Status of the Scottish islands
The island groups of
Orkney
,
Shetland
and the
Western Isles
are all currently regions of
Scotland
. Their constitutional status has periodically been discussed, for example during the
Scottish independence referendum
campaign.
Currently, they are
council areas
with the same constitutional status as the other 29
local government
areas. The three island councils are the only local authorities among the 32 in the country where
independent
councillors form a majority.
In July 2013, the
Scottish Government
made the
Lerwick Declaration
, establishing a ministerial
working group
to examine
decentralising
powers to the three island council areas.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
Orkney and Shetland had from the 10th century been
annexed
by the
Kingdom of Norway
, which later entered a
personal union
with the
Kingdom of Denmark
. In 1468, Orkney was
pledged
by the Norwegian king
Christian I
as security against the payment of the
dowry
of his daughter
Margaret
, betrothed to
James III of Scotland
. The following year he pawned Shetland to the
Scottish Crown
which has since refused to accept repayment and return it.
[Notes 1]
After the
Acts of Union of 1707
Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, along with the rest of Scotland, became part of the
Kingdom of Great Britain
.
Protected constituencies status
[
edit
]
Under electoral law the
Orkney and Shetland
and
Na h-Eileanan an Iar
(The Western Isles) constituencies are "
protected constituencies
", which means that they have to be both unbroken and not sharing a constituency with any part of the mainland.
[4]
This status is shared only with the
Isle of Wight
in England and
Ynys Mon
(Anglesey) in Wales. Before 2011 the Orkney and Shetland constituency had been unique in having its boundaries protected by legislation.
[5]
Island Council resolutions
[
edit
]
In a meeting of the island councils in March 2013, leaders of the three local authorities discussed their future in the event of Scottish independence, including whether the islands could demand and achieve autonomous status within either Scotland or the rest of the UK. Among the scenarios proposed were achieving either
Crown Dependency
status or self-government modelled after the
Faroe Islands
, in association with either Scotland or the UK.
[6]
Steven Heddle, Orkney's council leader, described pursuing Crown Dependency status as the least likely option, as it would threaten funding from the EU, which is essential for local farmers.
[6]
Alasdair Allan
, MSP for the Western Isles, said independence could have a positive impact on the isles, as "crofters and farmers could expect a substantial uplift in agricultural and rural development funding via the
Common Agricultural Policy
if Scotland were an independent member state of the EU".
[7]
Lerwick Declaration
[
edit
]
In July 2013, the
Scottish Government
made the
Lerwick Declaration
, indicating an intention to decentralise power to the three island council areas. In November 2013, the government made a commitment to decentralise further powers to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles in the event of independence.
[8]
Steven Heddle called for legislation to that effect to be introduced regardless of the referendum result.
[9]
In 2017 the
Scottish Government
introduced an Islands
bill
to make "island proofing" (including for uninhabited islands) a statutory requirement for public bodies. The Bill completed Stage 1 on 8 February 2018.
[10]
Orkney's Alternate Governance Resolution
[
edit
]
In July 2023, James Stockan, the leader of the
Orkney Islands Council
said that the Orkney isles has been "failed dreadfully” by governments in Edinburgh and London, with funding less per capita than is received by Shetland and the Western Isles and that they were willing to explore its “Nordic connections”, as well as looking at the governance structures of crown dependencies such as
Guernsey
,
Jersey
and the
Isle of Man
.
[11]
[12]
The council voted to explore alternative constitutional arrangements including becoming a
Crown Colony
or rejoining Norway.
[13]
Referendums
[
edit
]
1979 devolution referendum
[
edit
]
In the
1979 Scottish devolution referendum
, the Orkney and Shetland Islands council areas had the two highest proportions voting against devolution. The Western Isles voted in favour.
Council area
|
Yes vote
|
No vote
|
Yes %
|
No %
|
Orkney Islands
|
2,104
|
5,439
|
27.89
|
72.11
|
Shetland Islands
|
2,020
|
5,466
|
26.98
|
73.02
|
Western Isles
|
6,218
|
4,933
|
55.76
|
44.24
|
Whole of Scotland
|
1,230,937
|
1,153,500
|
51.62
|
48.38
|
Source:
Glasgow Herald
|
1997 devolution referendum
[
edit
]
In the
1997 Scottish devolution referendum
there were two questions, the first on whether there should be a
Scottish Parliament
, and the second whether the parliament should have tax raising powers.
On the first question, along with the rest of the country, the electorate in all three areas voted Yes. On the second question Orkney was one of only two areas in Scotland to vote No, Shetland narrowly voted in favour and the Western Isles voted more strongly in favour than the rest of Scotland.
