Cameron comes to isles

The Prime Minister arrived in Shetland for a two-day visit this afternoon – making him the first UK leader to visit the isles in 34 years.

David Cameron’s arrival comes ahead of a drinks reception at the town hall in Lerwick this evening, where he will make an announcement on electricity subsidies.

The Prime Minister is expected to bring news of a deal brokered by the UK government to spread the subsidy costs of providing electricity to Shetland across the whole of Britain – and not just the north of Scotland.

It is claimed the announcement should put the subsidy on a more sustainable, long-term footing, with prices continuing to be kept at 75 per cent less than they otherwise would be.

The government claims the announcement will help keep domestic bills £1,200 lower than they would be without the subsidy.

It should also mean cutting bills for those in northern Scotland who have, until now, footed the whole subsidy cost.

The government says:
• The subsidy will be worth an average of £20,000 for schools and hospitals.
• For large operations – like fisheries – it could be worth an average of £180,000.

In coming to the isles, Mr Cameron follows in the footsteps of former Prime Ministers Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher.

His trip includes a visit to the Bristow search and rescue team and the Sumburgh lighthouse.

COMMENTS(12)

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  • Sandy McMillan

    • July 22nd, 2014 18:52

    The Tory Leader must be getting desperate, or is it just the booze he is after, I wonder who is paying for the booze, or is the SIC excempt from cut backs when it comes to party time, The last guy to have booze in the Town Hall cost the public in excess of
    Of half a million.
    Give David Cameron nothing until you see the colour of his money, get it all in writing that he is going to reduce our domestic usage of electric by £1.200, of course this is all to do with the Windfarms,
    I would love to be a fly on his shirt collar when he dribbles on after a few drams, I hope that the Shetland Times have a reporter and Smirk to catch the comedy routine from Prime Minister David Cameron

    REPLY
  • John Tulloch

    • July 22nd, 2014 19:19

    “The Prime Minister is expected to bring news of a deal brokered by the UK government to spread the subsidy costs of providing electricity to Shetland across the whole of Britain – and not just the north of Scotland.

    It is claimed the announcement should put the subsidy on a more sustainable, long-term footing, with prices continuing to be kept at 75 per cent less than they otherwise would be.”

    Fascinating. Where/how does Viking Energy fit into this?

    And what if Shetland generated cheap electricity using gas supplied directly from Total/BP?

    I can’t wait to hear more.

    REPLY
  • Ali Inkster

    • July 22nd, 2014 19:42

    Yeah right, we are subsidising the UK and Scotland to the tune of £billions every year not the other way round. remove the subsidies we are paying out and we could reduce folks bills up here by 75%, and provide for all our needs now and in the future.
    BETTER AFF CLEAR O DA LOT O DEM

    REPLY
  • joe johnson

    • July 22nd, 2014 22:37

    Welcome to Shetland Prime Minister

    REPLY
  • Brian Smith

    • July 23rd, 2014 8:00

    At a time when Shetland’s bus waiting rooms and public toilets are being closed, it was insensitive of the SIC to lay on a drinks party for the millionaire prime minister and his local representative. If local Tories wanted a junket to celebrate austerity for the poor, they should have paid for it. That is what happened when Thatcher, another community wrecker, came to Shetland in 1980.

    REPLY
    • John Inkster

      • July 23rd, 2014 11:11

      Apparently he is the first Prime Minister to visit in 34 years and has taken the trouble to come up here and visit Shetland. It must be important that any Prime Minister, of which every political party, who visits, goes away with a positive attitude of Shetland and its people.

      I would argue that it would harm Shetland’s reputation if we explained that we were not going to offer the Prime Minister or his local representative a drinks reception because he was a millionaire, but if he were a bit poorer then we would consider it. Surely we have wasted more in the past than the cost of a few drinks for the Prime Minister of the country.

      REPLY
      • Harry Dent

        • July 23rd, 2014 12:48

        He visited to propagandise for Better Together; it is they who should have footed the bill, not the taxpayer.

      • John Tulloch

        • July 23rd, 2014 16:50

        Caa’ canny, Harry!

        What were Salmond and the Scottish cabinet doing when they came here?

        Should the Yes campaign foot the bill for that?

  • Brian Smith

    • July 23rd, 2014 17:58

    You’re right, Harry: there were representatives there from Labour, the Tories and Lib Dems – not the first time they have canoodled together in the Town Hall lately with a Tory speaker.

    REPLY
    • Ali Inkster

      • July 23rd, 2014 22:04

      De ain invite most a been lost i da post Brian

      REPLY
  • Rachel Buchan

    • July 23rd, 2014 22:25

    Shame on you all! You are all so caught up in your own opinions that you cannot even be bothered to wish good luck to all the young people, from here, who are volunteering at the Commonwealth Games. They are the people who represent the future of these islands – you could at least give them a wee “good luck!”.

    REPLY
  • Henry Condy

    • July 24th, 2014 7:58

    This is an Pr exercise, ahead of the referendum, why no walk along the ” Street “meeting folk, if he is to scared to meet Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister/ then the good folk of Lerwick have no chance. These meetings are all stage managed to avoid any embarrassing questions to the prime minister. I can’t get my head round the deviousness of the three parties in bed together ganging up on the independence campaign,watch prime ministers question times on TV and you’ll get my point. As to this huge 75% off electricity, once again it shows how we the public have been ripped of over the years for profit, so any day now I am waiting for a huge cheque through the post as compensation.

    REPLY

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