Response From Shetland Islands Council
Shetland Islands Council Convenor Sandy Cluness, who has been active in promoting greater local autonomy for Shetland, has not dismissed Mr Hill's actions out of hand, being quoted as saying on 24 June 2008 that official bodies would "wait and see how this one goes".
Further Cluness stated that, " raises interest in the question of what Shetland's status should be, as is his intention. Many Shetlanders would be quite interested to see whether this has any impact on views in relation to greater autonomy for the isles. From time to time, it has been the council's policy that we could provide a better service if we had greater control of our own resources. From that point of view he is spot on."
On 1 August 2008 a letter to the Shetland Islands News was published (apparently from Shetland Islands Council employee, Guy Nightingale) which mocked Mr Hill including the regular coverage of Mr Hill in The Shetland Times, referred to him as "a king caught half way between a bucket of ridicule and a bucket of excrement", and appeared to make a veiled threat regarding debt collection (related to Mr Hill's recent refusal to pay VAT to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs): "If I see him again I am going to report my sighting to 'the Flea', get a cut of his debt collection fee and become a Shetland bounty hunter!".
Read more about this topic: Sovereign State Of Forvik
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