ORKNEY (Scotland), August 29 (RIA Novosti), Mark Hirst - The MPs and the British cabinet should have no place in the negotiating team that will lead talks with the British Government if residents back Scotland's independence in three weeks, a local community representative living in the constituency of the Secretary of State for Scotland told RIA Novosti.
Alistair Carmichael, a Liberal Democrat MP, who represents the island communities of Orkney and Shetland earlier vowed he would resign from the UK cabinet and hoped to become part of the negotiation team, representing Scotland, if it becomes independent after the September 18 vote.
A community activist and former local newspaper editor Robert Leslie, however, told RIA Novosti Carmichael was simply trying to extend his political career and should not be involved in any post-referendum talks.
“Carmichael is just wanting to slightly prolong that career because he’s already said that he is not going to be in politics forever, so I think he is just wanting to make sure he gets some kind of say in how things go before he ducks out,” Leslie said.
Carmichael told The Scotsman newspaper earlier that following a vote in favor of Scottish independence he would feel obliged to resign.
“It would be difficult to see how you could fit into a cabinet, which was at the point on its way to becoming part of a foreign country,” Carmichael told the paper, adding that he would like to be part of the Scottish negotiations team following a "Yes" vote.
“I don’t think that a lot of people in Orkney, who are not Liberal Democrat supporters, would be keen to see Carmichael involved in talks,” Leslie said.
“He has been behaving more like the Secretary of State against Scotland instead of the Secretary of State for Scotland. I think it would leave a lot of people very disgruntled if he was involved in the talks following a Yes vote. We don’t think he really represents the views of the vast majority of people in the Northern Isles,” he said.
Leslie’s views were echoed by the Deputy Leader of Orkney Islands Council, Councillor Jim Foubister, who accused the MP of hedging his bets ahead of the historic independence referendum.
“The old saying is he is playing both sides against the middle. It proves he is a true Liberal Democrat. They can never make up their minds,” Foubister told RIA Novosti.
Earlier, the Council’s political leader, Councillor Steven Heddle, confirmed he was publicly supporting a "Yes" vote, a position backed by Foubister who, after four decades as a Conservative and Unionist supporter had also decided to back Scottish independence.
“After a long lifetime of 40 years of supporting the Conservative Party at various General Elections I have decided to vote 'Yes' for independence. I am supporting the Yes movement,” Foubister told RIA Novosti.
“I have a number of reasons for doing so, but after a lifetime in politics, I do not believe that Scotland has received a fair crack of the whip with regard to funding. I am more than astonished to listen to Alistair Darling [the former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer] of the 'No' campaign, stating that Scotland couldn’t stand on its own feet financially when he was a part of the Government that have effectively robbed Scotland of its oil wealth, spent it unwisely and at the same time we saw a rise in the national debt rise dramatically,” Foubister added.
“I don’t think Darling is in any place to lecture anyone on finance,” Foubister told RIA Novosti.
Better Together, the official campaign group which is urging a negative vote, declined to respond to Carmichael’s comments or the public endorsements for independence by the two leading Councillors.
Scots go to the polls on 18th September and will be asked one question, “Should Scotland become an independent country?”
