Government asked for petition response

The Public Petitions Committee of the Scottish Parliament yesterday, Wednesday, agreed  to ask the Scottish Government to respond to a petition calling for referenda to be held in Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles.

If the proposal is accepted, the referenda will be held one week after the referendum on Scottish independence.

“We have been overwhelmed by the level of support our petition received in the islands, and we warmly welcome the parliamentary committee’s decision that our petition is admissible”, said Isle of Lewis based Catriona Murray of the group Referenda On The Islands (ROTI).

She added: “We are also delighted that the Scottish Government will have to state its view on the proposal in the near future.

“Exactly the same principle applies to the island groups as applies to Scotland: it is up to residents to decide the status of where we live.

“Once the Scottish Government announces that the referenda will be held, we look forward to all positions being given a fair hearing. Islanders will then be able to decide our future in the only proper way – by referendum.”

The proposal is that in each of the island groups, residents will be asked to choose between the following options: 1.To become an independent country 2. To stay in Scotland.

If the result of the Scottish independence referendum the previous week is “Yes”, there will also be a third option: To leave Scotland and remain part of the UK.