Shetland generations split in elections on an independent Scotland?

[MuckleJoannie]

I came across this item by a Norwegian tv reporter.

 

http://www.nrk.no/verden/generasjonene-splittet-i-valget-1.11711890

 

The article is is basically what is in the film. This is a rough translation.

 

Shetland generations split in elections on an independent Scotland

Lerwick, Shetland's (NRK ) : They lack nothing. Still want the youngest to do to the
Scots, against the will of many of the elderly .

There are those who will say that Shetlanders are not missing anything, other than a
more hospitable place to stay. Still many of the youngest island community wantchanges.

- Independence Scotland will benefit in many ways, says Gaelan Miller.

Norwegian meets him in the tv room home in family house situated northeast of thelargest of the Shetland Islands , Mainland. A classic low brick houses, which may withstand the wind rarely take the totally free here.
GEALAN Miller is the first time voter. All Scottish 16 and 17 year olds have got to vote in the referendum on Scotland's future. He is really for secession .

The islands that once were Norwegian , and has a shorter shower to Bergen than any other real village will like the rest of the Scottish region deciding to whether the future will be Scots or Brits.

September 18 , all who currently have an address in the Scottish region cast a "yes" or "no" to a question about Scotland should be an independent country . For the first time in history should 16 and 17 year olds be allowed to vote. GEALAN takes it very seriously.

He is one of a total of 50 Scots aged 16-17 years as the British broadcaster BBC has compiled a project called " Generation 2014 ". BBC follow all the youngsters in the last year until the actual vote.

    At first I was a no- man, but then I put myself into things , and now I know that Scotland should be a separate country Gaelan Miller, first voter Will keep oil money

He wants a change , even though he lives in the place in the Scottish region , and in the UK by the way , where most are changing . The crime rate is low. Top stories in thenews over the two days NRK on the islands , is about a burglary in a fish'n'chips Shop . There is hardly unemployment, it is around 1 percent. The only way to be unemployed here , is to go hard into it , according to the resident .

The economy is flourishing , thanks to the oil industry , and oil and gas facilities on the northwest side of the Mainland. They even have a special kind of oil fund , amounting to nearly 2.2 billion , which is used for everything from cultural festivals to bus service for the elderly.

But GEALAN and many young people want a change.

- We lose all the support we get from Westminster ( the UK government ) , but then we also keep all the oil money here . And they we need a number of things , such as health care, child and so on . Shetland has served well in the oil for many years, and we still do. Not least because of all the oil workers who leave some money here, says the young voter .

From Great Britain to Little Britain ?

The once great British Empire has steadily shrunk over the last 62 years , and soon it may shrink another notch if the split will happen. The Scottish self- government gave the youngest voting in the hope of gaining impetus to just that.

Polls suggest that Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and his Scottish Nationalist party did not quite get the stimulus they had hoped for from the young people on the mainland. But at 60 degrees north of the Shetland Islands are the hunger for great change in many young people.

The capital Lerwick in Shetland - Capital Lerwick in Shetland is closer to Bergen than any other real village. Now, residents here and in the rest of the island community decide if they want to be governed from London or Edinburgh in the years ahead.

Shetland belongs to the Scottish region of the UK. They have been British country for over 300 years and before that was the Scottish 200 years. Before it was again the part of Norway .

But now it's about the future. If it is to be Scottish or British.

There is to date not been a single poll only in Shetland. The population of just over 22,000 makes it difficult to select a representative sample. But we notice quickly that the island community appears to be divided on the question of secession or not for Scotland.


To check out what young people think , we travel to Shetland College , located just outside the center of Lerwick , the capital of the Shetland Islands. They learn everything from crafts to IT and business.

At 12.15am the lunchtime and young people flock to the canteen where a large portion of chips collected from the kitchen to the hungry students.

At a table sit three female students. All three agree that they lean towards a "yes" in the referendum in the autumn. They are in no way cocksure , but believe more in a future Scots, than as Britons . None of them see themselves as Britons today either .

- Almost all young people I have talked to all friends, they lean towards "yes" . But many have not decided yet , says Helen Laurensen . We are a rich country. We live in a very unique part of the country, with oil and everything. We can specialize more , meeting the needs of a small country in a better way , says Rhea Key .

She never thought she defines itself as the most shetlender , Scot or Briton , but falls down on that she probably is most Scot.

Holly Leask looks thoughtfully at the ceiling as she answers. - I think that Scotland is they who will have the best intentions for us , she says.

 

Fearing higher taxes

But what about the parents and grandparents generation ?

In a combined candy and sandwich shop, we meet Kay Mouat . She stands and butters a bunch of sandwiches before lunch rush . She is quick to tell you that she has relatives in Kristiansand, before she was more than happy to answer questions about Scottish secession.

