The Olympic Torch is coming to Shetland next June and will be paraded through Lerwick.

The receiver appointed at Reawick Lamb has held out hope for crofters and farmers who have been left with no realistic market for their lambs following the closure of the slaughterhouse.

One of the best things about being an MP is that after ten-and-a-half years it can still produce fresh chal­lenges.

Do you remember the game of holding your breath in the bath when a child? The one that caused a look of horror on the face of a parent!

Well I tried something similar this week at the Offshore Training facility in Aberdeen, formerly and still known to the industry as RGIT.

One of the changes that this government has made to parliament which does not get a great deal of attention outside of Westminster has been to hand over control of a chunk of parliamentary time to a committee of backbenchers.

25 Years Ago

The Firth construction camp could close next year. As work continued on demolishing a part of the oilworkers’ camp this week, BP confirmed that they were considering their use for what is left of Firth.

25 Years Ago

At least 26 more jobs are to go at the OIL supply base at Greenhead, Lerwick, bringing the total re­dundan­cies to 54 in recent months.

Early last week Jonathan Wills posed the question (in a fair and measured way) of how I could remain a minister in the coalition government while it was going to remove the emergency towing ves­sels (tugs) which have been stationed here and in the Western Isles since the Donaldson report into the grounding of the Braer.

Every year around this time MPs find themselves in the busy and slightly surreal environment that is the party conference.

The SIC has come a step nearer to breaking the deadlock in its battle with the North Isles ferry crews. It seems that despite some dissent the SIC is now determined to force a shift system on the Yell Sound ferry crews, even if this means industrial action followed by help from the Advisory, Conciliatory and Arbitration Service.