Abair g’eil na Lochlannaich a’ fàs fiadhaich – tha ana-ceartas ann an suidheachadh nan eilean

Tha ana-ceartas ann an suidheachadh nan eilean, le Murray MacLeòid​

Tha iad a' fàs feargach ann an Arcaibh le suidheachadh an ionmhais. (Dealbh: Adrian Dennis/Getty Images)

[English-language version below]

Tha Arcaibh air a bhith riamh ainmeil airson sgeulachdan is eachdraidh agus ‘s dòcha gur ann dìreach ri linn an dualchais sin a tha sinn a’ faicinn a’ bhrod a dh’uirsgeul a’ tighinn bhon tuath an-dràsta fhèin.

‘S cinnteach bho shealbh nach eil cus de dhòchas dha-rìribh aca gun tig an toirt fo sgiath ùghdarrais Nirribhidh aon uair eile às dèidh nan ceudan de bhliadhnaichean. Tha fhios, le bhith beagan ciallach mu dheidhinn, gur e gluasad poileataigeach nas motha a tha air a chùlaibh, ach nach eil sin fhèin na adhbhar cho math ri càil.

As bith dè cho fada sìos an rathad a gheibh iad ann an a bhith ga sgrùdadh, gun tig gabhail ris nach eil rian aige tachairt, bidh iad air cùis gu math cudromach a thogail: 's e sin, nach eil an t-aonta a tha comhairlean eileanach a’ faighinn an-dràsta idir cothromach.

Thuirt ceannard na comhairle ann an Arcaibh, Seumas Stockan, nach eil iad idir a’ faighinn cuibhrean ceart dhen mharaig agus le barrachd is barrachd sheirbheisean gan tarraing chun a’ mheadhain, tha iad a’ faireachdain nas fhaide às buileach. Dh’fhaodadh Dùn Èideann a bhith na Lunnainn, a-rèir nan Arcach. ‘S le sin, nach eil e a’ cheart cho math an dualchas Lochlannach ath-nuadhachadh agus an ceagal a dhèanamh – sin an argamaid co-dhiù.

Agus chan eil iad nan aonar ann an a bhith mì-thoilichte. Tha an aon sheòrsa suidheachadh aig na nàbaidhean aca ann an Sealtainn agus sna h-Eileanan an Iar.

An t-seachaidh ’s a chaidh, nochd àrd-oifigear Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Malcolm Burr air beulaibh comataidh an ionmhais agus rianachd poblach ann am Pàrlamaid na h-Alba.

Dh’innis e do bhuill-Phàrlamaid gu bheil a’ chomhairle air an ìre às àirde de ghearraidhean a-rèir àireamh sluaigh fhulaing ann an Alba gu lèir fad nan deich bliadhna ud, dìreach ri linn na foirmle a thathas a’ cleachdadh agus mar a tha an t-airgead air a dhol sìos an cois sin.

Thuirt e nach eil an roinn phrìobhaideach mòr sam bith anns na h-eileanan, can le ionadan spòrs, agus le sin, chan urrainn dhan chomhairle ach na goireasan aca a chumail fosgailte, no fuilingidh an sluagh gu dona.

“Chan urrainn dhuinne na seirbheisean sin fhàgail aig companaidhean eile no coimhead ri com-pàirteachas bho nach eil an roghainn sin ann,” thuirt e.

Ach, bha beachd aige fhèin air ciamar a b’ urrainnear a’ chùis a dhèanamh na b’ fheàrr, ged-tà, agus ged as e slighe eadar-dhealaichte a bha e a' moladh an taca ris na h-Arcaich, b’ ann fhathast a’ coimhead gu thall-thairis a bha e.

Mhol e aon bhuidheann phoblach a stèidheachadh a bhiodh a’ toirt ri chèile a’ chomhairle, am bòrd slàinte agus seirbheisean eile, “rud a tha àbhaisteach ann am mòran phàirtean eile dhen Roinn Eòrpa.”

“An-dràsta, tha fada cus bhuidhnean againn airson sluagh de 27,000,” thuirt e.

Tha iomadach duilgheadas le comhairlean air feadh Alba an-dràsta agus tha sin cus nas miosa nuair a thig e gu sgìrean beaga mar na h-eileanan. Agus, coltach ris na sinnsearan Lochlannach aca, tha iad a’ fàs ain-fhoiseil agus feargach nach eil freagairt sam bith a’ tighinn.

English-language version:

Orkney has always been a land of fables and myths and maybe now, with a slight nod to its fishing heritage, also one of rather obvious red herrings. It’s highly doubtful whether their “exploration” of the case to transfer in some way to the jurisdiction of Norway has any real serious intent behind it, other than that of political opportunism. But that in itself is not without merit.

Whatever happens – however far down the road they get before conceding the degree of constitutional improbability, if not impossibility – their actions will have served to bring to light a very important point which has so far been all too easily dismissed: the inherent unfairness of local government funding when it comes to island authorities.

Council leader James Stockan said they simply do not get a fair slice of the cake and the centralisation of powers leaves them feeling further cut off and disenfranchised. Edinburgh may as well be London for the Orcadians. So, time to look at rekindling those Norse connections, or so the argument goes. If Orkney has been first with this political gambit, they are not alone, as a similar sense of injustice threatens to drown their neighbours in Shetland and the Western Isles.

Just last week Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) chief executive Malcolm Burr gave evidence to the Finance and Public Administration Committee of the Scottish Parliament. Mr Burr told MSPs that the Comhairle has seen “the largest pro rata funding reduction” of any Scottish local authority over the last ten years due to “a combination of the funding formula and other factors”.

He pointed out that private sector alternatives, such as, say, within the leisure industry, do not exist on the islands, so the council there has little option but to struggle on and try to maintain facilities with dwindling support. “Outsourcing services and sharing services across boundaries are simply not available to island councils,” he said. “There is no market in the Western Isles to undertake refuse collection, waste disposal or leisure services.”

Mr Burr’s solution was also to explore new possibilities, different to that put forward by his counterparts further north, but still with a nod to what was happening beyond our own borders. He suggested that a “single public authority model” be developed in the islands bringing the council, NHS and other services together within one organisation at a local level which is “the model in many other parts of Europe”, particularly Scandinavia. He concluded: “At the moment, frankly, we have too many organisations serving 27,000 people”.

The challenges facing the public sector and local government right now across Scotland are significant, but they are magnified to a far greater degree in the islands whenre economies of scale and other alternatives do not exist. Like the Vikings of their ancestry, the islanders are getting increasingly restless that no solution is being offered and that they feel out of sight, out of mind.