries to the other isles as well. In the long run: ferry versus bridge, what's the difference? In monetary terms it would pan out. There are ferries connecting people all over the world. Manhattan to New York springs to mind. This is small fry compared to other countries. It is preventing dredging of the harbour for oil related works. Do you want to lose the jobs and revenue this would bring?

The dismantling of the North Sea is happening now. This could be our last chance of getting some income to the islands. What happens after that? I know we have fishing, knitting, and local crafts, but this is big time and I think the SIC should take this on board.

I fully support Allan Wishart, even if he has succumbed to a tunnel option. He's only trying to do his job, supporting local industry and the harbour.

I don't live on Bressay. What do they want? I think things are good the way they are. The service to Lerwick is better than the bus service I have. Having said that, I believe it has changed this week. Excellent! I'm all for change if it benefits the people.

Pardon me if I've rocked any boats, but I would like to think someone agrees with me,

Carole Radford
carole.radford@tiscali.co.uk 




29 November 2006

Got something to hide?

LIKE many people, I read the "ID card" issues raised recently and passed them off with a small smile thinking "each to their own". However, the issue has niggled in the back of my mind long enough to prompt me to write this letter.

Like most people, whatever records are kept of where and when I use the local bus service, or anything else for that matter, are irrelevant to me, and if they can be of use to anyone else, then all to the better!

Having an "ID card" which we could use to identify ourselves, use public transport, pay bills, use as a driving licence etc would be an absolute dream come true!

What concerns me though is those who object, or rather, why someone would object.

There are people touting similar objections to CCTV being installed in the town centre and elsewhere, and this worries me even more.

"ID cards", CCTV, and other monitoring systems, do not interfere with people's rights, they protect them - from those with something to hide...

D. Spence
Firth
Shetland
spinner72@tiscali.co.uk




27 November 2006

Too much of a night out

I AM really looking forward to the opera on Monday, but am dismayed that no one realised that if people from Unst and Fetlar want to see it then it truly will be "A Night at the Opera".

The start time of 7.30pm is half an hour too late to allow anyone from the North Isles to get home again that night (unless they leave 20 mins before the end) and will mean an overnight stay on the mainland. This is fine if people have relatives or friends who can put them up, otherwise accommodation will have to be found and paid for.

I would have thought that as two of the cast come from the North Isles there would have been an expectation of interest and increased audience numbers drawn from Unst and Fetlar, especially as Baltasound School put on its own version earlier this year.

Regards
Sarah McBurnie
Baltasound
Unst
SeeShetland@aol.com



24 November, 2006

Do you want independence?

INDEPENDENCE First (www.independence1st.com) is attempting to maximise support for independence by uniting the Scottish people around our campaign for a democratic referendum.

We recently ran an e-petition through the Scottish Parliament with over 1,300 signatures attached. Unfortunately the public petitions committee decided that there was no need to ask the people of Scotland their views on independence because they already have the opportunity to vote in Scottish and UK elections.

In actual fact people vote for political parties for a variety of different reasons. Independence is supported by individuals on the left and right of politics and some of those people support Labour, Tories and Lib Dems.

The only way to get a clear idea of the Scottish public's desires on independence is to ask them directly. This executive isn't asking because it doesn't think it will like the answer.

If you would like a referendum on independence please join Independence First and write to your local MSP and complain about this decision.
Yours faithfully,

Joe Middleton
Media Officer,
Independence First
Jmiddleton@SPHOneSearch.co.uk


 

20 November 2006

Card still smells nasty

I THANK Tavish Scott for his reassurance that the National Entitlement Card does not carry any personal data at present.

However it still begs the question of why the card has to be read. If there is no personal data on it, how can it be used for the other services for which it is later intended - library, council tax and who knows what else?

If it's anonymous, why does it have to be read? Why is showing it not sufficient? All it needs is a manual button on the machine to record a pensioner's journey, the same as the old machines had.

Apart from Tavish's assurance, how can one check what information is on the card?

During my investigations I came across companies producing both the cards and machines for reading and writing to them. If the card reader in the bus is also able to write to the cards, information could be added at any time without the user's knowledge.

I'm not saying this is happening right now, but consider this: In 2005 the EU website IDABC announced the impending launch of the Scottish Smart Card - this is the same site that carries details of the UK Identity Card, including the 52 pieces of information intended to be carried on it. I still have a nasty smell up my nose.

As an aside, the new machines are not at all popular with the drivers I have spoken to. They make the issue of tickets much slower and more laborious.

