THE visit by First Minister Swinney on Monday to Shetland was very much appreciated, a very practical way of demonstrating that it is a place of interest, even to an over-centralised Scottish Government (I support autonomy, Scottish and intra-Scottish).
Less welcomed or needed were the grand-standing chancer bloggers fae doon sooth the following morning. Not many normal working folks at their early morning onanistic love-in, I bet. Cui bono?
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The ping-pong of government “as usual”, local, national and supra-national (UK), not to mention our continuing awful Brexit deal – not an extra fish – and so-called ally USA on a knife-edge election with the real possibility of chaos to come, is all an entirely meaningless game to most. Living, or trying to live, lives irrespective of what passes for politics. Politics of the people? I think not.
Holyrood really does need to bite the bullet and undertake a major reform of itself and of local government. They need to be much more locally accountable and important to people’s day-to-day lives through meaningful local taxation, not discriminatory, unfair Council Tax.
Centralised (Scottish) Government should then iron out the very worst of regional Scottish inequalities and local skirmishes, with the Ombudsman having much bigger, shaper teeth and it being much easier to complain to. Government looking much more to the long-term strategic/infrastructure and global relational opportunities and issues, not the next election. Hence ten-year terms, with no-one allowed to stand for more than two terms. In short, the Scottish Government needs to stop behaving like a supra-local authority.
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So a new, proper, grown-up parliament, halving of the first chamber numbers, with a second revising/oversight and scrutiny chamber made up of the other half but also members nominated by each local authority – deputy leaders – enhancing the local/central relationship.
Proper local taxation is required. No-one takes anything seriously if they don’t feel or know they are paying for it.
Take the NHS. It’s not free, we all pay for it, but it is much less accountable and responsive to local need due to a horrendous bureaucracy and over-management and unaccountable, unelected boards. Renewed, improved local government – halved numbers but councillors paid £50,000 to be full-time, professional finance, personnel and service delivery decision-makers. Community councillor numbers to be halved, but paid £15,000 a year to monitor local authorities’ delivery and really involve, engage and represent people.
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Some savings will be accrued to the new local government with the abolition of the ancient behemoth Cosla and stopping fat-cat pay.
Einstein’s definition of insanity really does apply – “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome”.
A bit like our failing education, health and care systems – over-managed and poorly managed to death, literally.
James J Paton
Moderator, Shetland Autonomy Action Team
LET’S all be very clear. Despite English rule, the Tories and Thatcher, Shetland created its own oil wealth fund by asking for a penny per barrel. And that oil wealth fund has served Shetland very well and still exists today.
The Shetland Charitable Trust’s oil fund was valued at around £377.2 million as of September 2023. The Shetland Charitable Trust has disbursed more than £320m to local charities, organisations, and individuals.
Not bad for a council with a population of around 23,000.
Daibhidh Beaton
via thenational.scot
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