It is the perfect hideaway for weary writers, avant garde artists, wealthy financiers and beleaguered prime ministers. The island of Jura in the Inner Hebrides is where George Orwell wrote much of his final novel, 1984. Greg Coffey, the hedge-fund manager known as The Wizard of Oz has an estate there, as does David Cameron’s step father-in-law, Viscount Astor. But for the 200 permanent inhabitants of the island, which measures 30 miles by seven and has just one road, one shop and one hotel, the struggle to sustain the community has become increasingly difficult.
Last week, the islanders voted to take the shop into community ownership after Stephen Martin, its proprietor, could not find a buyer. He had run it for 20 years but could