Who Knows

Today marks the 100 days to the vote and Shetland's is playing a role on the national stage with the latest local star Miriam Brett, from Bressay, you tube video collecting significant viewing on how she has reached her decision on how to vote. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dr3Ula7hOiU Previously Louise Thomason article in Shetnews was a nationwide hit with links in numerous blogs http://www.shetnews.co.uk/features/scottish-independence-debate/8290-independence-wading-through-the-arguments Our local MP as Secretary of State for Scotland has filled a few column inches plus TV and radio shows. Back on island the No campaign appear to the the quieter of the two. Yes Shetland appear to have had more meeting with the latest in Aith Hall on Tuesday 10 June at 7.30pm. Previously had meetings in Bressay, Brae, Sandwick, Burra, Scalloway and Lerwick. The Woman for Independence Shetland group have had meetings in Bixter, Levenwick and Lerwick whilst the National Collective Shetland group have had meetings in Lerwick with next one scheduled for the Lounge on Thursday night, 12 June and have a summer event planned for 23-24 July. http://womenforindyshetland.wordpress.com https://www.facebook.com/womenforindyshetland http://yesshetland.info https://www.facebook.com/YesShetland Whether you are undecided or made your mind up get involved in the local discussions and make sure you vote wisely on 18 September 2014 as it is an important vote with long lasting consequences. It is still not to late to register to vote or apply for a postal vote if you need one contact the local electoral register http://www.orkney-shetland-vjb.co.uk/ELECTORAL.html

Someone clearly does not like the Scottish Government, First Minister, SNP and possibly the Scottish Parliament. There is a minority who wish it dissolved. As I previously said to Lorna and Donald in the original petition forum it is a sign of a healthy and open democracy for open and respectful debate of the issues that people can hold different views and discuss the arguments. The only opinion that matter are the democratically held elections so I would encourage people to vote no matter whether it is a yes or no on the 18 September to establish a clear mandate of the people. In terms of the mythical poll our Prime Minister confirmed in TV interviews with BBC and STV the poll exists but it is not the standard practice of the Government to routinely release these. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-27437310 In terms of the economic arguments over currency etc there is a vast discussions over on the national forum section of Shetlink on these issues that discuss and debate these issues. However if Scotland is too poor and such a financial millstone why do they want to keep us? I can also agree with our Prime Minister that Scotland could be a prosperous independent country. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3639114/Scots-and-English-flourish-in-the-Union.html If Scotland prospers following a Yes vote that will in part dependent on how successful our future politicians elected to that Parliament deliver upon their respective manifesto commitments and how we as an electorate hold them to account. The election in 2016 will decide who forms the first Government and that may be or not be the SNP. Just like I cannot guarantee who will win 2015 UK General Election I cannot guarantee who will win 2016 Scottish election. With regard to the talk of the Holyrood Steamie I have not yet seen any media coverage over these alleged comments. This may because the lawyers have advised the Editors for legal issues regarding the law of the land they cannot publish it. A word of polite caution that these same rules apply to Internet forums like Shetlink. Feel free to express your views openly and honestly but tread carefully.

SIC have a unique view on a council's responsibility for the provision of a waste management collection service that they are legally required to provide. An Freedom of Information request to the other 31 councils will probably confirm they provide wheelie bins free for the collection of waste, hence why they do not provide black bags. A quick search on Google appears to show this https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?hl=en#hl=en&q=+scotland+councils+role+to+provide+bins+for+domestic+waste+collection However South Ayrshire website helps in clarifying that councils cannot charge for domestic waste collection and they will specify collection arrangements and type of receptacle to use. http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/waste/plans/collection.aspx Existing houses as far as can tell where provided the Wheelie Bins free and in some Councils new houses the builders had to buy and provide these e.g. Highland. Orkney recently switched to wheelie bins and due to a procurement error have a few spare SIC might want to see if they can by at reduced costs. http://bbc-now.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-25858047 Orkney's frequently asked queries for this switch shows that they moved from providing free black bins and instead provided the Wheelie Bins for free. http://www.orkney.gov.uk/Files/Rubbish-and-Recycling/Alternate_Weekly_Collection_Frequently_Asked_Questions.pdf

The Weir's have set up a charitable fund and put £5 million of the lottery funds in to that Trust. http://weircharitabletrust.com Their view on the issue was coved in a letter to the national press in response to comments made about their donations which really covers why they choose to donate in line with long term political believes. http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/lottery-winners-call-for-end-to-independence-smear-1-3402533

