Declaration of Independance

In The Ting, 23 February, 2011

The Declaration of the Sovereign State of Forvik

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We, the sovereign people of Forvik, hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men have equal rights, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right and Duty of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organising its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Well Being. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of this Colony; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present Crown of The United Kingdom is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over Shetland, of which Forvik is a part. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, SOVEREIGN PEOPLE OF FORVIK,

DO DECLARE AND AFFIRM:

  1. That the monarchs and governments of Scotland, and Great Britain and The United Kingdom have for many years assumed powers over the people and lands of these islands of Shetland to which they were not entitled and have usurped the rights and sovereignty of the people of Shetland.
  2. That Shetland was previously part of Norway.
  3. That Norway, being joined with Denmark, was ruled by the Danish King Christian.
  4. That the people of Shetland were a sovereign people, owning their land absolutely under God and making their own laws within the Norse system.
  5. That the sovereign people of Norway, Denmark, Shetland, Orkney, Faroe, Iceland and Greenland elected King Christian to be their monarch and granted him his sovereignty.
  6. That the state of Norway has latterly declared it has no wish or intention to take back Shetland into its realm.
  7. That King Christian pawned his lands in the islands of Shetland to King James III of Scotland in 1469 in the sum of 8,000 Guldes, as security in the matter of payment of a marriage dowry.
  8. That such matters were personal between the two crowned heads and not a matter for their parliaments.
  9. That Kings of Scotland at various times, including 1549, 1550, 1558, 1560, 1585, 1589, 1660 and other intermediate years, evaded the rightful redemption of the Shetland Islands when the money was lawfully offered.
  10. That the only powers granted to King James III over Shetland were those of trustee of the King's lands until redeemed and of general administrator (but not sovereign) of Shetland as a whole.
  11. That part of his acknowledged obligation was to preserve the existing language and laws.
  12. That King Charles II declared in 1669 that in the event of a general dissolution of His Majesty's properties, such as happened in 1707 with the Act of Union, these islands were not to be included.
  13. That King Charles II erected Shetland into a Stewarty with a direct dependence upon his Majesty and his officers.
  14. That a Stewartry is not the same and is not compatible with a county.
  15. That there was appointed a Steward to represent his Majesty in the Stewartry.
  16. That Queen Anne ignored the provisions laid down by King Charles II and without any prior right, illegally purported to incorporate Shetland into Great Britain with the 1707 Act of Union.
  17. That the 1707 Act of Union omits any mention of Shetland.
  18. That the office of Steward survived for many years after 1707, thus negating any assumed status of Shetland as a mere county of Scotland.
  19. That the Great Britain purported to be formed by the 1707 Act of Union was a feudal state. A fundamental attribute of a feudal state is that the Crown is deemed to own all land.
  20. That the Crown has never pretended ultimate ownership of land in Shetland.
  21. That Shetland, being for countless years governed under Udal Law and being allodial as a result, could not be incorporated into such feudal state.
  22. That monarchs and governments have combined with others to subject Shetland to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving their Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation in breach of their clear obligation to the contrary.
  23. That said pretended Legislation has been used against the people of these islands to their great prejudice.
  24. That the above mentioned monarchs and governments have suspended our own Legislatures, and declared themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever
  25. That the government of the United Kingdom has committed fraudulent acts upon these islands to the great detriment of the people.
  26. That, in 1989 and in other years before and after, the government of the United Kingdom entered into illegal wars and obliged people of these islands to fight on its behalf.
  27. That in 1973 the Crown and government of the United Kingdom by treasonous acts caused these islands to join the European Economic Community and in 1975 forced them to remain, against the clearly stated will of the people.
  28. That the government of the United Kingdom, without any prior right, appropriated the fishing and other rights in the seas around these islands and gave them to foreign powers.
  29. That the government of the United Kingdom, without any prior right, appropriated the seabed belonging to these islands for the purposes of oil extraction for its exclusive benefit.
  30. That the government of the United Kingdom extracts rents for the use of seabed belonging to the people of Shetland, to which they have no right or title.
  31. That ministers of the government of the United Kingdom have committed treason by giving away the sovereignty of that state to foreign powers.
  32. That the government of the United Kingdom, without right and without the consent of the people, extracts taxes of the people of Shetland and only accounts to them for half of those taxes, using the remainder for its own purposes.
  33. That the government of the United Kingdom has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
  34. That nothing has occurred to give the government of the United Kingdom any powers whatsoever in Shetland.
  35. That a Monarch who has given her assent to treasonous acts committed against her people by a government whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
  36. That Forvik is a part of Shetland whose people resolve to take action in support of their lawful rights.
  37. That the sovereign people of Shetland have been illegally deprived of their rights by incoming lords and dignitaries having no real rights of their own, but acting in pretence, that those sovereign people were so far subjected that they were unable to protest their rights.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the island known as Forvik, appealing to the Supreme and Universal Power of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of Forvik, solemnly publish and declare, That Island is, and of Right ought to be a Free and Independent State, that we are Absolved from all Allegiance to the United Kingdom Crown and pretended allegiance to any other entity or State, and that all political connections between us and the State of The United Kingdom, the devolved region of Scotland, and the European Union, are and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as a Free and Independent State, Forvik has full Power to conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we Pledge our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honour.

The sovereign people of Forvik set down below sign this declaration, either in writing, or by electronic means.

Declaration signatories must be Forvik members.
If you are a paid-up member and are having difficulty, please contact us
If you would like to become a member, please register here. You will be very welcome.

Signatures

Declaration of Independence Petition

Mr Stuart Hill (22-02-2012 05:15)
Mr Richard DaCosta (27-02-2012 03:11)
Veronica: of the Chapman family (27-02-2012 03:43)
Mr Brian Bees (27-02-2012 04:11)
Mr dave langford (27-02-2012 07:07)
Mr Michael Eaton (01-03-2012 11:35)
Daniel Bamping (12-03-2012 15:30)
Peter Bird (22-03-2012 01:42)
Giles Pepperell Pepperell (25-03-2012 13:40)
simon: of the elder family (08-04-2012 06:12)

AMENDMENT No.1

On 1st June 2011, after due deliberation it was decided to add the following to the list of facts at Number 37:

37. That the sovereign people of Shetland have been illegally deprived of their rights by incoming lords and dignitaries having no real rights of their own, but acting in pretence, that those sovereign people were so far subjected that they were unable to protest their rights.

AMENDMENT No.2

On 11th February 2012, after due deliberation it was decided to insert between the words 'We' and 'hold' in paragraph 2, the words: ', the sovereign people of Forvik,'

At paragraph 26, after the word '1989', insert: 'and in other years before and after'