Dear Orkney News,
It’s tempting to think that, just maybe, OIC are importing stone from Oban ( yes, you read that right), to underline the ‘need’ to extend the quarry in Orkney – a course of action which is being actively pushed by some at OIC, though it goes against a democratically taken vote.
Meanwhile, Council money, our money, is being used to buy stone from Oban and ship it to Orkney, burning fossil fuels along the way.
The old saying ‘Taking coals to Newcastle’ comes to mind.
The public may never know the reasoning or machinations behind this bizarre behaviour, as our Councillors will now be wary of making public the thinking/motives behind Council actions, as they could find themselves facing legal action, and possibly being suspended from Council meetings – which we elected them to attend.
This Council really does need an enema – right through, from top – to bottom.
Yours, Bernie Bell, Orkney
ED’s Note: The infamous stone currently in question is from a quarry near Oban
Categories: Letters
An enema goes in the other direction. 🙂
A clear out is a clear out – I don’t mind which way it goes!
AND…..
When asked by ‘The Orcadian’ how much the 80,000 tons of material was worth, OIC said they would not be disclosing the cost at this time, as this information is ‘commercially sensitive’.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm – so much for transparency.
A clarification might be helpful….is additional stone being procured from Shetland? Last week’s “Orcadian” only mentioned Oban.
Thank you I have inserted that clarification
Mea culpa – I don’t know why I got Shetland in my head – I got angry, and took off.
I apologise to anyone who is annoyed that I said the stone is coming from Shetland – yes, I should get my facts right.
My main point is – why, suddenly, does stone need to be brought to Orkney?
This answers you, too Charlie.
Bernie, without starting a very long lesson on rock types and their various qualities suffice to say that ‘granite’, an igneous rock which comes in many forms and compositions and where the most popular use by local authorities is for ‘road stone’ (tarry chips). Some granites are particularly hard wearing and are not to be found everywhere. This may be the case in Orkney so don’t be too hard on the OIC – yet. Find out what the stone is to be used for and then research whether this type of granite is to be found in Orkney
There are a number of small intrusions of igneous stone in the West Mainland. Brinkie’s Brae Stromness is one of the most obvious.