The Orkney Islands could break away from Scotland and the United Kingdom and become a self-governing territory of Norway, a councillor has suggested.
Island councillors will tomorrow discuss “alternative governance” as they look at becoming more independent, with the council leader citing a lack of government cash from Holyrood and Westminster as the cause.
Orkney Islands council will be looking at proposals to change their status in the UK or even become a self-governing territory of Norway.
Council leader James Stockan said the communities on the islands had been "failed dreadfully" by the SNP and Conservative administrations north and south of the Border.
A motion will go before councillors next week to investigate "alternative forms of governance for Orkney", reports the Scottish Daily Express.
As well as joining the Scandinavian nation, islanders have been looking at other options of governance, including Crown Dependencies like the Channel Islands, and overseas territories such as the Falkland Islands.
These regions of the UK are self-governed, but foreign affairs and defence are still matters for the UK Government.
Councillor Stockan said the islands could be like the Faroe Islands, a territory of Denmark, but also a country in its own right, and self-governed.
He told the BBC: “We are really struggling. We have to replace the whole ferry fleet, which is older than the CalMac fleet.
"We are denied things that other areas get and funding from the Scottish Government is significantly less per head than Shetland and the Western Isles to run the same services — we can’t go on as we are. The dividend we get back isn’t sufficient to keep us going”.
The islands became part of Scotland in 1472, having previously been under Norwegian and Danish control.
Mr Stockan said: “We were part of the Norse kingdom for longer than we were part of the United Kingdom. People say to me, ‘When are we going back to Norway?’"
In 2017, Orkney Islands Council voted to look at whether the islands could have greater autonomy but did not back full independence.
He added: "The council will decide whether it supports this motion and from there we will take our time, because we don't want to do this emotionally.
"We want to look at all the practical implications and then we'll evaluate the results. We are looking for the very best position for future generations and our place in the world."
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