Robert Leslie, SNP candidate for the Orkney Constituency has expressed surprise that OIC leader James Stockan feels that the council has not been consulted over proposals to ease Covid-19 restrictions in the islands.
Robert Leslie said:
“It may well be that OIC and other local authorities didn’t have a say on what proposals were put to communities, but they have certainly had plenty of opportunity to put forward their own views on the matter of easing restrictions.
“Meetings have taken place over the past few weeks with ministers including Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government Aileen Campbell, Islands Minister Paul Wheelhouse and Deputy First Minister John Swinney, as well as officials, including National Clinical Director, Professor Jason Leitch.
“In their meetings with OIC and the other island authorities, ministers made clear the need to engage directly with communities as well as with local authorities. Therefore Councillor Stockan’s assertion that they have not been consulted would appear to hold very little water, although it may be that he didn’t like the options that were presented.
“While the results of the Scottish Government survey are still to be published, from the responses on social media around the time of the consultation there wasn’t widespread support for Councillor Stockan’s preferred option of relaxing restrictions and opening up Orkney to visitors at the same time.
“From what I could gather, there was much more support for relaxing restrictions locally to allow a wider range of economic and social activity, but to keep tighter travel restrictions.
“If that turns out to be the wish of the majority, this would be in line with Mike Russell’s comments at the final meeting of the Scottish Parliament Covid-19 committee, when he said ‘the level system will come back, we will be able to move as a nation but there will be flexibility within it’. “
There are 4 candidates standing for the Orkney Constituency in the Scottish Parliament elections to be held on Thursday May 6th
- Samuel Bown – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.
- Coilla Drake – Scottish Labour Party.
- Robert Fraser Leslie – Scottish National Party (SNP).
- Liam Scott McArthur – Scottish Liberal Democrats.
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Two days ago we received an email from our friends in New Zealand, part of which said….
“All good here, we are so fortunate in that we can live normal lives without restrictions. Last weekend we were at a wedding, a few pics attached. No masks or distancing, lots of hugs and close dancing. We don’t take it for granted, we had a couple of mini lockdowns in Feb, it can be taken away at very short notice so we tend to grab any opportunity to do stuff while we can.”
No need to compare the relative situations.
England tells Scotland what to do far too much.
That Man In Number 10, is now wanting to ease up – open hairdressers and gyms again and allow outside hospitality etc.
And – his weird ‘Traffic lights’ idea for foreign travel’ – Eh?
I have a strong feeling of Deja Vu.
Yes, the difference could be said to be the vaccinations – but ……that programme is not yet complete, and won’t be of a lot of use if folk travel to places with variants which laugh at our vaccinations.
Scotland needs to be able to decide what happens in, and in relation to, Scotland. And island communities need to learn from other island communities which are successfully combating Covid.
Enough – what’s the point in my saying this? – it’s bleedin’ obvious!
Ignore people like Johnson and Stockan, work for the good of the people of Scotland – PLEASE.