EU Farming support due to Scotland with held by Liberal Democrats coalition UK Government with Conservative party that deprived Scottish Farmers of funding aimed at them was diverted. Politicians like our MSP and MP should credit us with longer memories. http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/hot-topics/cap-reform/scots-slam-indefensible-decision-to-limit-cap-cash/60128.article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24874125 Centralising is happening every where including here on Shetland with the current council being subject to claims that they have Lerwick Central policies. Education being amongst these. There is no point SIC complaining about the actions of either Westminster or Holyrood whilst not practising what they preach and keeping services local in rural areas. Good luck for those campaigning for some common sense with local schools and ensuring the survival of essential local services. The accusation of centralisation at the current Government in Holyrood is interesting given one Police Force and one Fire brigade service was in their manifesto in 2011 upon which they were elected. The loss of direct management of these service or the creation of central telephone call centres when dialling 999 happened some time ago and that was the real point of centralisation as were on the mainland a control sits has no affect on their ability to have or gain local knowledge of Shetland.

Cross border pension schemes are what you are referring to and the Pension Regulator explains these EU rules in the following link. http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-cross-border-schemes.aspx The UK has the highest level of cross border pension schemes mostly with the Republic of Ireland but not exclusively. The EU rules are aimed at ensuring private sector pension pots are fully funded to meet their obligations as estimated by a professional actuarial calculation. This place an obligation on the employer to fully fund the pension gap of the fund. The only issue for a pension scheme, which is a problem irrespective of the referendum, is when they are not fully funded to meet their obligations. Now some of these companies will blame Gordon Brown for his pension fund raid that has netted the Treasury somewhere between £118 billion to £225 billion http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2613609/Revealed-Labours-stealth-raid-took-118BILLION-pensions-paving-way-end-final-salary-schemes-suddenly-unaffordable.html http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/economics/2008/11/new-research-pe.html As with a lot of issues sensible discussion about funding agreeing recovery timescales and not overnight will be required to put cross border pension scheme back on a stable financial footing and irrespective of the outcome of the referendum the UK Government should be having discussions with all private pension funds to agree a formal timescale for them to get back in to balance with out putting the company out of business. The number of defined benefit (usually referred to as final salary pension) in the private sector has been following for a number of years as the Private Sector cannot afford them. The pension auto enrolment scheme is all about re-establishing individual's holding their own pension and relying less on the state to fund pensions. https://www.gov.uk/workplace-pensions I note in the article in the Telegraph BAE systems gave a £1 billion back to its shareholders the question the workers and union members at BAE should be asking is why this not used to fund the £1.1 billion fund gap in its defined benefit scheme that led it to closing the scheme to new members? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/defence/9940726/BAE-freezes-managements-pay-after-earnings-fall.html http://www.employeebenefits.co.uk/bae-systems-to-close-its-uk-defined-benefit-pension-schemes-to-new-joiners/14474.article

Liberal Democratic Minister for Pensions, Steve Webb MP, has confirmed that no matter the out come of the referendum vote on 18 September that anyone who has paid National Insurance and built up an entitlement to a UK state pension will receive this from the United Kingdom government. http://archive.today/2J7dt If the vote is Yes and Scotland becomes an independent country (will also apply in the future if Shetland voted to become an independent country at some future date) then everyone who has retired before the split in March 2016 will still receive in full the State Pension from the United Kingdom country. Those who retire after that date will get a pension from the United Kingdom Government based upon their contributions at this date. How much will that be will depend upon what the prevailing rate for state pension is at the time they retire plus number of years contributions. The link below to Government web page gives indicative values https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension Currently the cost of pensions in Scotland is estimated to be around £6.3 billion a year which the UK Government pays out of current UK tax receipts will continue to pay. There is no magical pension pot. http://www.esrc.ac.uk/_images/Government%20spending%20on%20benefits%20and%20state%20pensions%20in%20Scotland_tcm8-27291.pdf The UK currently pays the state pension to people living all over the world as Government link below explains. Entitlement to payment is based upon contribution made not country you live in at retirement or your nationality. http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/state-pension-for-people-living-overseas In the last year of details available tax collected in the UK attributable to Scotland was £56.9 billion whilst spend by Holyrood Parliament was only £33.7 billion. This therefore leaves £23.2 billion to spend on items such as social security spend (which includes pensions) and other costs currently managed by Westminster. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0041/00418420.pdf http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S4_PublicAuditCommittee/Final_Outturn_Report_for_the_Scottish_Administration_for_the_year_ended_31_March_2013.pdf These initial pension costs will not be borne as a cost against the new Scottish state but pension expenditure will grow over time. The initial "windfall" of not paying the historic pension liabilities can be used to top up the UK state pension (one of the lowest in Europe), create a pension fund by putting NI contributions being received in to a real pension fund like companies have to for private pensions to fund the future payments rather than funding out of current taxation receipts as is the current scenario in the United Kingdom or a combination of these two options. That surely answers definitively the Pension payments the United Kingdom Government continued commitment and clears up at least one answered question?

