The Shetland By-Election to the Scottish Parliament  caused by the resignation of Tavish Scott, LibDem, is to be held on Thursday 29th of August.

The candidates are as follows:

• Johan Adamson: Scottish Labour and Co-operative Party
• Brydon Goodlad: Scottish Conservative and Unionist
• Stuart Martin: UK Independence Party (UKIP)
• Debra Nicolson: Scottish Green Party
• Ian Scott
• Michael Stout: Independent
• Peter Tait: Independent
• Ryan Thomson: Independent
• Tom Wills: Scottish National Party (SNP)
• Beatrice Wishart: Scottish Liberal Democrats

Voters place a cross next to the candidate of their choice. You have only one vote. It is a First Past The Post Election.

Click this link to register to vote. or to find out if you want to check that you are registered.

2016 Shetland Scottish Parliamentary Election

In 2016 the Constituency was retained by Tavish Scott who had held the seat since the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

The result in 2016 was:

Tavish Scott, LibDem, 7,440 votes, 67.4%. This was a huge personal vote for Scott not replicated in the numbers who voted Liberal Democrat in the Regional List vote.

Danus Skene,SNP, 2,545 votes, 23.1%.

The other candidates did extremely poorly.

Robina Barton, Labour, 651, 5.9%

Cameron Smith, Conservative, 405, 3.7%

The turnout was 62.1%

The Shetland By-Election this August will be between the LibDems and the SNP.

The Scottish Greens are fielding a candidate for the first time in a Scottish Parliamentary Constituency outside of Edinburgh or Glasgow. This will be a major test for their organisation locally and nationally but perhaps it will give them the confidence to stand in other constituency seats in future elections.

Can Beatrice Wishart get the same personal vote as Tavish Scott?

Despite being a LibDem she sits as an independent councillor for Lerwick South and is the Depute Convener of Shetland Islands Council. She is also the caseworker in the Shetland office of Alistair Carmichael MP for Orkney & Shetland. She is certainly well known but will she have a personal vote? At the local council elections in May 2017, on a 43.7% turnout she polled 394 votes and although elected at Stage 1 she did not top that poll.

Local man Tom Wills for the SNP will be hoping to build on the gains made by the late Danus Skene using the sizable active membership the SNP has in Shetland. An expert in the Renewables Industry he has said he will be running a positive campaign.

Whatever candidate Shetlanders choose to vote for there certainly is plenty of choice.

Reporter: Fiona Grahame