Council area
|
Q1 Yes vote
|
Q1 No vote
|
Q1 Yes %
|
Q1 No %
|
Q2 Yes vote
|
Q2 No vote
|
Q2 Yes %
|
Q2 No %
|
Na h-Eileanan Siar
(Western Isles)
|
9,977
|
2,589
|
79.4
|
20.6
|
8,557
|
3,947
|
68.4
|
31.6
|
Orkney
[14]
|
4,749
|
3,541
|
57.3
|
42.7
|
3,917
|
4,344
|
47.4
|
52.6
|
Shetland
|
5,430
|
3,275
|
62.4
|
37.6
|
4,478
|
4,198
|
51.6
|
48.4
|
Whole of Scotland
|
1,775,045
|
614,400
|
74.3
|
25.7
|
1,512,889
|
870,253
|
63.5
|
36.5
|
2014 Scottish independence referendum
[
edit
]
In the
2014 Scottish independence referendum
, people voted on whether they wanted Scotland to become independent from the United Kingdom. Scotland as a whole voted 55.3% against independence. All three islands also voted against, with the Western Isles voting slightly less against independence, and Orkney and Shetland both voting significantly more against independence than the national average.
Area
[15]
|
Ballots for
|
Ballots against
|
For (%)
|
Against (%)
|
Majority
|
Valid ballots
|
Turnout (%)
|
Eilean Siar
|
9,195
|
10,544
|
46.6%
|
53.4%
|
6.8%
|
19,739
|
86.2%
|
Orkney Islands
|
4,883
|
10,004
|
32.8%
|
67.2%
|
34.4%
|
14,887
|
83.7%
|
Shetland Islands
|
5,669
|
9,951
|
36.3%
|
63.7%
|
27.4%
|
15,620
|
84.4%
|
Scotland (total)
|
1,617,989
|
2,001,926
|
44.6%
|
55.4%
|
10.6%
|
3,619,915
|
84.6%
|
Proposals for "counter-independence" referendum
[
edit
]
Some islanders called for separate referendums to be held in the islands on 25 September 2014, one week after the
Scottish referendum
.
[16]
[17]
[18]
In March 2014, the
Scottish Parliament
published the online petition it had received calling for such referendums, which was supported by Shetland
MSP
Tavish Scott
.
[19]
The referendums would ask islanders to choose from three options: that the island group should become an independent country; it should remain in Scotland; or (in the event of Scottish independence) it should remain in the UK.
[20]
The third option would implement the conditional promise made in 2012, when an SNP spokesperson said that, in the event of Scottish independence, Orkney and Shetland could remain in the United Kingdom if their "drive for
self-determination
" was strong enough.
[21]
Politicians in the three island groups have referred to the Scottish referendum as the most important event in their political history "since the inception of the island councils in 1975." Angus Campbell, leader of the Western Isles Council, said that the ongoing constitutional debate "offers the opportunity for the three island councils to secure increased powers for our communities to take decisions which will benefit the economies and the lives of those who live in the islands".
[22]
A report by Tavish Scott and the Orkney MSP
Liam McArthur
, submitted in response to the UK government's consultation on the independence referendum put forward the idea that the Shetland and Orkney islands could remain a part of the United Kingdom in the event of Scottish independence or potentially pursue independence themselves.
[23]
Early in 2013, an opinion poll commissioned by the
Press and Journal
found only 8% of people in Shetland and Orkney supported the islands themselves becoming fully independent countries and completely separating from Scotland, with 82% against.
[24]
The day before the
Scottish independence referendum
in September 2014,
Alistair Carmichael
, the MP for Orkney and Shetland, suggested that if Shetland were to vote strongly against independence but the Scottish national vote was narrowly in favour, then a discussion would have to begin about Shetland becoming a self-governing
Crown dependency
outside of independent Scotland, similar to the
Isle of Man
. He stated that he did not want such circumstances to arise, "and the best way to avoid this was to vote no in the referendum."
[25]
[26]
Movements for autonomy
[
edit
]
The
Orkney and Shetland Movement
, a coalition of independence movements in Orkney and Shetland, contested the
Orkney and Shetland constituency
in the
1987 general election
. It saw as its models the
Isle of Man
and the
Faroe Islands
, an autonomous dependency of
Denmark
.
[27]
The
Scottish National Party
chose not to contest the seat to give the movement a "free run". Their candidate, John Goodlad, came 4th with 3,095 votes, 14.5% of those cast, and it did not stand in any subsequent election.
[28]
The Movement took part in the 1989
Scottish Constitutional Convention
.
[29]
A movement called
Wir Shetland
was launched in October 2015
[30]
to secede from the rest of Scotland in favour of becoming either a
Crown Dependency
or a
British Overseas Territory
, as a means of achieving greater autonomy for the Shetland Isles.
[31]
In September 2020 the Shetland Islands Council voted in favour of exploring options for "financial and political self-determination", stating that the islands' reliance on Scotland was "seriously threatening the prosperity, and even basic sustainability, of Shetland as a community."
[32]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Apparently without the knowledge of the Norwegian
Rigsraadet
(Council of the Realm), Christian pawned Orkney for 50,000
Rhenish guilders
. On 28 May the next year he also pawned Shetland for 8,000 Rhenish guilders.
[2]
He secured a clause in the contract that gave future kings of Norway the right to redeem the islands for a fixed sum of about 210 kg of gold or 2,310 kg of silver. Several attempts were made during the 17th and 18th centuries to redeem the islands, without success.
[3]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Scottish ministers to look into extra powers for isles"
.
BBC News
. 25 July 2013
. Retrieved
8 January
2014
.