National Scottish Sunday say Yes to Scottish Independence and is first paper to openly declare its opinion to the readership. Front page of Sunday Herald can be seen in link below. https://mobile.twitter.com/newsundayherald/status/462690750019694592/photo/1 The rest still officially neutral but content shows favouritism for one side is honesty in editorial policy welcome even if you do not agree with the view?

This article is often referred to as a guide for application of martime law of the sea boundaries around the United Kingdom and their interaction with Norway and Denmark. http://www.ejil.org/pdfs/12/1/505.pdf Draw your own conclusions from the guides of different rules that could be the basis of a negotiation strategy.

Talkin about a revolution has already been stolen and reworked by the other "independence" campaign. Not a bad reworking of the video enjoy below but may be someone can do a Shetland remake? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5jz0ZcKOpAA

The pension issue relates to private sector sector schemes that cover more than one country which are not balanced because the expected commitments of the fund are greater than the value of the fund which is not good for these pension scheme members irrespective of the 18 September Referendum. The shortfall are due to a number of issues such as Gordon Brown raid as Chancellor on private sector pensions which in 2006 was estimated to have cost funds £100 billion according to independent research. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1531448/Browns-raid-on-pensions-costs-Britain-100-billion.html Poor regulation and control over companies is another reason these funds are in deficit. However the EU was reviewing the cross border pension issue and may in future change it's mind. http://www.towerswatson.com/en/Press/2014/03/Key-barriers-to-EU-wide-pension-provision-to-come-down However current changes to pension regulation is reducing people's pension pots and leading to GPs retiring from the health service as it not economical for them to continue working http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/10694855/Race-to-save-pensions-from-tax-raid.html http://www.barchester.com/news/gps-retiring-early-due-higher-workloads-and-pension-changes Further as you may be aware the UK government is currently expanding the role out of a scheme to ensure everyone is auto enrolled in to a works place pension. Initially one of the benefits of being in such a scheme was reduction to both the employer and employee was reduced National Insurance contributions. However this benefit will stop soon. According to the Government's own figure in 2016-17 this tax change from removing the benefit will generate £11 billion from employers and employees. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmtreasy/1063/106307.htm Probably somewhere between £2 to 4 million of this total coming from Shetland. The value of the UK government unfunded pension liabilities are currently over £5 trillion which dwarfs the official national deficit as calculated by Government debt. http://www.debtbombshell.com http://www.if.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Can-the-UK-Afford-to-Pay-Pensions.pdf The finances of the UK are not sound and future tax are thought to be inevitable. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/budget/9946138/Budget-2013-tax-rises-likely-after-2015-warns-IFS.html

Spain's rejection of the outcome of the Catalan indepence referendum is a matter of public record http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26341833 Similarily Argentina does not recognise last years vote by the Falkland Islanders referendum vote http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/9952712/Argentina-demands-UN-reject-Falkland-Islands-referendum.html There is form for Governments not recognising democratic elections hence the need for Westminister as the sovereign parliament for the United Kingdom to recognise and legitimise any election. As stated previously I believe that sovereignty rests with the people but as much as a UK constitution exists it's based upon the principle sovereignty rests with Westminster. Nowadays core part of campaigns are websites and Facebook pages are those behind the petition releasing such sites to advance the case for Shetland Indepence and also planning to hold any public meetings to generate local support?

Without Westminister legally recognising and sanctioning a free, open and democratic election process Shetland would potentially end up in the same scenario as Catalonia were the Spanish Government has made it clear that they will not recognise the outcome of their independence referendum. We live in a democracy and people have the right to disagree so Lorna and Donald you have the right to propose that the people of Shetland exercise their right for self determination through the ballot box. The issue though is to important to tag on to 18 September 2014 referendum. There are far to many issues to resolve and understand the consequences and a proper debate is required. You may contend I am not fairly reading your cause and your independence of mind but Lorna and Donald you clearly do not like the Scottish Government and are voting No. That's fine it's a democraicy your entitled to hold that view. Lorna you also do not like Alex Salmond but he is irrelevant to the argument about the best future of Shetland just as any other of the current political leaders in either Parliament. In the event Scotland votes Yes it will not become independent until mid March 2016, 18 months later. That is why I would contend a vote on Shetland future in April 2015 would be a better time to have the full and frank debate and better understand the consequences of that decision. Taking part in the discussion and debate and voting in both 18 September referendum and the Islands referendum when it occurs is important for us all. Hopefully on that we can agree. If Shetland votes to become an independent nation state I am sure with or without the oil, Shetland will survive and flourish because the people of the island will be motivated to make it work.

