1999-09-01
Following the re-establishment of a parliament on the island of St Kilda last month, two of its founder members have fulfilled the participant's pledge to give everyone a say in the debate about the future of the islands. Donna Brown and Norman Chalmers, two descendants of St Kilda's original population, today started the first-ever public consultation on the new oil developments threatening the islands, by casting the first votes in the referendum.
Norman Chalmers, a musician and writer from Edinburgh said:
"The Westminster Government thinks that because St Kilda is so remote they can authorise oil drilling in its waters without any public consultation. The St Kildan parliament is doing what the UK parliament should have done by asking whether people want oilrigs around St Kilda."
Donna Brown, a researcher from Edinburgh said:
"On St Kilda, decisions on issues that concerned the population were always been reached by consensus. We are here to revive that tradition - to give everyone a chance to vote on the future of our heritage."
The St Kildan parliament was reformed after 69 years on the island in August with an inaugural debate on oil exploration. Around 40 people took part in the discussion, which was held in what was once St Kilda's main street. The new parliament included the warden of the island and members of Greenpeace as well as Donna, granddaughter of the Reverend Donald Ferguson (1880-1967) and Norman, grandson of Christina MacQueen (1895-1960).
St Kilda is Britain's only natural World Heritage Site and is renowned for its spectacular underwater landscape as well as being one of the world's premier breeding grounds for sea birds. In July, the UN's conservation advisors responsible for monitoring the status of world heritage sites reported that St Kilda was at 'high risk' from oil development and recommended that the islands be placed on the list of world heritage sites in danger. (1)
The urgency of St Kilda's plight was further highlighted during a visit to the islands by Greenpeace's flagship, the Rainbow Warrior. A team of divers carried out an underwater survey of the north side of St Kilda, which is most at risk as it faces the oil fields currently being developed.
The St Kildan parliament hope to bring the debate about oil drilling in the waters around the islands out from behind closed doors through 'Greenpeace Digital'. This replacement to Greenpeace's traditional web site will be a digital channel delivered via the Internet. Greenpeace Digital aims to combine web pages and TV style short 'programmes' on everything from the latest Greenpeace news or behind the scenes activity, to programmes about Greenpeace's founding principles. Visitors to Greenpeace Digital can watch a short film about St Kilda's wildlife prior to voting.
Greenpeace campaigner, Rob Gueterbock said:
"Through Greenpeace Digital, we can bring some of the amazing sights and sounds of St Kilda to the public so they can decide for themselves what the future of our only natural World Heritage site should be. The irony is the Government looks set to jeopardise St Kilda's incredible marine environment to dig out oil we don't need and, if we are to avoid dangerous climate change, can never burn."
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255
