Scottish Independance. Will it ever Happen?

[EireEmerald]

Will Scottish Independance ever happen? Should it?
How would Scotland cope on her own?

[Ishoss]

Why would they? Since they (afaik) has no reason to be independent, no they will never be.

[Desperado †]

Why would they? Since they (afaik) has no reason to be independent, no they will never be.

Does any country have a reason to be independant?

[EireEmerald]

Does any country have a reason to be independant?

It depends on what it is trying to get independance from, in Scotland's case, i think they would be better staying in the Union.

[Påsan]

It depends on what it is trying to get independance from, in Scotland's case, i think they would be better staying in the Union.

why?

[Yorkshireman]

why?

Well contrary to what the SNP claim the oil, which by the way belongs to Britain, not Scotland, is running out, or at least the stuff thats easily extractable.

Offshore technology.com

The Scottish National Party (SNP), who won control of the Scottish assembly in May 2007, is using oil and gas as a key driver in its battle for independence. At their annual conference in October, party leader and first minister for Scotland, Alex Salmond announced that, if Scotland had access to its oil revenues, it would be the third richest country in Europe and the sixth richest in the world.



There's little doubt that the nation that is home to the oil capital of Europe is a major player in the global energy market. But just how successful is the Scottish oil and gas industry? Would it be enough to sustain an independent Scotland? And what happens when the well runs dry?

The SNP uses Scottish oil and gas as the foundation of its economic policy for an independent Scotland. They claim that Scotland would receive 95% of the UK's oil revenue, a figure that in 2006 they put at £65bn 'over the next few years', which they could use to fund Scotland's public services. But is the industry as lucrative as they make out?

When he was Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2005, Gordon Brown doubled the supplementary tax charges on North Sea companies to 20% in a bid to use oil money to swell the UK's coffers. Oil prices were high but some analysts suggested it was a gamble and the following year they were proved right: a pre-budget report in 2006 revealed that oil revenues had come in £4bn short of Gordon Brown's prediction.

How had Britain's current prime minister got it so wrong? By ignoring the signs of Aberdeen and the evidence of the figures: North Sea output fell by 38% between 2000 and 2006 and is expected to drop by 3% a year until 2011.

Output is falling because reserves are running out and extraction costs are increasing as what oil is left is much harder to extract. In 2006 the North Sea produced 2.9 million barrels of oil a day compared to 4.5 million in 1999 whilst capital investment was £5.6bn, the highest since 1998. Average developing and operating costs per barrel rose by 45% to $22 a barrel and are expected to rise to $25 a barrel in the next few years.

Britain became a net importer of gas in 2004 and a net importer of oil in 2005. That is because, as the good folk of Aberdeen knew five years ago when they changed their roundabout signs, Scotland's oil is running out.

"North sea production is in decline," says Peter Hitchens, oil and gas analyst at Seymour Pierce. "The peak of production has gone. The clearest indicator of that is that all the majors are pulling out of the North Sea. I don't think oil and gas will ever entirely run out in the North Sea, but you will see smaller companies using the infrastructure in the fields to look for smaller deposits."

Diminishing reserves are not the only problem affecting the Scottish oil and gas industry. In November 2007 the government's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published a report following a three-year investigation into 100 North Sea oil rigs and mobile platforms. They found that nearly two-thirds were in a poor state of repair or guilty of non-compliance with safety regulations.

"It is absolutely frightening when you see the figures," says Graeme Tran, regional spokesman for the Amicus union. "It is an unacceptable position to have in the North Sea. There are companies still risking the lives of our members for the price of a barrel of oil."

http://www.offshore-technology.com/f...s/feature1521/

[Azog 150]

(This is probably better off in the political academy)

I think most Scottish people are proud to be British. I don't think an independent Scotland could cope anyway- especially not now in a time of economic recession. I don't see why they would want to become independent.

[Mr. Pink]

(This is probably better off in the political academy)

I think most Scottish people are proud to be British. I don't think an independent Scotland could cope anyway- especially not now in a time of economic recession. I don't see why they would want to become independent.

All I know are not all that proud of being British.

I'd like us to get Independance some day.

BTW, you'll have Danny_K_1 on this thread shortly with his memorized Braveheart speeches.

[Lancy]

This thread isn't about Ireland, Eire_Ireland. Are you sure you meant to post it?

I'd say there is a fair possibility of Scottish Independence at some point. Certainly if old Alex gets his way. But I don't think it's likely at the moment, as there is not quite enough popular support. Also, the current economic situation might hold it back, as Scotland is currently subsidised by England. Though, of course there's the whole north sea oil thing.

Really, I don't know, I'm just rambling and I'm not really too familiar on the topic. Enjoy your thread.

[6th Vigil]

This thread isn't about Ireland, Eire_Ireland. Are you sure you meant to post it?

What? you didn't se a thread like this coming? I knew there would be something about Scotland when Eire started that thread about Irish and Scots.

On topic:

I certainly see a referendum on Scottish Independence in the near future. Whether that will result in Scottish independence is another matter. I would really hope they're not so pumped up on Braveheart that they actually think about what they're doing. As far as i can see the SNP are popular in Scotland mostly for the improvements they've made, although those would diminish somewhat with financial independence from the rest of the UK.

What i don't get is this: The SNP, and most pro-independence Scottish, are pro-EU and further integration. So why leave a union if you're just going to join an even bigger union? Surely the two moves are contradictory?

On the Financial and sea oil front i'm not that well educated but i'm hopeful someone learned in those matters will drop in to give us thses figures.

[EireEmerald]

This thread isn't about Ireland, Eire_Ireland. Are you sure you meant to post it?

I'd say there is a fair possibility of Scottish Independence at some point. Certainly if old Alex gets his way. But I don't think it's likely at the moment, as there is not quite enough popular support. Also, the current economic situation might hold it back, as Scotland is currently subsidised by England. Though, of course there's the whole north sea oil thing.

Really, I don't know, I'm just rambling and I'm not really too familiar on the topic. Enjoy your thread.

I know, I was shocked as well. Although be ready, i have many more Irish topics on the leash, some I think will be very interesting.

[Justinian]

Moved to the Academy.

[Heathen Hammer]

It had to be posted:


Scots need another William Wallace.

[EireEmerald]

It had to be posted:


Scots need another William Wallace.

If only a quarter of the stuff in that film were in some way realistic.

[Treize]

I don't know if they really want that...

They did want more autonomy, and they got it.
But if they really want full independence, then none has the right to oppose that.
You never know with such a patriotic people.

[Gromovnik]

I hope for Scottish freedom.

[Alba gu Brath]

I do think it's possible that at some point in the distant future, Scotland will pass an independence referendum. However, like said above, due to the economic situation present, it's highly unlikely that they will vote for independence in the near future.

One example is the amount of jobs that the MOD has created in Scotland. i.e army, navy, air force etc. If Scotland gained independence then there would be no British army in Scotland; resulting in the loss of those jobs that people have within the British army. Scotland, on it's own could not fund a stationary army as big as it is now. It would become an nuetral country if it gained independence.

I see no reason for Scotland to not successfully gain independence in the future. The Republic of Ireland has faired well on it's own and so would we.

@Azog 150: Personally, I don't think most Scottish people are proud to be British. Not where i'm from anyway and I wouldn't say it's the situation with people from Northern Scotland either. We don't like to associate ourselves with British symbols. For example: The royal family.

I also think we could cope very well on our own, in the future.

[smithy17]

We don't like to associate ourselves with British symbols. For example: The royal family.

You mean the royal family which is descended from the Scottish Stuarts?

[Poach]

I certainly hope I never see this country independent, I'd move south if ever it did.

Right now it'll never work, and we've already seen what happens to small countries (Ireland, Iceland) when worldwide economic issues arise. Further to this Scottish citizens, though some quirk in the system, get more money spent per head on them by the NHS and such, this would end if Scotland went independent.

As far as I can tell, Scottish independence would result in a general lowering in standards for Scots and no real impact to the rest of the UK. All we'd achieve is the ripping apart of a Union that has been both successful and beneficial so far, and for what? So we can wave our own little flag and scream "Look at us! We've voluntarily relegated ourselves to obscurity and lowered our own standards of living!!"

[Alba gu Brath]

You mean the royal family which is descended from the Scottish Stuarts?

The current Royal Family is of German decent.