See my website for full details of what I have found so far: www.IDCardsExposed.com

Stuart Hill
Cunningsburgh
stuart@IDCardsExposed.com



17 November, 2006

Bus pass holds no details

IN RESPONSE to a recent letter from Stuart Hill on the smartcard for the free travel scheme for pensioners and disabled people (11 November), the Scottish Executive has now clarified what information is contained on the smartcard.

In an e-mail to the Shetland News yesterday, a spokeswoman for Scottish transport minister Tavish Scott responded to two issues Mr Hill raised:

1. Has what the Minister said been incorrect?

"No. The only information contained within the card, is whether the National Entitlement Card (NEC) is valid and the transport concession the cardholder qualifies for."

2. Why does the Improvement Service require card holders' details?

"They require the information to permit customer enquiries to be answered, to record lost cards, to request a re-issue, to change address, change of circumstances."

To clarify this further: The card holds no personal details, but the service centre which can be contacted via phone number 0870 428 8246 does. The Shetland News.




14 November 2006

A matter of arithmetic

ABOUT this baggage allowance of 15kg... I have always wondered something. Why are the passengers on fixed wing flights not required to be weighed as well as their luggage?

The flight complement of 34 people may be filled with a party of 30 schoolchildren weighing on average 38 kg (6 stones), add on four
medium-sized teachers at an average of 75kg = 1,440 kg, or 1.4 tonnes.

Or alternatively, the flight may consist of 34 rugby players or bodybuildersweighing on average 114kg = 3,390 kg or 3.9 tonnes

This could mean a difference of 2.5 tonnes cabin weight between the loads of children and larger adults. Whereas, if everyone took 23kg of baggage instead of 15, that's only a difference of 272kg. Hmm?

I know I just scraped O Level Arithmetic, but the difference must surely make an odds, when they have to take into account runway lengths, amount of fuel needed etc.?

It would be interesting to know how flight operators work out an average weight for passengers, and to what extent this figure has increased in recent years?

I have a rather controversial suggestion to make... have all passengers declare their weight and BMI (Body Mass Index), and allow them to carry extra baggage accordingly! This may also help the NHS in their endeavour to control the soaring levels of obesity.

Karen Angus
karen.angus@btinternet.com




13 November 2006

Car is king

I SHOULD declare an interest before I begin my rant - I am still a member of the Hjaltland Housing Association, but profits, for those who don't know, are not distributed to members.

I wonder how many of the councillors who voted against the housing development at Grantfield have 'on road' parking outside their bought and paid for homes or perhaps private driveways and garages for their two(?) family cars?

Remember young people, single people and couples of Lerwick, or would be Lerwick residents, that the council elections are coming up next year.

Mind you, you may not get the satisfaction of booting them out of office. Many of those who voted against you having homes will no doubt be taking the Scottish Executive 'shilling' to end their illustrious democratic (?) careers. The Scottish Executive recognise that they are incapable of good decision-making, but unfortunately are having to pay good public money to get rid of them. This money could be going towards building affordable homes to rent. Perhaps by way of compensation the pay offs will be donated toHjaltland, or a homeless charity, by way of compensation.

Nimbyism and 'car is king' rules it would appear, whilst the single or coupled homeless suffer.

Yours sincerely
James Paton
26 Smalewell Road
Leeds
jamespaton.1@ntlworld.com



13 November 2006

Brand - waste of money

WHAT is happening with the logo and Shetland brand? It now seems that it is dead in the water. The only folk able to use it are VisitShetland it seems, as it appears on their advert on the Shetland News home page.

Over one hundred thousand pounds spent and it is a huge white elephant. Ispent my time at meetings and presentations, all in vain.
Never mind.

Kind regards
Jo Tonkinson
ian@journeyman-leather.co.uk
 

For a direct response from the council's principal officer for marketing, Neil Henderson:

Brand is misunderstood

FOR whatever reason, there has been a widespread misunderstanding over what the Shetland brand is actually about. When it was first launched, the debate unfortunately centred on the logo and its possible use. In fact, of course, the real value of any brand is not a logo - many brands have no logo at all - but in the reputation that lies behind it.

The central message from the work done on the brand is that Shetland needs to build a solid reputation for high quality. Succeeding in that depends much more on our actions than on words or indeed logos. The project identified the things that Shetland can offer, for example, authenticity and integrity. It also specified the target market on which we need to focus: essentially, people who care about these things and are willing to pay for them. That work was valuable, especially coming at a time when many in Shetland still believed that selling large volumes of product at the lowest possible price was the way forward. However, the logo was a relatively small part of it.

