 Due to their history , the islands have a Norse , rather than a Gaelic flavour , and have historic links with the Faroes , Iceland , and Norway . The similarities of both geography and history are matched by some elements of the current political process . Both Orkney and Shetland are represented in the House of Commons as constituting the Orkney and Shetland constituency , which elects one Member of Parliament ( MP ) , the current incumbent being Alistair Carmichael . Both are also within the Highlands and Islands electoral region for the Scottish Parliament . 
