Wallace Proposes Further Devolution For The Islands

Wallace: more power for the island communities

The island communities have traditionally been sceptical of devolution, both Orkney and Shetland voted strongly against home rule in the last referendum. In 1979 Jo Grimond, the then MP for the northern isles secured an amendment which would have allowed the islands to opt out of a Scottish Parliament if they voted No.

It is hoped that these proposed amendments to the devolution plans would make devolution more appealing to those islanders who fear a Central Belt dominated Parliament.

Scottish Tories say this move shows that the Yes campaign are running scared of a No vote in the islands. They also claim that this change in policy in the last week of the campaign shows that the three parties in the Yes campaign are disunited.