Lorna M

You're mistaken. The petition suggests independence as an option regardless of whether Scotland votes yes or no. The option which would be added in if Scotland votes yes is leaving Scotland and staying in the UK. I don't know! Where is it? That might be one thing that will get discussed (and why not?), but it isn't mentioned in the petition. I have to say I think to some extent you're seeing what you want to see, Paul.

You make some good points, but nobody is suggesting that the islands referenda should be held without the UK government's support. Since Shetland is currently in the UK, and certainly will be until at least March 2016, we can demand and expect support from both governments. There may be a case for holding the islands referenda on some date further in the future than 25 Sep but which is still before March 2016. Hopefully this will be discussed in the following 1-2 months as a result of the petition. But what is far more important than that date is the principle that the date must be agreed and announced before the Scottish referendum is held. You are right that I have already decided to vote "No" on 18 Sep, but I think that voters throughout Scotland have the right to know in the near future that islands referenda will be held - and they have a right to weigh up possibilities regarding oil when they decide how to vote in the Scottish referendum. This can be rubbished by some commenters as Shetland holding Scotland to ransom, but then I am afraid a lot of the oil is located in the economic zone which will belong to whatever country Shetland is in. That's why it's in the UK zone now, and that's why it could stay in that zone, or become part of a Scottish zone, or become part of a Shetland zone, and people have just got to get used to that.

Hi Who Knows! Many of your points I agree with, but I will just concentrate on the few that I disagree with or would amend... You are quite right that the UK Parliament could block referenda in the islands. But the section 30 Order which enabled the Scottish vote came after the Scottish Government had raised its desire with the UK Government. The resulting Edinburgh Agreement came with a draft s30 Order attached. This petition is for the Scottish Government to back and then hold referenda in the islands. If they have to tie up a few points with the UK Government, OK fine. Holyrood is certainly the right place for this petition. The Scottish Government took a position on the Scottish referendum, and a Scottish referendum will be held. Let's make them take a position on islands referenda, and then islands referenda will be held. I agree with lobbying the Secretary of State - the more lobbying the better - but I don't agree with not petitioning the Scottish Parliament and not lobbying Alex Salmond to make him respond. If Salmond wishes to say "that's not a matter for me", he will look a proper charlie. The status of the islands certainly IS a matter for him as the leader of the Scottish Government. There are of course always details. Personally I don't think 25 Sep is too early. Campaigning groups in the islands are likely to be formed almost immediately after the Scottish Government says it will hold the referenda. But the question of the date could do with some discussion, so I agree with you there. Nobody should refrain from signing the petition because they are unhappy about the date. Sign it and then take up the matter of the date with Tavish or another MSP. The big issues are as follows. 1) IF Scotland votes "yes", the status of Shetland should be decided before Scotland actually goes independent. 2) If change is desired to the status of some parts of these islands - GB and its offshore island groups - all changes should happen simultaneously. That's crucial. Otherwise you get the assumption that 'Shetlanders should see how they like Scottish independence before they decide', which is insulting. 3) Before 18 Sep, a fixed date for the islands referenda should be announced I don't think there is an assumption that Shetland will vote "no" on 18 Sep. In a sense, 'Shetland' doesn't have a vote on 18 Sep. We need our own referendum to make our own voice clear, and all serious options should be on the table. The status of Shetland is already a big issue. Let's resolve that issue. People are intelligent enough to decide before 18 Sep that they will vote one way in the islands referendum if Scotland votes "yes" and another if it votes "no", and they can change their mind between the two Thursdays if they wish. That said, I would have thought it is a near certainty that a majority of those who vote in the Scottish indyref in Scotland WILL vote "No". Lorna

That's just SNP propaganda. Sometimes they cite this article by Mahdi Zahraa, but it doesn't support what they say. The Exclusive Economic Zone of the Faroe Islands runs for 200 miles, and they even have UN-recognised rights outside of that zone. (Source).

An image that says it all: http://i57.tinypic.com/wgrixi.jpg

Does anyone know of a site similar to Shetlink but for Orkney or the Western Isles? I'd like to post a notice like Gordon's there, about this petition I spent ages searching the web and I couldn't find anything as vibrant and popular as Shetlink, but the other island groups have got similar sized populations, so surely something of the kind exists?