- ^
"Diplom fra Shetland datert 24.november 1509"
Archived
2011-05-05 at the
Wayback Machine
University Library, University in Bergen. (Norwegian). Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^
"Norsken som døde"
Archived
24 July 2011 at the
Wayback Machine
Universitas, Norsken som døde (Norwegian) Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^
Protected constituencies, s 11,
schedule 2
,
Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011
.
- ^
Rule 3A of the
Boundary Commission
rules stated, "A constituency which includes the Orkney Islands or the Shetland Islands shall not include the whole or any part of a local government area other than the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands."
Boundary Commission Rules
Archived
2014-09-24 at the
Wayback Machine
. This rule was added in the
Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986
and retained in the
Scotland Act 1998
(section 86 (3)), which established the Scottish Parliament.
- ^
a
b
"Scottish independence: islands consider their own 'home rule'
"
.
The Guardian
. 17 March 2013
. Retrieved
2 September
2013
.
- ^
"What independence White Paper could mean for the Isles"
.
Stornoway Gazette
. 27 November 2013. Archived from
the original
on 2 December 2013
. Retrieved
27 November
2013
.
- ^
Ross, David (23 November 2013).
"Islands set to win key decision-making powers with unprecedented legislation"
.
The Herald (Glasgow)
. Retrieved
27 November
2013
.
- ^
"Islands Act should not depend on independence"
.
Shetland News
. 21 November 2013
. Retrieved
27 November
2013
.
- ^
"Islands (Scotland) Bill"
Scottish Government. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^
Ambrose, Tom (2 July 2023).
"Orkney could leave UK for Norway as it explores 'alternative governance'
"
.
The Guardian
.
ISSN
0261-3077
. Retrieved
3 July
2023
.
- ^
"Orkney council to look at proposals to become territory of Norway"
.
BBC News
. 2 July 2023
. Retrieved
2 July
2023
.
- ^
"Orkney votes to explore 'alternative governance'
"
.
BBC News
. 3 July 2023.
- ^
Result ? Orkney Islands
,
BBC
, 1997
- ^
"Scottish independence referendum - Results"
. BBC. 18 September 2014
. Retrieved
18 September
2014
.
- ^
Riley-Smith, Ben (18 March 2014).
"Shetland and Orkney should get vote on whether to leave Scotland"
.
Daily Telegraph
. Retrieved
26 March
2014
.
- ^
Lawless, Jill (23 March 2014).
"Scotland's Vikings go own way in independence vote"
.
Associated Press News
. Retrieved
9 May
2014
.
- ^
"Scottish islanders seek votes for own independence"
.
Reuters
. 24 March 2014
. Retrieved
26 March
2014
.
- ^
"Island referendum petition launched"
.
Shetland Times
. 18 March 2014
. Retrieved
26 March
2014
.
- ^
"Petition for independence in the Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney"
.
The Herald
. Herald & Times Group. 19 March 2014
. Retrieved
26 March
2014
.
- ^
Johnson, Simon (20 March 2012).
"SNP admits Shetland and Orkney could opt out of independent Scotland"
.
Daily Telegraph
. Telegraph Media Group
. Retrieved
2 September
2013
.
- ^
"Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles councils lobby for more powers"
.
BBC News
. BBC. 17 June 2013
. Retrieved
2 September
2013
.
- ^
Scotland's oil-rich Northern Isles tell Alex Salmond: We might stay with UK
- ^
"Northern Isles are Scottish, say islanders"
.
www.newsnetscotland.com
. 17 April 2013. Archived from
the original
on 6 October 2013
. Retrieved
2 September
2013
.
- ^
"Shetland may reconsider its place in Scotland after yes vote, says Carmichael"
.
The Guardian
. 17 September 2014.
- ^
"Carmichael sets record straight on independence comments"
. 17 September 2014.
- ^
Tallack, Malachy (2 April 2007).
"Independence thinking..."
New Statesman
.
- ^
"Candidates and Constituency Assessments: Orkney (Highland Region"
.
www.alba.org.uk
. Archived from
the original
on 18 January 2012.
- ^
Pilkington, Colin (2002).
Devolution in Britain today
. Manchester University Press.
ISBN
0-7190-6076-1
.
- ^
"Draft Constitution"
.
Wir Shetland
. Archived from
the original
on 22 February 2017.
- ^
"Shetland Islands toy with idea of post-Brexit independence"
.
EURACTIV
. 16 February 2017
. Retrieved
20 September
2020
.
- ^
Waldie, Paul (18 September 2020).
"Council vote gives boost to Shetland Islands' push for independence from Scotland"
.
The Globe and Mail
. Retrieved
20 September
2020
.
|
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- Referendum question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"
|
Key events
| |
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Parties
| For a "Yes" vote
| |
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For a "No" vote
| |
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|
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Campaign
organisations
| Advocating a "Yes" vote
| |
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Advocating a "No" vote
| |
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|
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Other
campaign groups
| For a "Yes" vote
| |
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For a "No" vote
| |
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|
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Legislation
| |
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Televised debates
| |
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Adverts
| |
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Result
| |
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|
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