2023-07-03 21:34:37
The British government on Monday rejected any prospect of a rapprochement between the Scottish archipelago and the Norwegian government.
The Scottish archipelago of Orkney announced on Monday that it wanted to get closer to Norway in order to emancipate itself from the United Kingdom. Leader James Stockan presented the local council with a motion, due for debate on Tuesday, which believes it is time for the 67 small islets to consider “alternative governance modelsto take better advantage of its economic assets, in particular tourism and energy.
«We’ve been part of the Nordic realm for much longer than we’ve been part of the UK“, he declared on the airwaves of the BBC. “On the street in Orkney people come up to me and say: “When is the dowry refunded? When are we going back to Norway?””. The archipelago was controlled by the King of Norway until 1472, when it returned to Scotland with the Shetland Islands, forming part of the dowry upon his daughter’s marriage to a Scottish king. According to James Stockan, there is “an immense affinity and a deep cultural connection“. He believes that the British and Scottish government – which itself is fighting to organize an independence referendum – has abandoned Orkney in terms of funding.
A motion immediately rejected by the United Kingdom
Besides exploring thenordic connections“, the motion plans to become a “crown dependency“, like the Isles of Man, Guernsey or Jersey, which are under the sovereignty of the British crown without being part of the United Kingdom. A project which the British government was quick to oppose by rejecting any prospect of a rapprochement.
«First of all, there is no mechanismfor part of the UK to become a crown dependency or overseas territory, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said on Monday. “But fundamentally we are stronger as the UK, that’s something we don’t intend to change.“, he added, highlighting the financial support enjoyed by the archipelago.
1688438522
#Scottish #archipelago #Orkney #leave #United #Kingdom #Norway
