The historical past behind Orkney’s vote to ‘be part of Norway’

For the third time in half a century, Orkney, UK, has raised the problem of its Nordic origins and an obvious want to embrace them as soon as extra. Earlier this week, Orkney Islands Council voted on a movement to start exploring choices of “larger subsidiarity and autonomy”, probably trying past the UK and Scottish borders to construct “Nordic connections”.

This determination has made nationwide and worldwide headlines. These had been centred on the chance that the island group, positioned ten miles from the north coast of Scotland, might search to develop into a Norwegian territory.

A comparable movement was handed within the neighbouring Shetland Islands in 2020. May this be the newest constitutional disaster to rock the UK?

As these information stories sometimes spotlight, Orkney and Shetland had been a part of the Norwegian and Danish kingdoms till their annexation by Scotland in 1472. Orcadians and Shetlanders don’t establish as Norwegians or Danes at present, however they maintain distinct identities which for some – although not all – embody elements of this Norse heritage.

Orkney’s movement joins an extended historical past of makes an attempt by activists and native politicians to make use of this distinct identification to attract consideration to grievances with central authorities.

Again to Scandinavia

In August 1967, Orkney’s largest settlements of Kirkwall and Stromness awoke to a poster marketing campaign calling for Orkney to return “Again to Denmark”. One poster declared: “Orkney is dying below British rule, reunite with Denmark now.” The marketing campaign produced widespread information protection, making headlines in Edinburgh, London, Denmark and at the same time as distant as Singapore.

The fast set off was the federal government’s coverage of centralising police forces and water boards into regional our bodies, abolishing Orkney’s native establishments. It was feared that Orkney’s native authorities would quickly comply with. There have been additionally grievances regarding the costly value of transport and the federal government’s insufficient response to a transport strike the earlier yr.

In an interview with The Observer, one marketing campaign organiser was described as “plainly delighted with the astonishing commotion he has brought on”, clearly recognising the potential for this provocative use of Orkney’s distinct identification to attract consideration to the islands’ grievances.

The Orcadian, Orkney’s sole newspaper, declared “it was all a joke” that had taken the remainder of Britain “for a trip” – earlier than including: “but it surely has its severe aspect”.

Orkney’s Nordic ties had been invoked once more in 1986. Amid a marketing campaign in opposition to a proposed growth to Dounreay nuclear energy station in Caithness, activists from Orkney and Shetland drew up the Declaration of Wyre.

Addressed to the kings of Norway and Denmark, the declaration referred to as on them to “seek the advice of on our constitutional standing” and to “inquire into the legality in worldwide regulation of siting a nuclear processing plant … in an space of unresolved constitutional standing.” As soon as once more, historic ties to Scandinavia had been used to focus on a up to date and totally fashionable political concern.

Political failures

As in 1967 and 1986, Orkney Islands Council’s movement to discover larger autonomy and Nordic connections is centred on present political points. The council is pissed off at failures to succeed in an settlement with the Scottish authorities to fund the alternative of its ageing inter-island ferries or safe ample ferry fare subsidies.

There may be additionally anger on the broader development of centralisation that adopted the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

Invoking the opportunity of constitutional change, particularly when this attracts on the islands’ Norse heritage, is a confirmed technique for gaining media and political consideration. Exterior actors are sometimes prepared to utilize eye-grabbing headlines or acquire extra ammunition for nationwide constitutional quarrels.

That is nicely understood by activists and native politicians. Orkney council chief James Stockan acknowledged that the media response to his movement has been “a outstanding outcome”.

So is that this merely a PR stunt hatched by a council searching for extra funds at a time of accelerating disaster throughout the UK’s public providers? Not fully.

There’s a actual historical past of pro-autonomy sentiment to attract on, articulated to its biggest extent within the Nineteen Eighties by the now defunct Orkney Motion. Most Orcadians (and Shetlanders) would endorse the precept of decentralisation. However extra radical visions for autonomy have by no means gained demonstrable majority assist.

Orkney’s councillors are probably fully honest of their want for decentralisation, if maybe to not the extent of rejoining Norway or changing into a completely autonomous territory. Nonetheless, neither Orkney nor Shetland’s autonomy motions handed unanimously. Like every other group, there are political variations which might typically be neglected from outdoors views.

It’s unclear how most Orcadians and Shetlanders really feel about their councils’ insurance policies. These developments haven’t seen any significant engagement with or curiosity from the broader inhabitants – or, certainly, any electoral mandate from the islands’ voters.

The Orcadian carried out a web-based survey this week which discovered a slim majority of 51.4% assist for the council’s coverage, with 37.9% opposed. Nonetheless, as this survey didn’t comply with scientific polling strategies and was additionally open to non-Orcadians to fill out, it might probably solely present a tough estimate of individuals’s views.

In distinction to the Nineteen Eighties, when mobilised marketing campaign actions pressured the councils into taking additional motion on autonomy, there isn’t any grassroots momentum for constitutional change within the islands at present. However it’s attainable that continued dissatisfaction with central authorities might result in rising curiosity within the topic.

Orkney just isn’t going to develop into a Norwegian territory and vital constitutional change is unlikely to seem within the close to future. That mentioned, the thought of autonomy will proceed to be engaging for some. So long as this stays the case, native activists and politicians will proceed to make use of their islands’ distinct heritages in artistic methods to make their voices heard.