I hope all Scots are disgusted at the cowardly actions of David Cameron. He brings his cabinet north to Aberdeen for the first time in 90 years to debate the future of Scotland’s oil. Just minutes along the road is Alex Salmon debating the same subject? You couldn’t make this up. Cameron has come 500 miles but can’t make the extra 5 to speak with our First Minister. He claims this is because the referendum is a decision for the Scottish people. Nobody disputes the fact that it is Scotland’s oil, so just like the referendum; it’s a matter for the Scottish people. If Scotland votes ‘yes’ then the future of Scotland and its oil will be decided by the party duly elected to serve its people.
Cameron is a very desperate man. Westminster has already had between half and a trillion pound in revenues out of Scottish waters over the past 40 years. He now sees that about to end and he flies into a blind panic. No surprise when you consider the current austerity in the UK. The only banks that seem to be doing a roaring trade are the food banks.
But hold on a minutes! Cameron claims that Scottish oil is best in the hands of Westminster because they have ‘deep pockets’, sufficiently deep to fund further investment in the north sea. Deep pockets? More like holes in their pockets – what part of £1.2 trillion in debt looks like deep pockets. When it comes to Scotland, Westminster may have deep pockets, but they have short arms.
Before we start decrying these oil hungry conservative overlords, consider this: In 1999, labour Prime Minister, Tony Blair secretly partitioned 6000 square miles of Scottish waters in the north sea. This immediately placed 15% of north sea oil and gas with Westminster. The Chancellor of the Exchequer at that time was Gordon Brown. The same Gordon Brown who has the audacity to warn Scots of a potential pensions crisis with a ‘yes’ vote. The same Gordon Brown who sold off the UK gold reserves at bargain basement. The Secretary of State for Social Security at that time was none other than Alistair Darling. The same Alistair Darling that heads up the ‘Better Together’ campaign. You may believe that Tony’s chums, Gordon and Alistair were not privy to this ‘sea snatch’ – but then you also have to believe in tartan paint and Iraq’s nuclear weapons.