A belated New Year message
by Yes Orkney - 17:31 on 25 April 2014
The following letter was first printed in The Orcadian in January 2014.
Maurice Davidson was correct in congratulating OIC for improving some schools, sports and leisure facilities, in Orkney, in recent years. However, he should also be congratulating the Scottish Government for providing the finance to make this possible. Better schools and facilities should lead to higher educational attainment. Young able Orcadians can then find more good jobs and prospects in engineering, archaeology, tourism, education, health services, business and agriculture.
Orkney is Scotland’s smallest local authority, situated well outside the Central Belt. The funding criteria for Councils is determined by COSLA and is not directly related to which party wins a Constituency. OIC gets many things right but no doubt makes the occasional mistake, like ordering too many wheelie bins.
The SNP lead Governments, since 2007, while not perfect, have provided competent administration, widely regarded as being much better than the Labour Lib Dem Coalition from 1999 to 2007. They are doing this and balancing budgets with cuts of one billion pounds, each year. John Swinney has done his best to keep grass roots, police, teachers, nurses, doctors and care workers in work, even if management has had to be trimmed.
The Ferries tendering process and building of the existing Northlink Ferries were put in place by the Lib Lab Coalition. Lib Dem MSP, Tavish Scott was Transport Minister for much of that time. Maybe some changes are required to the whole process. The present Government are merely abiding by existing rules. The Hrossay or Hjaltland provided a better service, in previous years, than that recently provided by the Hildasay, during the Hamnavoe survey period. I suggest this matter is taken up, directly with Serco Northlink, Orkney & Shetland Councils and local businesses. Maybe Orkney and Shetland can work together, for the greater good.
If ferries can be run with smaller subsidies, I suggest the money saved could be used to replace existing internal ferries.
Renewable Energy related companies can be given a boost and new jobs created if a new and much bigger transmission cable from Orkney to Caithness were provided. The Tory Lib Dem Westminster Coalition control the purse strings. Local MP Alistair Carmichael is in a position, in Government, to influence future events and funding.
If Scotland votes Yes at the September 2014 referendum, things will change and the Scottish Government will have to take responsibility. Power and responsibility go hand in hand.
Many of us believe that the people of Orkney and Scotland, in general are best placed to make decisions on our future, rather than have decisions imposed on us, from outside. European farming payments which should recently have come to Scotland have been misappropriated by the UK Government, to the detriment of Orkney farmers.
A Yes vote would ensure Scotland sits at the top table, alongside Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, in Europe, representing our own interests, directly. Other benefits would include better child care, the scrapping of the hated bedroom tax, a fairer welfare system, a greatly simplified taxation system and essential services kept in public hands; education, health services, postal services and many others. These decisions then become our decisions.
The SNP Government represent the social democratic, caring, business friendly middle ground. Our neighbours in Scandinavia have done this well for over 60 years.
The Tories & Lib Dems, at present have veered to the right, while Labour still tries to find a new strategy, be it positive, negative or whatever.
JRM
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