<A Small Note on Hurricane Felix The Oil Drum Ethanol and the Environment>
<DrumBeat: September 3, 2007 DrumBeat DrumBeat: September 5, 2007>

187 comments on DrumBeat: September 4, 2007

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Show without comments | PDF version

Alfred on September 4, 2007 - 9:16am Permalink | Subthread | Comments top

Minister to spurn SNP call to secure oil powers

Minister to spurn SNP call to secure oil powers

Tensions over control of the North Sea oil and gas industry will burst into the open today when a government minister flatly rejects the Scottish National party's call to hand powers over the industry to the Edinburgh parliament.

David Cairns, minister of state at the Scotland Office, will use a speech to the Offshore Europe conference in Aberdeen today to insist the economic case for devolving North Sea revenues is flawed and Scotland's interests are best served by powers remaining at Westminster.

For many years the UK Treasury (i.e. current Prime Minister Gordon Brown) tried to make out that London was doing Scotland by grabbing its oil and exchanging it for a lot of so-called handouts. Now, it seems that they are determined to hang on to it despite its massive decline over the past few years. :=)

PS
I hope no one minds the primitive smiley above!

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Leanan on September 4, 2007 - 9:35am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Edited for bandwidth and copyright reasons.

The smiley is fine, but please don't quote the entire article. A link and a couple of paragraphs is enough.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Alfred on September 4, 2007 - 10:42am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Sorry.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
garyp on September 4, 2007 - 9:47am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Is it a surprise?

There is no way that scotland will be allowed to gain control of oil or oil revenues. In practical terms scottish independence both relies on oil, and is prevented by it. Westminster will only consider casting the jocks free once the oil has run out, and by that point scotland couldn't survive without it (considering the handouts they get).

Its a synergistic relationship, the UK as a whole benefits from the resources that scotland affords, and scotland benefits from being part of something with a critical mass. Its a pity there are those that are always trying to pull it apart on the basis of a romantic ideal.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Alfred on September 4, 2007 - 10:47am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

"Critical Mass" obviously does not apply to Norway or the zillion other small countries that are in the European Union.

I agree with you that Scotland has a dependency culture - that can be rectified if they really want to do so. It is a legacy of the Labour Party's electoral stranglehold over Scotland for a number of generations.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Wharf Rat on September 4, 2007 - 9:50am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

(<::

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

187 comments on DrumBeat: September 4, 2007

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Show without comments | PDF version