
For Scotland, Leaving Will Always Be an Option
In 1469, Margaret, the daughter of the king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, married King James III of Scotland. Her father could not afford to pay the dowry in cash and so pledged his island archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland as security. Three years later the dowry was still unpaid, and James III called in the debt.
The islands, about 30 miles north of the Scottish mainland, have been part of Scotland ever since. Part of it, but distinct: Both Orkney and Shetland have long considered the government in Edinburgh almost as remote as that in London.
So it wasn’t a complete shock here when, this summer, the Orkney Islands local authority approved a motion to explore “options for greater subsidiarity and autonomy” and “Nordic connections”.… Seguir leyendo »