As Paul has raised above, issues concerning the constitution are reserved to Westminister. The referendum on 18th September was as agreed in the Edinburgh agreement and legal responsibility to hold the referendum was transfered to the Scottish Parliament through a section 30 order but this was limited solely to a Yes/No vote on Scotland. I believe that sovereignty lies with the people but under the current rules it lies at Westminister so the petition is in the wrong Parliament. There also seems to be an assumption Shetland will vote No in the current referendum and there is no current basis to validate that assumption. The only recent evidence although unscientific was the Althing debate which voted Yes. Irrespective of the outcome of 18 September referendum l do not believe that a second vote 7 diays later gives enough time to discuss and explore the pros and cons of the situation following the after math of that vote. I would contend that holding the vote in April 2015 would be a more suitable date as that will allow time for the facts as they can be ascertained to be discussed and explored in full so that a rationale decision. As our MP is also the Secretary of State for Scotland and a member of the Westminister Government those organising the petition may wish to lobby him to create the relevant Section 30 Order to empower The Scottish Paliament to hold the proposed island referendum and only then will the petition be in the correct Parliament.

UK Government bluffing over a currency union according to the Guardian! http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/mar/28/independent-scotland-may-keep-pound If true deceiving the electorate does not do much for the principles of an elected democracy, that delegates from our trust their powers given through the ballot box to be the democratically elected Governments that openly, transparently and honestly represent our best interests.

Independent research commissioned by the Hunter Foundation on currency union was published today. http://scotlandseptember18.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/FinalScotlandCurrencyA1The-Hunter-Foundation.docx The Hunter Foundation is neutral as their aim is to shed light on the issues and analysis with independent experts the assertions of both the Yes and No campaigns. In short the report argues the UK Government Treasury analysis is flawed, confused and does not answer the question it should of answered. The expert is a professor from China based in Beijing. BBC website view of article available http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-26702405

It's a democracy with freedom off speach so you got every right to be cynical if you want to. It is only a random sample of islanders who decided to turn out on a Saturday night in Tingwall. In addition to the Yes/No declarations there was also some who were undecided at the start 31 votes and end of the debate 22 votes. There was also a number of people who never put their hand up for any of the 3 options in both votes. All the debate proves the settle will of Shetland is not necessary as clear as some believe and both sides of the argument need to continue to provide information and present the case for their respective position. The vote on 18 September is the one that all islanders can express their view via the ballot box and except the democratic will of the people which ever way it may go.

Althing Debate voted Yes tonight to the time is right for Scottish Independence by 70 votes to 42. The pre-debate vote was 58 to 57 votes for Yes so the debate swing based upon the case presented was the mood of this small sample of Shetland was to Yes. Details about the debate in link below http://www.shetnews.co.uk/newsbites/8121-althing-indy-debate

Scotland's charities fighting poverty have setup their own website to highlight some of the issues raised above which is available at the following web address http://scotlandsoutlook.org The website includes a short video in the spoof of a weather forecast that briefly summarises the issues these leading charities that include Oxfam and Shelter points of concern.

Yes means No! Has the Scottish Office Minister been qoted out of context? http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/referendum-news/huge-concessions-needed-for-2016-independence-day.23608284 Surely both sides have to accept no mean no and yes means yes and accept the democratic will of the people as expressed on 18 September 2014? There has to be reasonable time period set to conclude negotiations in the event of a Yes vote were both parties act maturely to reach an amicable settlement. After all good neighbours must the basis of the relationship if Scotland votes yes.

Yes, the article is real there are e-mail address for S&P to contact for further information. Below is an article in the Guardian about the report. http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/27/independent-scottish-economy-viable-slow-first-standard-poors

AAA credit rating for an independent Scotland in April 2016? The international credit rating agency, Standard and Poor's, has issued it's first guidance on Scotland and said "Scotland would qualify for our highest economic assessment" as it compares Scotland to New Zealand and Germany in assessing the support for the credit worthiness of the new country https://www.globalcreditportal.com/ratingsdirect/renderArticle.do?articleId=1264946&SctArtId=217545&from=CM&nsl_code=LIME Ability to borrow and markets reaction to the risk of Scotland was an issue for some commentators above and obviously the views of the other two internationally renowned Credit Agency will have a bearing in deciding the final risk assessment for Scotland.