That said, we are well aware that more needs to be done and, in a forthcoming report to the council, we plan to spell out a very positive way forward. If your correspondent wants to get in touch directly with us, we'd be very happy to discuss this in more detail.

Neil Henderson
Principal Officer - Marketing
neil.henderson@shetland.gov.uk




11 November 2006

Back door Big Brother

I AM very concerned that the 'smart' card system for old people to be allowed access to free travel is an erosion of our liberty, an invasion of privacy and is another example of the EU trying to achieve its objectives by stealth. The innocuous-looking card has no visible magnetic strip to indicate that it might be holding personal information and I assumed that my photograph was the only information it carried.

I called the number on the card to find out what information it held. After being welcomed to the 'Shetland Islands Council national entitlement card helpline', I was asked to wait to be connected. On being connected I asked the operator where she was located - Shetland perhaps, or even Scotland, but no - she was in Northampton! She told me what information was on the card and I was surprised to find not only my photograph, but also address and date of birth, email and telephone number amongst other things.

I called the SIC travel department, who confirmed what Tavish Scott has admitted - that the card will later be used (and required) to access other council services such as libraries and council tax payment, and who stressed that it is a 'national entitlement card' and that other information could be added at a later date. I asked if I can still get free travel without it, if I produce my old card (which has no expiry date), and was told I could not. In other words, if I want to exercise my right to free travel, I'm being forced to use this system and accept the fact that the Scottish Executive (or the UK government, or the faceless in Brussels) have the ability to track my movements. This is a fundamental invasion of my privacy and it's difficult to see how Tavish can describe use of thecard as 'voluntary'. Given the information already held on the card, it is an easy matter, without any further reference to the individual, to add such details as national insurance number, fingerprint, iris scan, etc - et voila - you have an identity card!

A simple question: Why does the new card have an expiry date (the old ones did not)? Am I suddenly going to be less than 60 years of age and still be using the bus? The only reason I can think of is that information on the card will need to be changed at some point to broaden its application. Is it too far a stretch of the imagination to surmise that in future we will be required to be completely dependent on such a card for everything weneed - and therefore completely at the mercy of the state? The very name 'National Entitlement Card' suggests we may.

In the three and a half years that the free travel scheme for the over 60s has been in operation, I have hardly ever had to use my card. In common with most other travellers my face is well known to the bus drivers on my local route. Only when I travel outside my immediate area has it been necessary to produce my card.

Tavish asserts that the new travel identity cards will help to prevent fraud. Maybe it will also help prevent terrorism? Perhaps he would like to explain what level of fraud is currently being perpetrated by Shetland's (or even Scotland's) pensioners.

This is a scheme imposed and apparently being administered from outside Shetland, or even Scotland, and is a cynical ploy to introduce identity cards by the back door, using the creeping approach so favoured by the EU to force through unpopular policies. First of all, foist it onto the old and those less likely to know what is going on - in an area where it is likely to meet little resistance. Then extend it gradually to other groups (students are next, according to Tavish). Finally, roll it out to the whole population - Gotcha!

Tavish and his EU masters need to know that they've been rumbled. I am prepared to show my new card to claim my right to free travel, but I will not be putting it near their machine. The SIC's policy is to provide free travel to the over 60s. They contracted with me to provide it on production of my orange card, which has no expiry date. Production of either my old or my new card proves to the service provider that I have a right to the service and neither Tavish, the SIC, nor anyone else can deny me that right. I have nothing to hide, but I do not intend to provide details of my movements to any Big Brother database - it's just the thin end of the wedge.

Stuart Hill
Cunningsburgh
dmin1@fractal4casting.com




10 November 2006

Thanks for everything Davie

A FREELANCE journalist and publicist, I first visited Shetland armed with only my tools of trade; a mini-disc recorder, a love of folk music and an introduction to Davie Gardner.

Little did I realise what a bounty that introduction would prove to be. Davie propelled me from a standing start into the very heartland of
Shetland's music and culture. His knowledge was invaluable, his enthusiasm instantly infectious and he was unstintingly generous with his contacts and his time.

He and the folk at Shetland Tourism now have a passionate advocate of all things Shetlandic and I count myself lucky to have met him during his time at the Shetland Arts Trust.

Thank you, Davie, and thank you Shetland.

Yours sincerely,
Jan Nary
jnarypr@gil.com.au




7 November 2006

End Crown Estate piracy now

AT FIRST Minister's Questions last Thursday a new model to adapt the Crown Estate Commission to Scottish needs was proposed.

