Forwick Holm declares independence, quits EU

Shetland independence campaigner Stuart Hill, aka Captain Calamity (see No 784), is going to declare the Shetland island Forwick Holm, independent of the UK and the EU on 21 June 2008.

The details are available on Shetland Action, Mr Hill's retitled website.  He says he is the island's owner and will rename it Forvik (Norse for 'bay of sheep') and make it a Crown dependency like the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.  He has written to the Queen offering to become the Steward of Forvik, but one wonders of what exactly he will be steward; certainly not revenues, as the following passage from the website makes clear:

“There will be no income tax, VAT, council tax, corporation tax, or any of the other taxes instituted by the British government. The only tax is a contribution by every citizen towards the cost of running the state – the old Nordic scat. This will be initially set at a level of one forvik gulde per year – about £55 sterling at current gold values. Forvik Island will have its own coinage backed by gold, its own stamps, and will register companies in a tax-free environment. Offshore banking and financial services will follow at a later date.”

Sounds good; but can Mr Hill do anything about the weather?  All interested are invited to apply for citizenship at info@udallaw.com.