Sounds like Orkney council aren't doing a very good job and are looking to distract from that e.g. "its not us, its Edinburgh/London!". The bit about the Shetland islands is telling.
Personally I suspect this investigation will result in a lot of 'fact finding' missions to Scandinavian countries, Isle of Jersey, etc.. for the council members and result in a quietly dropped report.
Do you have any concrete criticism of the Orkney council? If their fundamental complaint is neglect (evidenced by low per-capita funding relative to other island governments) then it hardly makes sense to blame that on Orkney.
So I assume they share the same traits as other populists. Populists never believe in the cause, only self enrichment.
They by design don't understand why things are structured and done the way they are because it undermines their simplistic message. "It would all be fixed if we just did x, or got rid of y"
They all seem to rely on culture wars "x group gets more than you, z are trying to stop, etc...).
So I assume if the council are using a populist message they have messed up and seeking to escape blame and maybe get something on the side.
Orkney could leave the UK to become a self-governing territory of Norway after its council opted to explore “alternative forms of governance”.
The archipelago off the north coast of Scotland will also consider changing its legal status within Britain as it seeks to provide more economic opportunities.
A motion has been put forward by the Orkney Islands council leader, James Stockan, to explore its “Nordic connections”, as well as looking at the governance structures of crown dependencies such as Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
Orkney was under Norwegian and Danish control until 1472, when the islands were given to Scotland as security for Margaret of Denmark’s dowry on her marriage to King James III of Scotland...
Although the motion does not commit the council to any of the options, the officials’ report said any constitutional change would probably require a combination of petitions, referendums and legislation at Holyrood and Westminster.
The motion is to be discussed by the council on Tuesday.
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