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The SNP candidate for Shetland’s Holyrood seat, Hannah Mary Goodlad, is to meet with Faroese politicians and business leaders later this month on a trip which she hopes will “strengthen ties with our closest neighbour”. The visit will include meetings with Faroe Island Prime Minister Aksel Vilhelmsson Johannesen, as well his deputy prime minister and minsters for fisheries and culture. “We have a lot to learn about how they tell their story — understanding how small islands can punch above their weight,” said Ms Goodlad, adding that Shetland has things to teach its northern neighbours too. Up for discussion are issues of telecommunications, tunnels, fisheries tourism and energy, she added. The trip forms part of a wider drive within Ms Goodlad’s campaign to reorient Shetland’s political and cultural connections out across the North Sea. “So often Shetland is preoccupied with the Scottish mainland,” she said. “I want to be looking to the North and to the East.” As well as a day of political meetings, Ms Goodlad said she also plans to meet with members of the Faroe’s cultural and business sectors — from crofting and textile workers, to Faroe’s public energy company SEV and traditional chefs. “They really celebrate their traditional food,” she said. “I’ve always thought our cultural scene is bustling, but we could do a lot more with how we celebrate our traditional food.” Ms Goodlad will be joined on the visit by tour guide and Shetland Times columnist Laurie Goodlad, UHI Shetland’s director of research Beth Mouat and John Goodlad — author, seafood investment advisor and former head of the Shetland Fishermen’s Association. As hyperlocal political campaigns find success in the UK and across the Atlantic, Ms Goodlad rejected the idea that her candidacy cannot be about life in Shetland, while also forging new ties abroad. “I don’t think I’m diverting my attention in any way by extending the hand of friendship,” she said. “This is a Shetland first campaign, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be a good neighbour.” Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.
