Letters / A positive vision for Shetland
Alex Armitage, representing Scottish Greens, complains that The Sovereign Nation of Shetland had “failed to set out a positive vision for what an autonomous Shetland would look like”.
Autonomy debate being turned into ‘pantomime’ by Sovereign Nation of Shetland, Armitage claims
Here it is. Anything he offers is pie in the sky unless he can prove that Shetland is part of Scotland, which results in:
1. Paying UK and Scottish taxes
2. Paying for UK and Scottish licences of all kinds
3. Open for any big company (or government) to rape our resources for their own benefit
4. Open to foreign trawlers to steal our fish
5. Open to oil companies to take our oil via leases falsely granted by the UK government
6. Being a cash cow for the UK government and doing what we are told.
Ask any of those clamouring for ‘more autonomy’ for proof that Shetland is part of Scotland and none of them can show it. They would like us to ‘shut up and go away’. It’s a carefully constructed and well-nurtured scam at the highest level and everyone suggesting we ask for ‘more autonomy’ is part of that scam offering sops they cannot deliver.
It is pointless asking for more autonomy when we already have total sovereignty. All we have to do is turn our backs, stop feeding the beast and say ‘No thanks’.
By standing in our sovereignty, we:
1. Keep the money we earn in our pockets
2. Have complete control of our land, seas and seabed for our own benefit, not raped by outside interests
3. Have the money for as many fixed links as we wish
4. Have enough money to end all poverty and properly look after our sick and disabled
5. End fuel poverty
6. Are a society the envy of the world, where the power is kept at the bottom
7. Have fair justice and fair money
8. Have education for our children to achieve their full potential.
Those are some of the opportunities. The detail of how all that pans out is not to be dictated, but decided by all the people of Shetland. The first change must be to put the power in their hands. A simple change to the electoral system will do that. With that power, people will become actively involved and we will end up with a society with rules by which the people wish to live and a decision making process by which to control it.
This is the simple reality:
By The Laws of Scotland, The Crown’s sovereignty over Scotland is the same as its ownership of the land.Sovereignty is what underpins everything. It’s what makes Charles III king of Scotland. It’s what enablesScottish and UK legislation to operate in Scotland.
The Crown does not own Shetland. Therefore it does not have sovereignty here and Charles III is not ourking. This is nothing to do with opinion, just simple fact, according to The Laws of Scotland.
Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. If sovereignty is the same as ownership of the land, sovereignty isalready in the hands of the people. Make no mistake – the UK and Scottish governments will not just roll overand let such a valuable property fall into the hands of the rightful owners and there are plenty of people inShetland helping them. We have to take it, but without violence. As always, the pen is mightier than the sword.
All those asking for ‘more autonomy’ have positions dependent on Shetland being part of Scotland. They maymake promises, but have no means of keeping them. If they are Scottish MSPs, they may take their ideas to Holyrood and try to get the consensus of the Scottish Parliament to give us something they don’t have – while keeping what they call ‘Scottish energy’ (Shetland’s energy) in Scottish hands.
If they are MPs, they have the even more daunting task of getting their 649 colleagues to agree to give powers(which they don’t have) to Shetland. In 2010, by the time we paid all our direct and indirect taxes and got backall the grants and subsidies Shetland needs to run, there was £81 million every year left in the UK treasury.Every household contributed roughly £8,100 per year. That was our subsidy to the UK to spend as it wished oneverything from illegal wars to MP’s duck houses. Nobody here said a word. Then the oil figures dwarfeverything. We should follow Norway’s example and use the oil money to build a sovereign fund. Anyone claiming to ask for ‘more autonomy’ has a vested interest – we already have it.
Nobody can show any proof that Shetland is part of Scotland and that we are not already sovereign by right.
Only The Sovereign Nation of Shetland has the ability to deliver. The rest offer only false hopium.
Stuart Hill
Cunningsburgh