Caledonia was the Roman name for Scotland. Back on topic to the query of the alternative currency as previously mentioned the Scottish Government commissioned a group off respected and eminent Economic experts to review the options and propose the best solution. This group was called the Fiscal Commission and their report is publicly available. Currency analysis http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0041/00414366.pdf. Full Report http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0041/00414291.pdf A £sterling monetary union was the preferred option but there are 3 alternative options examined in the paper that are viable working solutions. As with most things all 4 have both strengths and weakness in their respective cases. The Governor of the Bank of England has confirmed a currency union can work but it requires a political will on both sides to work. At present we do not have that. http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/speeches/2014/speech706.pdf

The Alienation Act of 1705 passed by Westminster is consider to have influence the noble members of the Scottish Parliament. A short outline of the act is on the UK parliament official website http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/act-of-union-1707/overview/westminster-passes-the-alien-act-1705/ In short there was a straight forward choice form a full incorporating union or alternatively ban all Scottish imports and reserve the right to repose any property held by Scots nobles in England. That was probably a clear economic choice for the noble members of the Scottish Parliament some of whom would have suffered financial losses via the Darien Project. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darien_scheme How the Union may of started is of historic interest and may clarify some myths but the world today 307 years after the union is a different world. The choice on offer later this year may be essentially the same option about a union yes/no the circumstances regarding the consequence of the out-turn are not the same and hopefully mutual respect will prevail on all sides. The current UK Government state that in the event of Scotland opting out by voting Yes that the UK minus Scotland will continue on as the successor state in international law and inherit all the treaty obligations and rights the UK currently holds. UK has no formal written constitution and it is widely acknowledge that future elected Governments of the UK cannot be bound by previous decisions and our current Prime Minister stated that was in deed the case in the dispute over the future of the Barnett Formula. So there are no guarantees. http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/barnett-formula-would-remain-after-no-vote-1-3238320 Eligibility to citizenship the UK currently uses is based upon the principles laid out by the United Nations. The primary exception to that covers the Republic of Ireland as the act that acknowledged their right for self determination stated they would not be considered foreigners. Access to healthcare in the UK is wider than just the EU and the citizen advice group have attempted to explain eligibility to this http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/healthcare_e/healthcare_help_with_health_costs_e/nhs_charges_for_people_from_abroad.htm The possible alternative to the EU is the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which comprises Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein and all though not in the EU can still trade in to the EU free trade area. http://www.efta.int/about-efta

The European Union press office has clarified the President of the European Union statement that back tracks the agreement from Sunday. http://www.euractiv.com/video/extremely-difficult-impossible-i-533561 However at present the EU does not have an official view on this and will only give one when a member state asks a specific question about a clear and precise case. The UK Government can ask the EU for a formal legal opinion but publicly at least have not sought this view. Article 50 of the EU treaty cover the issue of a country leaving. If in the proposed referendum of 2017 for a UK in/out of Europe vote, if the democratic decision of the people is two leave the treaty requires a minimum 2 year notice period to terminate membership to allow for the orderly withdrawal from agreements. When Greenland gained home rule in 1979 and voted to leave the UK it took 6 years to extract itself from the EU in 1985. As a pragmatist it would only appear to be a bureaucratic heaven scenario to be carrying out simultaneously negotiation in one room on how Scotland leaves the EU following a Yes vote whilst in the room next door negotiation Scotland entry. Further the EU budget is set to 2020 so will the rUK be left paying £1 billion fee that is Scotland's share of the current UK contribution or will this be split ver all 28 countries? In 2006 the EU representative from the Commission made a formal officially agreed speech to the United Nations that is in-line with settled will of the EU to expand as a democratic organisation that is built on the fundamental human right of a people to seek self determination via the ballot box. http://www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/en/article_6499_en.htm This stated: "the European Union firmly believes that respect for the right of self determination is an important pillar of the international system. self determination is closely associated with respect for al human rights, for democracy and for the rule of law including the principle of equality between citizens. Respect for the right of self determination requires the holding of free, regular and fair elections within the framework of a democratic society. Full respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms is essential." Every member of the EU is signed up member of the United Nations and in addition to article 1 there is further provisions with the UN treaties prevents undue obstacles and delays in recognising and working with New Democratic states created via the principle of self determination. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination