Our Scotland - www.our-scotland.org

Jimbo · This is Ma' Life! Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 667

Scotland's biggest asset is it's people.

A Spanish economist whose name I forget (not that I could probably spell it anyway) reckons Scotland is probably the 6th richest country in Europe with it's natural resources. Not to mention the oil found off the west coast that GB put so much tax on that it prohibits anyone exploring it's potential.

During the 10 years that New Labour have been in power the life expectancy of a man living in the east end of Glasgow has fallen from 68yrs to 59yrs. At this rate we'll be back to a life expectancy worse than in medieval times.

I would not call that progress. New Labour have presided over this disgraceful state of affairs and have the effrontery to tell us we'll be worse off without THEM.

Screegor · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 12:11 am Post subject:

Screegor · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 12:24 am Post subject:

IF Convenor · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 12:37 am Post subject:

Screegor, you're wrong.

I've been in the oil industry for 29 years now.

There is as much oil under the North Sea as has been extracted to date. The price of oil is only going up in the long term, it will never fall significantly below $50/barrel again. In a few years it will be permanently over $100/bbl.

1000m water depth is nothing. We drill in that stuff every day all over the world and there's no special expertise involved. There are some extra problems associated with deep water production, but nothing that isn't well understood.

West coast oil may be only 5% of North Sea oil today, but there is massive potential out there. We're still finding fields in an area as mature as the North Sea so imagine the potential of the largely unexplored west coast.
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Economist · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:40 am Post subject:

Screegor · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 12:25 pm Post subject:

Screegor · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 12:51 pm Post subject:

Economist · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:01 pm Post subject:

Screegor · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:06 pm Post subject:

Economist · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:31 pm Post subject:

IF Convenor · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:01 am Post subject:

Renewables are great; the sooner the better.

The real value of oil is not as a fuel but as a chemical feedstock. Look around you. Your computer, your clothes, your furniture, your bottle of water, your pharmaceuticals, even some of your food contain parts made from oil.

Back in the day oil companies practically gave away petrol and diesel because they were just by-products of the real high value stuff.
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Jimbo · This is Ma' Life! Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 667

fiferjohn · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:19 pm Post subject:

who needs 10 good points there is just one. Scotland deing able to have fair and just government that cares about Scotland and her people.
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born Scottish not British death to the union

Blackleaf

IF Convenor · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:16 pm Post subject:

It's the UK which lets the Celts down, not the other way round. 300 years of union and look at the state of us! Compare that to the independent Republic of Ireland.

Also, all the UK figures are seriously distorted by London; so much economic activity happens there as a direct result of it being the UK capital that it artificially boosts the England figures while equally depressing the figures for the rest of the UK. It is not that England is so much more productive than the other nations or the other nations are so much less productive than England, it's that money gets drawn to the seat of government and appears to be generated there. If the UK capital was moved to Wales you'd almost instantly see England's figures becoming comparable with Scotland's and Wales' figures becoming like England's today.
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alex1991 · Finding Ma' Way Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 7

alex1991 · Finding Ma' Way Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 7

alex1991 · Finding Ma' Way Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 7

Niall · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:12 pm Post subject:

A Chairadean mhath.

I have updated the Ten questions and here they are:

This is an update of a leaflet I wrote for Siol-nan-Gaidheal four years ago. I have listed the ten most common questions or objections raised by brainwashed unionists in Scotland. However I have not answered the most ridiculous and risible statements of some New Labour politicians like “If Scotland becomes Independent you won’t be able to watch Coronation Street!” or John Reids statement that “Scotland would be a haven for Al Quaeda terrorists.” Or even Scotland will need border guards and passports.” The following quotations have been uttered by leading politicians from both the Labour and Conservative parties in the past 35 years :

Question 1:

Scotland is too poor to stand on its own feet and we will always require an English subsidy.

Fact Scotland has 8.6% of the UK population yet raises 10.41% of all UK tax revenues. (Source Treasury red Book 2002) Go figure it out for yourself. Exactly who is subsidising who? In the year 2004/2005 which is the last year I have full Government statistics for, Scotland contributed a net surplus of £9.632 Billion pounds to the UK exchequer. An independent Scotland could do a lot with that sort of money.

Question 2.
Scotland could not survive without the Barnet formula handout from England.

The Barnett Formula is NOT a SUBSIDY! Barnett is nothing more than a device which gives Scotland some of its own pocket money out of Scotland’s pay packet which is taken by UK treasury. In 2002, Scotland contributed £42.7Billions to the UK Exchequer and received £18.1 Billions doled back in return via Barnet. It would be a much better idea to keep the £42.7 Billions as an Independent Country.

Question 3.
For the past 35 years, this has been the constant refrain: North sea oil is running out fast and soon there will be nothing left......

According to Professor Alex Kemp, of Petroleum Economics at the University of Aberdeen. North Sea Oil and Gas production will still be present in 2050. There is as much known oil left yet to be extracted than has already been exploited. According to the UKOOA over £10 Billion pounds has been invested in capital projects in the North sea in 2005 and the projected figure for 2006 is£11.5 Billions. Employment in Scotland accounts for 190,000 people directly and indirectly in the industry. It contributed 75% of the total UK Oil and gas requirements in 2005. Hardly the performance of an industry on its last legs?

Question 4.

Britain is becoming a net importer of oil and natural gas.

True in the sense of the UK alone. False, because Scotland is a net exporter of Oil and Gas. Fact: An independent Scotland with 17.5% of Europe’s Oil reserves will be a net exporter of oil and gas for at least 35 more years. Properly invested the proceeds will make Scotland the second richest nation on earth for its size. There will be huge social and economic benefits for all Scotland’s Citizens and public services. Fact Scotland is the only Oil producing country in the entire world where 25% of its citizens live in poverty, something that Tony Blair’s government should hang its collective heads in shame for.

Question 5.
Yet another hoary chestnut : Scotland is too poor and small to afford to defend itself.

Why not? Switzerland uses just 1% of its GDP to provide a modern efficient Army and Air force. Norway spends 1.9% and can defend itself adequately. The UK spends 2.32% of GDP on its armed forces (Including Trident) Scotland can afford 1.6% of its GDP and still have modern professional armed forces half the size of the present UK.

Question 6.

Neu Liebour spin: The UK has a huge balance of payments problem, Scotland cannot possibly hope to pay her way.

False. The UK as a whole now has Balance of Payments deficit of £44 Billions per annum. Scotland however in 2005 actually contributed a Surplus of £3.4Billions. If the exports of North sea oil are taken into account £4 Billions, then Scotland would have a net surplus of £7.4 Billions making the true remainder of the UK deficit £51.4 Billions in the red.

Question 7.

So called experts in the City of London have publicly stated that Scotland could not compete against the mighty economic muscle of England.

Untrue. Denmark has an economic superpower to her south (Germany) and she does very well indeed. Switzerland is surrounded by three great economic superpowers, France, Italy, and Germany, yet she is the most prosperous nation in Europe. Singapore is a tiny island of 4 million people right next door to Indonesia with a population if 201 Millions yet is the powerhouse driving the SE Asian economy. Scotland has more than enough natural resources allied to the expertise in its own world beating financial sector to compete and prosper.

Question 8.

Mor Neu Liebour spin: Scotland is too far away from the centre of Europe to prosper.

Iceland with a population of only 400,000, is situated far to the north by the arctic circle yet has the third highest standard of living in Europe. Has few natural resources except for fish yet runs a balance of payments surplus. Iceland also has the highest number of university graduates per head of population in the world.

Question 9.

The City ofLondon is tooclose and too powerful a financial centre for Scotland to compete against.

Scotland is one of Europe’s top ten financial centres, supporting employment for in the region of 200,000 people. Financial Services accounts for 8% of Scotland’s GDP and generates more than £20 bn annually for the economy. Scotland is now reckoned to be the 9th leading global financial centre in 2005

Question 10.

Scotland does not have the financial expertise to run its own affairs.

Who says so. Its strange that the late British Empire relied on a preponderence of Scots to run their affairs. Scots bankers, economists and Accountants (reckoned to be the best in their fields) are to be found at all levels of of the UK Government some in very high positions. Therefore the expertise is there. If the people of Scotland decide that Independence is a must then the highly capable people needed to run the administration will be there, ready and waiting.

'S Mise le meas
Niall.
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azzuri · 'Our Scotland' Fossil Joined: 12 Sep 2005 Posts: 3777

Cheers Niall - do you think this merits a new thread altogether seeing as though it's an update?
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