In my view it is long overdue that the CEC powers were transferred to the Scottish Parliament. Their piratical takings should be diverted towards Scottish public investment instead of the London Treasury's maw.

The model suggested by Robin Callander to Highlands and Islands councils would mirror the organisation of Forestry Commission Scotland. But the CEC's rapacious grasp has gleaned £20 million in mainly Scottish fish farm rental in the past ten years with only a tenth offered back for research. It claims around £80,000 per annum from the Cromarty Firth Port Authority to name but one developing port. Its greedy eyes are turned to the
big prize of offshore wind revenues such as the Talisman Moray Firth scheme.

Additionally its grasping behaviour has led to the renting out of numerous leases for fish farm sites; far more than are ever used. If my FOI request to them is knocked back to protect commercial confidentiality we will still know it's a racket. But the CEC's even more centralised structure, shutting its Scottish office, was effected in 2002 to "safeguard its future under devolution". This shows little will to support balanced marine development around Scotland. Why else would the CEC allow large fish farm companies to deny their competitors a foothold in the industry by sterilising fish farm sites?

Though its planning power within the 12 mile limit has eroded painfully slowly under devolved government, major questions remain as to why Labour and LibDem MSPs have been so slow to reclaim Scottish income robbed by such an unnecessary institution.

Alasdair Morrison and Jim Wallace are arch Unionists so their rapid embrace of the Highland Council draft report is clearly double edged. They are desperate to stave off any calls for abolition of the CEC and merely to see that a little power devolved to Edinburgh is ultimately power retained in London.

Having a Scottish-based quango to feed Crown Estate profits into Scottish investment begs the question, why not move towards a Scottish Marine Act that reduces the 85 UK acts that govern our seas and ends the remote confusion of UK laws over our seas? This could axe the Crown Estate Commission who are 18th century privateers that force our marine users to cough up a queen's ransom every single year.

Yours sincerely,

Rob Gibson
SNP MSP Highlands and Islands
4 Grant Street, Wick
Rob.Gibson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
 

6 November 2006

We take our job seriously

I REFER to the letter you published recently entitled "No way to treat an islander" which was also sent to ferry services, Cllr John Nicolson and myself.

I am sorry that your correspondent has concerns about the implementation of the 5 per cent increase in ferry fares. However, the council made a clear decision on 19 September to remove £107,000 from the ferries budget for the current year (2006-2007) and a further £310,000 from next year's budget as part of its measures to reduce revenue spending across the board. Indeed, there was an expectation on the part of some mainland councillors that ferry fares should immediately be increased by at least 15 per cent.

The ferries board met on 29 September and, having considered the impact of the budget cuts, decided that a 15 per cent increase in fares was totally unacceptable and would do real damage to island economies. However, we are bound to work within the budgets set by the council and we reluctantly agreed to a 5 per cent increase with effect from 1 November; this was duly advertised.

Incidentally, this fare increase is likely to contribute about a quarter of the required savings this financial year. I should also point out that ferry fares, in line with most other SIC charges, are increased annually by the rate of inflation; no increase beyond that has been imposed for several years.

The ferries board and ferry service management are now carefully examining a series of other measures, including a review of the whole fares structure, fuel economies and timetable changes in order to balance our new, reduced budgets.

The removal of fares on Bluemull Sound was agreed by the council last year as a direct response to the potentially devastating impact on the North Isles of the closure of RAF Saxa Vord. It is to be reviewed in a year's time but many say that it is only fair that travel from the Shetland mainland to all the islands served by ro-ro-ferries should cost the same even if it
involves two crossings.

The voice bank and variable message boards have been introduced in response to resounding demands from communities for clear and timely information about ferry sailings, especially in the winter. The voice bank lines cost no more than ordinary phone lines and the variable message boards were largely funded through transport initiatives supported by the Scottish Executive.

On behalf of the Inter-Islands Ferries Board I would like to assure your correspondent and your readers that we take our responsibilities very seriously indeed, we do understand the needs of islanders and we continue to strive to deliver ferry services which are safe, cost-effective and which support the economic and social development of all the Shetland Islands.

Yours faithfully

Brian P Gregson
Chairman, Inter-Islands Ferries Board
brian.gregson@shetland.gov.uk



6 November 2006

Keep pressure on Loganair

I AM beginning to wonder if Loganair are really the slightest bit interested in running the air services between Shetland and the Scottish mainland for the benefit of the passengers, when we learn that yet again business and other travellers from/to Shetland are going to be penalised for having the audacity to want to have the same baggage allowances as other BA (or any for having the other airline) UK domestic customers.

