Orkney, an archipelago of some 200 islands in Scotland, is set to explore "alternative forms of governance" and may ultimately part ways with the UK — to the point of becoming a self-governing province of Norway.
The island chain located off the northern coast of Scotland seeks to broaden its economic opportunities and will consider changing its legal status within the UK.
The motion to explore its "Nordic connections" has been put forward by Orkney Islands council leader James Stockan, who stressed that the archipelago was part of the Norse kingdom for much longer than it was part of the UK. He also ventured that Orkney had been "failed dreadfully" by governments in Edinburgh and London, receiving much less funding per capita than nearby Shetland and the Western Isles.
Colonized by the Vikings, Orkney was under Norwegian and Danish rule until 1472, when the islands were given to Scotland as security for Margaret of Denmark's dowry on her marriage to King James III of Scotland.
"On the street in Orkney, people come up and say to me: when are we going to pay back the dowry? When are we going back to Norway? There is a huge affinity and a huge, deep cultural relationship there. This is exactly the moment to explore what is possible," Stockan said as quoted by UK media. "We share a vibrant and sustainable maritime economy. Norway is very good at this, and we have significant opportunities in our shared sea areas," he added in an interview with Norwegian media.
At the same time, he proposed studying more closely the governance structures of crown dependencies such as the Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey) and the Isle of Man. Furthermore, the council also referenced the Faroe Islands, a self-governing territory of the Danish Realm in the North Atlantic, for the debate to be held on July 4.
While the motion does not commit the council to either of the options, any constitutional change would likely require an intricate combination of petitions, referendums and legislative amendments in both Edinburgh and London.
What is Up for Grabs?
Orkney, which has a population of 22,500, is located some 16 kilometers from Caithness, the northernmost county of mainland Great Britain. The islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years running, originally by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts. Orkney was colonized by the Kingdom of Norway in 875 and settled by the Norsemen known as Vikings.
To mark the Nordic connection, Orkney and nearby Shetland were once home to Norn, a now-extinct North Germanic language that was gradually replaced by English and Scots. Furthermore, genetic studies have shown that up to 25 percent of the gene pool of Orkney derives from Norse ancestors.
Due to very fertile soil, most of the Orkney land is taken up by farms, with agriculture being by far the most important sector of the economy and employing about a quarter of the workforce. Tourism makes another key industry of the pastoral islands.