SHEXIT Shetland votes for independance and the SNP are stuck

[The Lawspeaker]

[Davystayn]

Whoops, Shetland has more in common with Faroes and Iceland than Glasgow though, Glasgow is so far away it may as well be London, lots of resources around Shetland

[Davystayn]

Only 2 against the bill? Crickey, I guess channel islands and the Isle Of Man are strong examples

[Albannach]

That's not what actually happened though is it, they asked for the ability to look into more devolved powers. Stop spamming the Scottish forum with British nationalist BS.

Talk of Shetland independence is wide of the mark
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politi...e-mark-2968657

If some of this morning’s more excitable headlines are to be believed, North Ronaldsay is soon to become the most northerly outpost of Scotland and the UK.

Talk of Shetland striking it out alone is neither new nor likely. By virtue of geography, history, and a unique, vibrant culture, the archipelago is part of Scotland, but its centuries-old ties to Denmark and Norway continue to shape its way of life. The two are not mutually exclusive.

The nuances of this are not always easy for policymakers in Edinburgh to understand, let alone their counterparts in London, but the prospects of Shetland becoming independent from Scotland - a scenario breathlessly reported in the national press - are slim to non existent.

ome of the coverage even referred to the archipelago as the ‘Shetlands’, a cardinal sin which does little to endear soothmoothers to islanders frustrated at how their way of life is represented.

This grating dissatisfaction extends beyond the media. Many in Shetland feel isolated from the decision-making processes at Holyrood and Westminster. After all, the island chain lies closer to Oslo than it does London. Yet putting two and two together and surmising the answer to be a desire for independence fundamentally misunderstands the situation.

The motion passed this week by 18 votes to two among the members of Shetland Islands Council notes that in order to realise its full potential, the local authority should begin exploring options for achieving “financial and political self-determination.”

The language is important. This is not about independence, but greater powers. Steven Coutts, the council leader, has indicated a preference for tax-raising levers and a legislative assembly in Lerwick.

"We can sit back and continue to see our ability to deliver outcomes diminished or we can do something about it,” he explained. “We need all the political and financial levers we can muster and it is right we begin work to explore how we achieve them."

While identity is a factor at play, the real drivers are practical and pragmatic. The widely hailed Islands (Scotland) Act was welcomed as a buttress against continued decentralisation, but two years on, some officials in Shetland consider its achievements to be strictly symbolic.

There is also disquiet around the issue of funding of the inter-island ferries service, a vital lifeline and economic driver. The council is forced to pay more than any other local authority to maintain these links, and it argues that the Scottish Government can do more - much more - in the form of grant funding.

That particular battle has been raging for several years now, and having passed the motion, the council knows it is in a better position to obtain an audience with ministers both in Edinburgh and London, and lay out their demands.

It may not sound as exotic or exciting as the idea of a reconvened Althing - a historic Norse assembly - in Tingwall, but at a time of constitutional upheaval and febrile political debate, nuance is often the first casualty.

[Albannach]

Whoops, Shetland has more in common with Faroes and Iceland than Glasgow though, Glasgow is so far away it may as well be London, lots of resources around Shetland

They are not seeking independence it's an exploration for greater autonomy a la Faroes, but if they did go for independence, International maritime law (specifically the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, which is signed and ratified by the UK) is extremely clear on what the situation would be with regard to Shetland and Orkney’s ownership of North Sea Oil in the context of an independent Scotland – it wouldn’t have any.

Under UNCLOS III, the islands would be regarded as an “enclave” residing wholly within Scotland’s “Exclusive Economic Zone” (see the paragraph “Continental shelf”), and as such would only have the right to resources within a 12-mile radius of their coastline – of which, in terms of oil, there are basically none.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United...Sea#UNCLOS_III

[Davystayn]

Thats fair enough, just negotiation and the media getting it wrong as per usual

[Graham]

Whoops, Shetland has more in common with Faroes and Iceland than Glasgow though, Glasgow is so far away it may as well be London, lots of resources around Shetland

Better to read it through Shetland than filtered through a bit of mischief and games.

https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2020/09/1...ighter-future/


Quite laid back about self-autonomy for the Islands as they have different challenges. Though Shetland has more in common with with the Hebrides, Sutherland, Orkney & Caithness than it does to the Faroes or Iceland.


Scotland is too centralised, agree with any self-determination.

[Graham]

Can also add any pro independence supporter for Scotland should sympathize with anything like this. I hope the SNP listens to Shetland.

[Ruggery]

Can also add any pro independence supporter for Scotland should sympathize with anything like this. I hope the SNP listens to Shetland.

Are you a pro-independence or British nationalist?

[Graham]

Are you a pro-independence or British nationalist?

Independence.