With Loganair announcing that passenger numbers and turnover are up and the routes are healthy, I seriously question whether it makes any business sense to hit passengers over the head with what is effectively ANOTHER unfair levy for flights to/from the mainland - this time on luggage - just when security policy requires that we carry a minimum of hand baggage!

This is blatant discrimination - it's bad for tourism, it's bad for business, and it's patently UNFAIR! With almost no other choice for
accessing the UK mainland airports, Loganair have us over a barrel yet again.

Keep up the pressure please Alistair - this is NOT acceptable!!

Kind regards

Dr. Helen Erwood
AARQ Limited, Lunna House, Lunna
Shetland
helen@aarq.eu.com



6 November 2006

Baggage damage for tourism

AS A tourism provider in Shetland I've followed the Loganair baggage story with some interest and their reasons for lowering the baggage limit. I assume that the excess baggage penalties also apply to people travelling to Shetland.

Many of my customers in 2006 were from abroad and visiting Shetland as part of their tour of Scotland, or in a few cases Europe. For holidays taking several weeks most people were carrying about the internationally accepted limits of 20-25kg.

I feel that the Loganair limit is a further restriction of tourists travelling to Shetland, as most of them will not be arriving at Scotland's
gateway airports on a BA flight with a connection to Shetland. This new limit will also discourage tourists from buying souvenirs and presents to take home with them. I know that 5kg of hand-baggage is allowed but impossible to squeeze into the totally inadequate cabin-locker space on Loganair's fleet.

I also note that Loganair say that their staff will be flexible in dealing with this matter. This may well be true at Sumburgh and Kirkwall, but it is not Loganair staff that operate the check-ins at Scotland's other airports. If this limit remains I can see many tourists starting their Shetland holiday with a heated and expensive argument with check-in staff before boarding a Shetland bound flight.

Regards,

Allen Fraser.
info@shetlandgeology.com



3 November 2006

Bring that opera north

I WOULD like to know why no support is being given to something which has been promoting Shetland out there in the big wide world.

Odysseus Unwound (formerly a Shetland Odyssey) has been on the road since the beginning of October with seven performances in London, two in Stavanger (Norway), one in Basingstoke, one in Manchester, one in Liverpool, one in Nottingham and two in Harrogate.

This opera is going down a storm with its audiences and I am sure people in Shetland would love the opportunity to be part of that experience. We seem to be able to throw millions down the drain on all manner of projects that reap very little, but when it comes to putting a few thousand into something that people in Shetland would get a lot of enjoyment from, the purse strings are drawn as tight as possible.

If you want to know more about the opera, www.tete-a-tete.org.uk/unwound/  is the site to look at.

There is much talk of the arts venue. Let's put the money into the worthy projects now so that when the venue is up and running Shetland will already have put itself on the map and the performances and music production will be awaited by the rest of the world with anticipation, and the proactive advertising will reap benefits immediately.

There is a cross over as well from music and performance to promoting Shetland's knitwear industry generally, hand knitting and hand spinning in particular - Scatness Dig (via Elizabeth Johnston), Unst (Margaret Peterson), Fetlar (Janice Sawford) and Fair Isle (Anne Sinclair). These people are our ambassadors and it would be good if they couldperform at home and feel that their efforts are worthwhile.

Regards
Sarah McBurnie
SeeShetland@aol.com

NOTE: The Odysseus Unwound opera comes to Shetland on 27 November. The Shetland News




1 November 2006

No way to treat an islander

I THOUGHT that it had been agreed NOT to increase the ferry fares? They already went up in the summer. This additional increase will cost me approximately an additional £90 per year.

To travel to and from my work place in Lerwick it now costs me almost 13 per cent of my net pay. My council tax already costs me 10 per cent of my pay - that's 23 per cent of the money I earn going straight to the SIC.

Is this the correct way to treat island residents?

You might feel that it is my choice to live on Yell, which is marginally true as I chose to marry someone who is self employed as a farmer in Yell, so us relocating is not an option. It would be cheaper for me to rent a flat in town centre Lerwick and walk to work and not see my husband, which would of course have a detrimental effect on our relationship.

At the moment it may also be cheaper for me to buy a second car to leave on the mainland and travel on foot which would save me over £1,000 per year.

Why is it that ALL visitors to Unst travel for free when we have to pay to travel to Yell? There must be a better way to do this and I feel someone must start thinking about it.

It is my understanding that somewhere in the region of £140,000 has been spent on all of the paraphernalia that the ferries service has purchased this past 18 months - the voice bank, the fancy signage at each ferry terminal and Tingwall, along with all the ICT equipment related to this.