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The Shetlands


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Not enough voters to trouble La Sturgeon, perhaps.

And she can hardly throw the argument of economic sustainability at the Shetlanders.

 

Of course, on matters of principle she will not be found wanting.

 

 

 

Shetlanders move towards independence from Scotland

Marc Horne

Friday September 11 2020, 12.01am, The Times

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/spirit-of-vikings-in-shetland-islanders-ambition-z8ndglxzz

 

It is a Scottish push for independence but not one that will go down well with Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland. The Shetlands, the most northerly part of the United Kingdom, have voted decisively to look at declaring independence from Edinburgh and London.

Councillors there overwhelmingly backed a motion to find ways of achieving “financial and political self-determination”. The islands, famous for their ponies, sheepdogs and woolly jumpers, have a population of just over 20,000. The archipelago also contains the Sullom Voe oil and gas terminal, as well as oil fields and lucrative fishing waters.

 

Situated 111 miles from the mainland, and geographically closer to Bergen than Edinburgh, the Shetlands have not always been Scottish. They were once part of a Norse empire and the Vikings used them as a base for attacks on the mainland. They remained under Norwegian rule until 1472.

The islands became part of Scotland after the king of Norway failed to pay the dowry of his daughter Margaret when she married James III of Scotland.

 

The drive towards autonomy has been fuelled by frustration over decision-making on the mainland — sound familiar? — and funding cuts. A motion passed this week by councillors stated: “We are concerned that this situation is seriously threatening the prosperity, and even basic sustainability, of Shetland as a community. In order to look at alternatives to ensure Shetland can reach and maintain its full potential we, the undersigned, move that the Shetland Islands council formally begins exploring options for achieving financial and political self-determination.”

 

Steven Coutts, the council leader, said: “Westminster felt remote to us and Holyrood does too.”

 

Robbie McGregor, an SNP councillor on Shetland, backed the moves towards greater autonomy. “If I want self-determination for Scotland, how on earth could I be opposed to exploring self-determination for Shetland?” he said.

 

Frustration is growing in Lerwick, the ancient capital, 300 miles from Edinburgh and 300 more from London.

The archipelago may be sparsely populated but it has the ingredients to become an economic powerhouse. Instead, according to Mr Coutts, many of its citizens are living in poverty.

To him and a growing number of Shetlanders the situation is no longer tenable. “Economically, we really punch above our weight for being such a small community,” he said. “With our oil and gas, our fisheries and our salmon production we produce significantly in excess of the national averages in terms of GDP per head of population.”

However, inequality has been on the rise. “The cost of living can be up to 60 per cent higher here than on the UK mainland.”

The solution, he believes, is for Shetland to look at achieving “financial and political self-determination”. Many islanders look enviously at their neighbours in the Faroe Islands, 180 miles to the north. Both island groups share Nordic heritage and are proud of their Viking traditions.

 

While the population of the Faroes has surged above 50,000 as its economy has flourished, Shetland’s has flatlined at about 20,000, with many young people moving to study and work in mainland Scotland.

Torshavn, the Faroese capital, is home to a prime minister and parliament able to raise and spend taxes, while retaining generous subsidies from Denmark, to which it remains affiliated.

 

Mr Coutts and his colleagues will formally investigate whether a move towards home rule would bring similar benefits.

“We are upwards of 70 per cent reliant on our block grant from the Scottish government in terms of funding, of which we have very little control,” he said. “We need to make sure we have all the political and financial levers at our disposal. I’m not confident that we have got those in the current set up.

“We will look at all models and see what is fit for purpose for Shetland.”

 

In the 1970s, buoyed by oil revenues, the Shetland Movement demanded autonomy along the lines of the Faroes or the Isle of Man. It went as far as drafting a constitution and a budget for a Shetland assembly, which would be called the Althing, a name shared by the national parliament of Iceland.

At one point the group claimed more than 800 members, but it slowly dissolved in the 1990s before the Scottish parliament was established in Edinburgh.

 

Duncan Anderson, an island councillor, believes Shetlanders are finally ready to grasp greater autonomy from both Westminster and Holyrood.

“It is no secret that some members of this council have been advocates of greater self-determination for Shetland for a long time,” he said.

“It is clear to us that, in order to maximise Shetland’s potential, decision-making must be more localised, and Shetland needs to be able to directly benefit from a fairer share of the vast revenues that flow out of these islands.”

 

Time will tell if the modern day Vikings of Shetland are on the march to freedom.

 

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24 minutes ago, forlanssister said:

Whalsay probably has the highest concentration of millionaires per head of population than anywhere in Scotland.

I've a cracking Shetland millionaire story to tell you next week  - remind me

 

Anyway isn't it impossible for Shetland to declare independence from Scotland, they would need to separate from the UK not a geographical area surely?

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