According to the council chairman of Britain’s Orkney Islands, an archipelago located about 10 miles off the coast of Scotland, “alternative forms of governance” are being considered. One of those options is joining Norway. Orkney, which has a population of 22,000 and is made up of roughly 70 islands, is thinking about the future after being neglected financially for years by the Scottish and British governments, according to council head James Stockan. Orkney’s ancient Nordic ties, according to Stockan, give it options. The islands were a part of Norway for approximately 500 years, until 1472, and he claims Orcadians frequently want him to return to that nation because of their shared cultural connection. “At the moment we’re not getting that support coming through from other governments and we would just like to see what other alternatives are there for us,” Stockan told BBC Radio on Monday.
Orkney seeks alternative governance models for economic opportunity and autonomy
Orkney’s predicament has come to a head due to a disagreement over funding for new ferries between the islands and Scotland. Stockan has asked the council to “explore options for alternative governance models that provide greater financial security and economic opportunity.” On Tuesday, councilors will vote on whether to support it or not. Other British arrangements, such as becoming a crown dependency, the Channel Islands’ style of government, or a model similar to the Faroe Islands, are choices in addition to rejoining Norway. Scotland voted in a referendum in 2014 to terminate its more than 300-year-old union with England. Orkney has since considered increasing its autonomy.
Large volumes of British North Sea oil have been processed on Orkney since the late 1970s, but the island has not reaped the rewards, according to Stockan. He hopes that new prospects from offshore wind farms would result in a higher return for the islands. Stockan wasn’t sure how Orkney would get back to Norway, 250 miles across the North Sea. In an email, a representative for Norway’s foreign ministry declined to comment on whether Orkney or UK authorities had contacted Norway’s government but stated that “this is a domestic and constitutional British matter. We have no view regarding this motion.”