- Oh no , not Scotland , she says , shaking her head. I think we should remain in the UK. Not I want to lose the pound either, and to the euro instead , says Mouat .

Julie Mackie - I 'm British , says Julie Mackie who run Bed & Breakfast in Shetland. Although London is 1000 mil away , she prefers to be controlled from there.

Just south of the capital , we meet Julie Mackie . She runs a Bed & Breakfast with her husband Gordon. She has not a moment believe any secession from the rest of the UK.- We are definitely best together , we can make a good country better. Detaching ourselves , everything is just more expensive. The taxes increase, much of what we earn on oil up here would have ended up in central Scotland . Among all my friends will be absolutely clear no - votes , she states .

But she is excited about youth. On how they will vote .

- They are enthusiastic enough , and their presence in Scottish politics has undoubtedly been confirmed. But personally I think it's very young to vote when you are 16 -17 years, she says.

To answer all adults shetlanders we meet that day. And scoffs independence fervor down in Edinburgh.

Suspicion of Scotland

To understand more of how shetlanders think, we have agreed to meet Hans J. Marter . He runs the newspaper Shetland News along with a companion and moved here from Germany 20 years ago .

NRK employees are told that the newspaper is located just outside the city . " A little out of town " turns out to be a nearly 45 -minute drive northwest of Lerwick. The moment we seem to run out of the way , we glimpse a low brick houses in the fog.

It's Shetland News, which is also home to Hans J. Marter . The Newspaper office is 6 square meters, within the kitchen .

- But what is it to have a huge office when you are doing online newspaper ? he asks.

Also Marter think the majority of shetlanders will be in the UK. He believes they have very little faith in being helskotske again, and justifies it with historical circumstances.

- Shetlanders are very skeptical and suspicious of Scotland. There is not much more than 500 years ago they were Scottish , and it's rather short in their scale. Becoming part of Scotland again, be seen as very negative, they were ruled harshly by Scottish landowners who took over the place up here. They find it easier to rely on London than Edinburgh , he said.

- What are the youth?

- Young people are important . To begin with, I do not think they fully understood what they were going to use this new right to, but now they have to decide . I think they consistently to say yes to independence. The elderly are going to stick to the status quo, says the editor .

Hans J. Marter - Shetlanders have a deep distrust of Scotland , says Hans J. Marter ,who runs the newspaper Shetland News. He believes , however, that the youth of the island community will vote for secession from the United Kingdom . -

 

Voices on the left , but getting government from the right

Although it might seem a hopeless to campaign for secession from these statements ,working Brian Nugent eager for just collecting yes votes in Shetland. He leads the " Yes Shetland ", and in particular the belief the youngest voters. He sees himself as Scottish , not British , and are tired of being ruled from London.

- We are a different country politically . England and Wales tend to vote for parties on the right , while we vote on the left . Yet we end up with a Conservative government .

The vote is about to do something about that problem , he said. Right side is very unpopular in Scotland. Of the 59 Scottish seats in the British Parliament , belonging currently one seat conservatives , while the British Labour Party , Labour has 41 seats. Scottish National Party , which also belongs to the left side has six representatives , and the Liberal Democrats , which corresponds Norwegian Liberal Party has 11 seats.

But Shetland is not like the rest of Scotland. The votes are not left or right. Island communities only parliamentary seat has in fact belonged to the Liberal , and later Liberal Democrats continuously since 1950.


Since 2001 the islands have been represented by Alistair Carmichael, who is now also the British government's own Scotland minister. Similar to both the party and the government, he fights for Scotland to remain British. So yes - champion Nugent has a big task ahead of him if he should repent shetlenderne , but it is becoming voices for all the Scottish region that is crucial.

- No side has an edge at the moment , but the gap is becoming smaller as we approach ,and hopefully when we get to September 18th we passed , he said.

Brian Nugent is also an optimist when it comes to young people. - We give younger people than usual opportunity to involve themselves in politics. It is up to them whether they use the opportunity. 16 -year-olds can marry, can enlist in defense , why should they not have a vote . I hope they come down on the yes side , he said.

 

A split Scotland

Such polls are today, just over half of Scots vote no to independence and the right of 40 percent would vote for . The rest have not decided .

Over the past months, thus the gap between the yes and neisiden be even less. In this case, there is a split Scotland goes to the polls , and Scotland as either being a separate country , or remain British would more or less be split down the middle .

Back in the living room with Geale Miller creates the idea of ​​a future split Scotland it to stop up a bit.

- I do not know how to handle such issues. You 're right, it will be a divided country if it becomes clogged. I do not know what will happen. But whatever the outcome of the vote so still need a job , and you do family. So you must be sure to make the correct choice , but one must also keep the ties whatever happens , he says .
 

[Frances144]

(Secretly, a little part of me would like to be part of Norway)