Election 2026

Questions for candidates (May 2026)

These questions are offered equally to every candidate and party. They are designed to be answerable.

Candidates may answer “yes”, “no”, “unknown”, or “requires evidence” — but we ask that answers be clear, and that factual claims are sourced where possible.

How to respond

• Keep answers short (suggested: 150 words per question).
• If making factual claims, cite the source or link to it.
• If you do not know, say so — and say how you would find out.
• If you disagree with the premise of a question, state your premise and answer anyway.

Responses will be published in full (subject to basic formatting) and archived as a public record.

The questions

These questions focus on land and sea, energy and grid, fishing and marine space, and democratic consent. They are written to test commitments, not personalities.

1. Local consent: What decisions affecting Shetland (land, seabed, energy export, major infrastructure) should require explicit local consent, and how would you implement that?
2. Seabed and marine space: Do you accept that the seabed question is foundational to many modern contracts and consents? If not, what is your alternative foundation?
3. Evidence standard: If asked for the documentary basis of authority in Shetland, do you accept that “information not held” is not a satisfactory endpoint? What would you do next?
4. Energy export vs local benefit: What is your position on Shetland being used primarily as an energy export province, and what enforceable local benefit terms would you require?
5. Grid industrialisation: Do you support new substations, high-capacity cables, overhead lines, or pylons in Shetland to enable export-scale projects? If yes, what limits would you set?
6. Second interconnector: Do you support reinforcement / expansion of the interconnector? If yes, what conditions of consent and benefit would you require?
7. Fishing displacement: How will you protect fishermen from displacement by industrial marine space use, and what recompense principles do you support?
8. Consultation integrity: What reforms would you support so that consultation is not merely recorded and then ignored?
9. Tourism and place-quality: Do you accept that industrialisation can permanently damage the tourism economy? How will you prevent one long-term economy being sacrificed for another?
10. Revenue and accountability: What commitments will you make to ensure Shetland can see — clearly — what value is extracted, what returns, and on what terms?
    Specifically: will you support commissioning regular Shetland Economic Accounts (including the Exchequer Balance) on a consistent, comparable basis? If you are not familiar with the Exchequer Balance, click here.
11. Models and options: Do you accept that the status quo is only one option among several constitutional models for Shetland? If yes, what model do you support exploring, and why? If you are not familiar with the Models and options, click here.
12. Choice process: What process safeguards do you support so that any major settlement is made with clear questions, clear information, and clear consent?

Submit your answers

Candidates may submit answers by email. (A structured submission form will be added.)

If you are a candidate and would like your response published, you may also request the response template.