Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
OF ALL THE ramifications of the Brexit vote, the fate of the Shetland Islands in the North Atlantic and their oil fields and fisheries may not top the list for negotiators in London and Brussels.
But the prospect of a new bid for Scottish independence as Britain leaves the EU is making some residents of these rugged islands think again about whether they would be better off alone.
“It would be wonderful,” Andrea Manson, a Shetland councillor and a key figure in the Wir Shetland movement for greater autonomy, told AFP at the guesthouse she runs, the Mid Brae Inn.
The movement’s name means “Our Shetland” in the local Scots dialect, a derivation of Middle English which has replaced the islands’ original Germanic language, Norn.
The remote archipelago, already fiercely independent in spirit, is geographically and culturally closer to Scandinavia than to Edinburgh, and politically more aligned with London and Brussels.
In the past 1,300 years, Shetland has been overrun by Scandinavian vikings, pawned to Scotland as a wedding dowry by Denmark, subsumed into the United Kingdom in 1707, and dragged into the European Economic Community against its will in 1973.
The Shetlands were the only part of Britain, along with the Western Isles of Scotland, that voted against EEC membership in a 1975 referendum.
- ‘Control of the seabed’ -Many Shetlanders are sceptical of Scottish separatism.
In the final tense days of the 2014 independence referendum, the local MP Alistair Carmichael, who was minister for Scotland at the time, said the islands could try to remain part of Britain if the rest of Scotland left.
In the end, 55 percent of Scots voted to stay in Britain. The unionist vote in the Shetlands was 63.7 percent — one of the highest levels in Scotland.
Now Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned that a second independence referendum is “highly likely” following the Brexit vote — and Shetland is once again considering its position.
“We would like control of the seabed around us, the fishing ground around us, and the freedom to get rid of some of the bureaucracy that comes down from the EU, Westminster and the Scottish parliament,” Manson said.
“Our seas are being plundered by foreign boats. We also contribute an enormous amount of money to the national economy through taxes, through the oil revenues, and yet we don’t get back our fair share.”
Scotland has around 60% of the EU’s oil reserves and the second-largest volume of proven natural gas reserves, most of it located around Shetland.
The islands also land more fish than ports in England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined.
“I don’t suppose we would ever be allowed full independence,” Manson said, adding:
In an ideal world we would be a British overseas territory. We would be to Britain what Faroe is to Denmark.
The Faroe Islands lie about 320 km northwest of Shetland and have autonomous status within the Kingdom of Denmark.
They have an almost identical landmass to Shetland but twice the population, and many Shetlanders envy the archipelago’s independent parliament and vast sovereign waters.
The Faroe Island will hold a referendum in April 2018 on a new constitution that would give the territory the right to self-determination.
Power to the people
Tavish Scott of Scotland’s Liberal Democrat party, who represents Shetland in the Scottish Parliament, said he understood the desire for autonomy.
“Shetland certainly explored — and I think again will explore — what kind of constitutional future it wants,” he said.
But Scotland’s nationalist government is keen to retain Shetland as a jewel in the economic crown of an independent Scotland.
Maree Todd, a Scottish National Party lawmaker, told AFP that the party could discuss Shetland’s sovereignty, but that she believed it would be better off as part of an independent Scotland.
“Of course I think it is worth discussing,” she said, adding that islanders are not “entirely sceptical” about the prospect of Scottish independence.
“We want power to come back to Scotland, not just to Edinburgh but to the people of Scotland,” she said.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The rockall independence movement is growing
It’s difficult to comprehend why so many areas of the UK haven’t sought much more independence from London. One could argue that the midlands and north England did so when they voted for Brexit. Scotland with it’s huge oil reserves, fishing,Tourism and unique worldwide recognised culture could easily make a go of it. Then you have the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Northern Ireland is an enigma really, an area obvioulsy geographically part of the whole island and even historiaclly so. An area also now which would be economically better off despite the London subsidy(how long will that last after Brexit?). And finally an area where a chunk of the people either want or don’t mind becoming some sort of federal island nation with the Republic which one cannot now argue is run by Rome!
Read it again they are agreeing with Brexit they want away from the EU and scotishslappers.co.uk parliament
The Isle of Man and Channel islands aren’t part of the UK – they have their own rules concerning EU membership.
Whoever downvoted my comment – it’s a staement of fact, idiots. Read up about it.
Winston, think again, Scotland would struggle to survive, economically, on it’s own. The “huge oil reserves” are not all Scotlands, are dwindling and have lost huge amounts of value. Culture they do have, albeit some of it is fairy story stuff, but it doesn’t buy a lot of bread. They have Whiskey and some ship-building but not enough to fund the SNP life-style. Shetland is the powerhouse and they have talked about independence from Scotland for many years.
David Harries, read my mail again, I never mentioned The Shetlands, Joseph just look around at the majority of even ancient nations which are basket cases such as Greece and Italy and you’ll realise Scotland is a very viable possibility. Harry I never mentioned EU membership just ‘more’ independence from London.
LMAO at Clan Sturgeon tying themselves in knots over this – there are Shetlanders and Orcadians who consider themselves as different from the Scots as the Scots are from the English, yet watch how such arguments are brushed aside. MY NATIONALISM GOOD, YOUR NATIONALISM BAD – classic SNP hypocrisy.
Shetland, Orkney and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar all voted against Scottish Independence. Now they want their own independence. Sounds like putting the cart before the horse. If those three had voted yes they would be half-way to getting their own independence. All three see themselves as being different to the Scots.
And for the record, I would support independence for all four; Scotland, Orkney, Shetland and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
Go for it! Down with globalisation! The world’s richest getting richer with vast fortunes they don’t even know what to do with,all on the backs if the the masses
“Our seas are being plundered by foreign boats.” – a familiar situation
Said without irony by the descendants of Vikings!
have your say