"Helpful person" > wrote in message
...

>
> What a wonderful one sided rant. From your information it appears that
> the Scots should be grateful to the English for looking after them.

> Scotland is a beautiful country with a rich history. Its independence,
> although fragmented, until unification went back much further than the
> English.
>
> Regarding fiscal independence it is far from clear whether Scotland will
> thrive without being anchored to the UK. Many studies have been done with
> varied viewpoints. What is clear is that Scotland has been exploited for
> many years by Westminster. Before oil was discovered in the North Sea
> their was almost no investment in Scotland and the transportation system
> to the outer reaches was decimated. There is also a good argument that
> the oil was stolen from Scotland for the support of the rest of the UK.
> If the model used in Alaska (where the state has control and income from
> the oil) had been used in Scotland we would be arguing that Scotland
> couldn't leave because of all the wealth they would be taking with them.
>
> One should always examine both views, not just be guided by ones own blind
> prejudice. You say you live in Scotland. Please read some of the history
> and get a more balanced view of your country.
>
> http://www.richardfisher.com

Call it a rant if you wish, I was asked my opinion and I gave it. We have
lived in Scotland for many years and my work during that time was as a
Curator of Social History in the Scottish Museum Service, so I don't need
you to tell me about the history of this country. Of course it is a
beautiful country with a fascinating history, much (though far from all) of
which Scots can be proud, however, none of that has any relevance to the
current discussion!

Scotland has not been 'exploited by Westminster, in fact it has been
supported and subsidised by the rest of the UK. The exploration and eventual
tapping of the oil fields was done under the centralised government and
funding while Scotland has been part of the UK. It has never been
'independent' during that time and all income, taxation, etc. went to the
treasury and payments for all resources throughout the UK, including
Scotland, for defence, administration, and all other centralised services
were paid from the treasury. The devolved Scottish parliament was not
established until 1998 and did not first meet until 12 May 1999 whereas the
modern period of oil and gas exploration and extraction began in the late
1960s. As a unified nation under central government with no independent
Scottish administration at the time, or now (fully) for that matter, natural
resources extracted in that time can in no way be considered as belonging
to, or therefore stolen from, any one part of the UK. The UK does not have
the same political structure as the USA with independent 'states' and a
'federal' government, it is, still a UNITED kingdom, until recently with no
separated governance in the major parts.

I am fully aware of the alternative views but they are mainly based on
romanticism, ill-informed prejudice and the largely disproven wishful
thinking of self-serving power-hungry politicians, all of which are just as
misplaced as your own ignorant utterances.


May I ask how long you have lived here? I take instruction only from
resident Scots who actually know what they are talking about e.g. Shelia
Viemeister in this group!


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