Sovereign Shetland

[EM]

... and I had no bill from Holland for visiting the doctor.

That was because of the reciprocal health care arrangements between EU states. Had you not been in possession of at least your British passport, and more importantly your NHS healthcard, I think you'd have found it a much more expensive experience.

[shetlandpeat]

Once a independent state has been set up, there will need to be further agreements, as with any other.

 

As I said, so, how does the billing work in this case?

[Ghostrider]

If he is disputing that then he still has a right to use our roads and NHS and so on. I do not remember getting a bill from France for using the pavement and I had no bill from Holland for visiting the doctor.

Once a independent state has been set up, there will need to be further agreements, as with any other.

 

Until not that long ago I was just presuming that Hill was operating on the basis of having dual citizenships. A Forvik one and a UK one, and he was wearing the Forvik citizen's hat when it suited, and the U.K. citizens hat when that suited (ie. to use the NHS, claim his UK pension (again, I assume he does claim it), drive on the roads, have the UK CG chopper fish his wet ass outta the drink etc. But in light of events concerning how he's been messing around with vehicles, I'm now less sure that is how it is.

 

The pressing point of course is, Hill has never at any point (AFAIK) made any attempt to explain how he believes how he behaves re Forvik and UK citizenships works. He's made it reasonably clear that he considers that he holds Forvik citizenship, but has said nothing about whether he's retained or surrendered his UK citizenship. Nor has he ever said, assuming he holds both, which citizenship if either takes precedence when he is on the non-Forvik part of Shetland.

[MuckleJoannie]

He'll have his day in court now

 

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/1213-forvik-campaigner-in-the-cells.html

 

INDEFATIGABLE self-styled campaigner for an independent Shetland, Stuart Hill, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Lerwick for alleged motoring offences which he hopes will land him in court.

[Infiltrator]

He'll have his day in court now

 

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/1213-forvik-campaigner-in-the-cells.html

 

INDEFATIGABLE self-styled campaigner for an independent Shetland, Stuart Hill, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Lerwick for alleged motoring offences which he hopes will land him in court.

 

Another waste of taxpayers money - if he wants to do some good why doesn't he just do some charity work - for the RNLI perhaps.

 

Isn't it about time he found another 'cause' on some other distant island.

[Spinner72]

Nor has he ever said, assuming he holds both, which citizenship if either takes precedence when he is on the non-Forvik part of Shetland.

 

I thought (possibly entirely wrongly) that the basis of a crown dependancy, which is what he declared Forvik to be, as opposed to an independant country in its own right, was to maintain certain links, dependancies, with the crown. (coastguard being the rather obvious one)

 

Maybe if he is ever set free he can clarify for us!

 

I am pleased, both for Stuart, the project, and road safety, that something has evetually happened.

 

It will be genuinely interesting to see how the courts play this, as undoubtably, and rightly, there will be much media attention.

[Muppet]

Isn't it about time he found another 'cause' on some other distant island.

 

Well if he's not a UK National, I guess he'll get deported!

[Para Handy]

Isn't it about time he found another 'cause' on some other distant island.

 

Well if he's not a UK National, I guess he'll get deported!

 

Yes Muppet but to where.

That is the question.

The South Shetlands perhaps

Or the South Forvik.

The Penguins must need a Captain Calamity. As much as a bullet hole in the head.

[Ghostrider]

Nor has he ever said, assuming he holds both, which citizenship if either takes precedence when he is on the non-Forvik part of Shetland.

 

I thought (possibly entirely wrongly) that the basis of a crown dependancy, which is what he declared Forvik to be, as opposed to an independant country in its own right, was to maintain certain links, dependancies, with the crown. (coastguard being the rather obvious one)

 

Maybe if he is ever set free he can clarify for us!

 

To begin with this made sense, but since initially declaring Forvik a crown dependency things have changed. Sometime after he made his "Sovereign" declaration last year, he stopped describing it as the "Crown Dependency of Forvik" and started calling it the "Sovereign Nation of Forvik", which he describe as being "independent".

 

The Crown Dependency concept was easily understood, there are working examples to refer to, however just what a "Sovereign Nation" is, and how "independent" it really is, I'm less than clear on or how that change in status affected relationships between Forvik and everyone else.

 

Maybe I've just not been paying enough attention, but details of Hill's concept of a "Sovereign Nation" have always seemed to be hard to come by. At the time he dimissed the vast majority of questions with, "come to the conference, all will be revealed". The conference came and went, and those who did go, as far as I've been aware have either been very tight lipped, or were very unimpressed, and Hill himself has said nothing about it publically I'm aware of. How he expects to win the understanding/support etc of the public for his antics, when he's made changes that have minimal information explaning them easily sourced in the public domain, rather mystifies me, given his penchant for courting publicity.

