Calls to ban maps from putting Shetland in a box
A Scottish politician wants map-makers to think outside the box and show Shetland's location in a geographically accurate fashion.
Wednesday 28 March 2018 17:47, UK
An MSP has tried to ban maps from putting Shetland in a box because it does not "accurately and proportionately" represent its location.
The Northern Isles are frequently moved to a box in the Moray Firth to save space.
Thinking outside the box, Shetland MSP Tavish Scott called for his proposed mapping requirement to be enshrined in law - banning public authorities from the practice in future.
The Liberal Democrat told Holyrood's Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee: "My contention is the islands should be in the right place on the map.
"If I was closer to the Moray Firth or indeed in the Moray Firth I wouldn't need to spend 12 hours going home on the boat from Aberdeen overnight.
"This is simply to ensure that in future that government publications and documents do reflect the reality of Scotland in terms of its geography, and not something that fits neatly on an A4 sheet of paper."
Some members of the committee said they were sympathetic to the proposal - with Orkney MSP Liam McArthur saying his constituency suffered similar treatment.
He said: "There have been number of occasions that we have found ourselves bundled in a box and stuck in the Moray Firth."
Mr McArthur argued that the concern is not just "presentational or superficial" because it is a matter of the misconception that the islands are nearer the mainland than they are.
Conservative MSP Peter Chapman is against the move and said map specialists had told him it would reduce the scale of any map by about 40%.
He said losing detail in favour of a "whole chunk of sea" would be counterproductive.
Islands minister Humza Yousaf said he would not tolerate a similar situation if maps misrepresented his constituency of Glasgow Pollok.
He said since Mr Scott raised the issue, instructions had been issued to publishers that government documents should try to represent all the Scottish islands accurately.
Mr Yousaf urged Mr Scott to withdraw the amendment and work with the government to bring about change through agreement rather than law, warning it could be "largely unenforceable".
He offered to contact all councils to instruct them to follow the Scottish Government's lead on publishing.
Although Mr Scott withdrew the amendment, he stressed he wanted the change enshrined in law and would work with the government on a "correct" drafting before the final stage of the bill.