Foreign aid

Scotland does not have the monopoly on bad faith, as Michael Mackay (Broken promises; SN, 17/02/14) seems to think.

There is no legislation to make the seas and seabed around Shetland part of the UK and yet the UK government, with no right or title, proceeded to allow oil companies to explore for and extract oil.

The resulting breadcrumbs that filtered down had undeniable benefits to Shetland, but nowhere near what was our right.

Allowing that to happen has left us in the wake of a UK financial crisis that was none of our doing and has no relevance to Shetland.

If Michael Mackay is looking for No votes, he needs to try another tack. Both sides in this debate regard Shetland as a cash cow and will do all they can to get us on their side.

The Sovereign Nation of Shetland believes that we should not be meddling in the affairs of our close neighbour Scotland and that by voting in the referendum we give them some kind of legitimacy here.

We also believe that the income from Shetland’s oil should be recognised for what it is – foreign aid to the UK, over which we should have some control.

Don’t vote Yes; don’t vote No. Just ask Why?

The Sovereign Nation of Shetland
Stuart Hill
Cunningsburgh