[Spinner72]

Right enough - I had wrongly been considering the "Sovereign Nation" issue to be essentially a different project, but I see he has updated the Forvik website since my last visit and is now calling it a "Sovereign State", which is a stage more vague again IMO.

 

Its a shame, as if things had been kept simple and clear with the core issue maintained as the focus it would make whats happening now a fair bit more interesting.

[Ghostrider]

^^ Agreed, Hill, as far as I'm aware has never bothered to explain what "process" has occured during the last year. Up to then it was simple, and understandable, his "declaration" last June, at first appeared to be a stand alone and seperate issue, but apparently not, as it has (presumably, seeing as Forvik's status has changed since then) had a knock on effect on everything. What this has been, I don't think anybody but him seems to know.

 

As things stand its like trying to read and understand a book somebody has pulled a chapter out of the middle of.

[raceygracey]

I have just tried to put the details of Mr Hills vehicle and registration number into an Insurance search engine as per the photo I think the vehicle is a Mercedes Vito and he has said the registration number is FREE Z123. Funnily enough I could not get insurance! Does Stewart Hill have insurance?

 

If he does not have any insurance then how do the Shetlink users feel about their hard earned pride of joy being hit by an uninsured vehicle? I personaly commend the police for taking this robust action to ensure the safety of other road users. How does the law stand if the vehicle is not roadworthy as Mr Hill cliams it is from another country?

[crofter]

I have just tried to put the details of Mr Hills vehicle and registration number into an Insurance search engine as per the photo I think the vehicle is a Mercedes Vito and he has said the registration number is FREE Z123. Funnily enough I could not get insurance! Does Stewart Hill have insurance?

 

If he does not have any insurance then how do the Shetlink users feel about their hard earned pride of joy being hit by an uninsured vehicle? I personaly commend the police for taking this robust action to ensure the safety of other road users. How does the law stand if the vehicle is not roadworthy as Mr Hill cliams it is from another country?

 

Think the number is FREE ZE1. He claims it is roadworthy, and it is not clear whether not being insured is one of the charges.

 

Monday 20 June 2011: Today at 7am I did a dawn raid on the police. Since I was not given a list of the charges when the van was stopped, I wanted to know what they were. Nobody was able to tell me, but I was told that the charges will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal, who will decide whether to drop all or some of them, issue a warning, or charge me in court; and that it can take 6-8 weeks to make that decision. That seemed a little odd, bearing in mind that most similar motoring offences are dealt with in court in a matter of days.

 

I pointed out that the terms under which they had confiscated the vehicle included destroying it after 14 days if I didn't claim it. Since claiming it requires production of UK documentation, this seems hardly likely. I told him about the Land Rover, which was seized and destroyed without any charges being brought and that I didn't want the same happening with this van and he suggested I write to the Chief Constable, which I've already done.

 

An interesting discussion with the 'officer' as he explained that I needed to have the documentation to drive on British roads and that even vehicles from abroad need a green card for insurance. He seemed to struggle with the concept that maybe Shetland Roads are not British and that perhaps the police are the foreigners.

 

Meanwhile, the Procurator Fiscal decides which is the least of the three evils on his desk. Does he:

 

•Drop the charges? I claim victory and want the van back.

•Give me a warning? Ditto.

•Charge me in court? That would be the culmination of 9 year's work.

Watch this space.

[Ghostrider]

^^ The brush painted red Vito van, which seemed to have originally been white, and marked "Consular Vehicle" that the Police impounded on June 15th was FREE ZE 123.

 

http://shetlopedia.com/images/8/80/Consularplate.jpg

 

The one they (presumably) impounded yesterday is silver and marked "Consular Vehicle No. 2" seems to be a Vito too, but is a semi van ie. it has side door with windows in them. Not sure what its number is, you can only make out the "FREE" bit in this pic.

 

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/images/stories/07-11/110705_forvik_arrest.jpg

 

I find it rather "amusing" that it seems to have taken at least three, possibly four Plods to round up and subdue a pensioner on the phone sitting in a parked up clapped old van. The OK Corral it was never going to be in anybody's wildest imagination.

[Evil Inky]

As things stand its like trying to read and understand a book somebody has pulled a chapter out of the middle of.

 

I suspect there's no grand plan, and he's making it up as he goes along.

 

Rather like his attempt to circumnavigate the British Isles.