Former BBC broadcaster Tom Morton says it was to his “utter astonishment” he found himself elected to Shetland Islands Council without a single vote being cast.
He was automatically elected ahead of May’s local elections as the first Labour councillor on the isles in almost 30 years, simply because no one stood against him.
The 66-year-old, who was a radio presenter for the corporation for more than two decades before quitting due to ill health, has been on an interesting journey.
Interesting because of his changing relationship with Labour, but also his attitudes to the “moral” argument for and against Scottish independence.
In an interview for The Press And Journal on his political and personal journey, the councillor says Labour was in a “process of rebuilding” when the question of the local elections was raised, and he chose to stand.
Had previously spoken of becoming “disillusioned” with the party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and his handling of the Brexit referendum.
But the Shetland North representative has since rejoined the party, praising the “excellent” leadership that is now in place across the UK – including in Scotland.
On the constitution, it was “being dragged out of Europe” that caused him to move from No to Yes on independence – but that too appears to have shifted.
He now says it is “not the time” for another vote, branding it a “distraction from the real moral issues we should be tackling”.
I found myself a councillor almost by default. I really didn’t expect it to happen.
– Tom Morton
Mr Morton says: “I think at the end of the day my feeling was it’s very unlikely I’ll get elected because basically people in Shetland are quite suspicious of party labels but I will stand because I feel it’s important to put forward – particularly in this time of crisis – Labour values.
“So I put my name forward and to my utter astonishment, nobody stood against me.
“I found myself a councillor almost by default. I really didn’t expect it to happen.”
He admits that while this is “bad” for democracy, he has been encouraged by five candidates coming forward for the August 4 by-election in the Northern Isles.
This was prompted after only two candidates came forward for the ward’s three seats in May’s local government election.
Scottish independence?
There might be a tendency to shy away from political labels in Shetland, but the constitutional question is as alive as anywhere else.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently proposed October 19 2023 as the date for a second vote to be held.
It’s now heading towards a legal battle at the Supreme Court.
Mr Morton, who has spoken previously of his support for leaving the UK, does not believe there should be a second referendum within the next five years.
The Labour councillor says: “It just began to seem more and more to me like a distraction from the real moral issues that we should be tackling.
“For me I think going back 20-30 years, that has always been the nagging doubt I have about separatism.
“How can we make that a priority if it has no moral content?
“The moral content for me in the Labour Party has always been about social justice, fairness, about helping the poor to achieve a good standard of living.
“Of making sure we operate in a fair and just society and I can’t restrict that at the border.”
He continues: “It seems completely irrelevant to me at the moment.”
The journalist, author and broadcaster, moved to Shetland in the late 1980s, three years after his wife Susan, who is a GP.
He suffered a life-threatening heart attack in 2015 which saw him quit BBC Radio Scotland.
And just a couple of years later, the father-of-five suffered a second one.
It was just phenomenal to see the NHS at its absolute best.
– Tom Morton
Mr Morton has previously revealed his life was saved on the first of these occasions by daughter Martha, who was a medical student at the time. She found him collapsed on the stairs at home.
In our interview, he praises the doctors at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and by the air ambulance who evacuated him on both occasions.
“It was just phenomenal to see the NHS at its absolute best”, he adds.
Cost of living crisis
Now elected, Mr Morton says he’s embracing the opportunity to put the cost of living crisis front and centre.
He says: “We are facing this financial crisis, especially looming in a place like Shetland where we are subject to real weather.
“Come the autumn there is absolutely no question we will be dealing with energy problems here in terms of people’s ability to afford to pay the bills.
“All of us as councillors are extremely concerned about this and we have already had discussions right across the board on how to approach it.”