http://home.scotland.gov.uk/home
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Energy-sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Scotland
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/HCOU-4UCGGJ
http://devolutionmatters.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/the-2012-olympics-and-the-barnett-formula-an-end-to-the-row/
http://www.nfus.org.uk/farming-facts/what-we-produce
WARNING;
THIS IS A PRETTY LONG READ,
AND FOR SOME PROBABLY A BIT BORING,
BUT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I THINK SCOTLAND
SHOULD GAIN INDEPENDENCE
READ ON
Scottish Independence is THE hot topic of conversation again and the question most people ask is ‘could Scotland survive on her own? My answer to that………oh yes.
The assumption seems to be that Scotland would be more vulnerable and less economically viable as an independent Nation. It’s a common belief that England subsidises Scotland financially and without those subsidies Scotland’s economy would collapse, taxes would rise and living standards would fall. My standard response to that is ‘’Independence is not primarily a matter of economy it’s about national Identity and the right of a Nation to self determination’’. And I do believe that, but I also believe Scotland would flourish politically and economically as an Independent Nation. There’s not one single reason why an Independent Scotland should fail.
To put it into some sort of perspective compare Scotland with Norway
Scotland has a population of 5.2 million, Norway has a population of about 4.9 million.
Norway has extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, fresh water, and hydropower. Norway, is a net exporter of energy.
Scotland has some of the best energy resources in Europe, and is a net exporter of electricity. At present it has a generating capacity of 10.1GW primarily from coal, oil and gas with some nuclear generation. This is supplemented with an ever increasing amount of renewable energy.
Gas and oil
The great majority of the UK's oil production and around half of its gas production comes from fields based in the continental shelf around Scotland, and mines in Scotland are responsible for around a quarter of the UK's coal production.
Fossil fuels are a finite resource which is why Scotland's ability to produce renewable energy is so important but; while the UK still has fossil fuels most of it is produced off the coast of Scotland. Considering Scotland has a population of only 5 million compared to the total UK population of almost 70 million, Scotland has a huge advantage when it comes to energy production and energy potential.
Renewables
Scotland has been identified as having vast potential for the development of renewable energy. There is potential wave, tidal and wind power in abundance. Scotland's wind and seas hold some of the most concentrated potential not only across the UK and Europe, but in the world, with an estimated 25% of Europe's offshore wind and wave potential and 10% Europe’s tidal capacity.
Scotland accounts for around nine per cent of the UK's total energy consumption, but is rich in energy resources. Around 20 per cent of the electricity generated in Scotland NOW is exported to the rest of the UK, as the renewable energy becomes more available, Scotland’s energy excess will increase leaving more and more energy available for export. With nearly 7 gigawatts of renewable energy now either, installed and producing, or in the pipeline, Scotland is expected to meet its target for renewables to generate 100 per cent of gross annual electricity demand by 2020, just 8 short years away. I would say that any nation with the potential to be self sufficient in renewable energy by 2020 AND have the capacity to export energy, is not a nation that need worry about its economy.
Wave and tidal energy
Scotland possesses a huge wave and tidal energy resource; the potential exists to generate far more electricity than would ever be needed from wave and tidal energy sources in the waters around the Scottish coast. Wave energy is intermittent but relatively predictable, whereas tidal current energy is intermittent but largely predictable. Some of the best resources in the world for wave energy are located off the north-west coast and northern tip of Scotland - the world's first commercial wave energy device continues to produce power on the shoreline at Islay.
Wave and tidal energy will make a very important contribution towards meeting future demands for electricity; that is why Scotland helped fund the construction of the European Marine Energy Centre on Orkney. This Centre is a world class facility for the development, testing and accreditation of marine energy generation and delivery systems.
Biomass energy
Apart from fossil fuels, biomass is the only other naturally-occurring, energy-containing carbon resource large enough to be used as a substitute for fossil fuels. Biomass includes plant matter, vegetation and trees, as well as waste biomass such as municipal solid waste (MSW), municipal biosolids (sewage) and animal wastes (manures), forestry and agricultural residues, and certain types of industrial wastes. Unlike fossil fuels, biomass is renewable in the sense that only a short period of time is needed to replace what is used as an energy resource. Biomass is also held to be "carbon neutral", in that the amount of carbon it absorbs while growing is the same as the amount it produces when burned. Scotland has a potentially huge wood fuel resource arising from its forests and associated timber resource. Biomass energy could be extremely valuable in Scotland, given its lack of intermittency, its ability to meet local and small-scale energy needs and its potential to provide and sustain jobs.
Solar energy
Scotland’s long hours of summer daylight and demand for heat and hot water even when it's sunny makes it a prime candidate for the development of solar energy technologies. Solar applications are usually small scale and can supply electricity or heat on a domestic scale which is probably why solar panels on the roofs of houses are becoming a common sight across Scotland.
The energy industry is big business in Scotland, Aberdeen is the oil capital of Europe. This puts the country in the unique position of already having the business expertise, infrastructure and work force ready willing and waiting for the industry to diversify into renewables as the North Sea Oil and gas becomes scarcer.
Water
Scotland has an abundance of fresh pure water. In Scotland, public drinking water and sewerage services are provided by a public sector corporation, Scottish Water, which is accountable to Scottish Ministers and through Ministers to the Scottish Parliament. In England and Wales these services are delivered by private profit led companies.
Scottish Water operates within a regulatory framework established by the Scottish Parliament in which Scottish Ministers, acting on behalf of the people of Scotland, set the objectives for the industry to be delivered at least cost to customers.
The water industry contributes to the Scottish Government's Strategic Objectives, specifically the objective ‘’ A wealthier and Fairer Scotland’’
Unlike other parts of the UK Scotland has more water than it will ever need, in fact there have been suggestions that water could be exported from Scotland to England.
BUT;
important though they are, a country can’t survive on energy and water alone.
The Economy of Scotland
The Scottish labour market has performed better than the UK as a whole during the last year (2011). Over the year employment in Scotland has risen by 14,000 while unemployment has fallen by 14,000. Scotland's employment rate is higher than in the UK (71.2% vs. 70.2%), and unemployment is lower (8.0% vs. 8.3%).
There is a slow recovery in the Scottish economy which is continuing, but along with the rest of the world, recovery is fragile. This says more about the world recession than it does about Scotland’s ability to survive in the world independently. The very fact that some progress has been made is encouraging. Output in Scotland grew by 1.1% last year.
The economy of Scotland is closely linked with the rest of the UK and Europe. When assessing the economy of Scotland; the revenue from North Sea oil and gas is never included, but all monies passed from Westminster to Scotland are, which makes it appear as if Scotland’s outgoings are greater than its incomes. However, it’s widely accepted if North Sea revenues were included in the equation, as they would be in an Independent Scotland, Scotland would have a small budget surplus. In 2011-12, North Sea oil and gas is forecast to generate £13.4 billion in tax revenue, a record high in nominal terms. And over the five years from 2011-12 to 2015-16 it is forecast to raise £61 billion in tax revenue, 35 per cent more than during the previous five years. And under the present system of administration ALL of that revenue goes directly to Westminster and bypasses Scotland.
The Scottish timber industry and Scotland's timber resources
Scotland’s forests are the most productive in the UK. They make a significant contribution to Scotland’s economy through jobs in the wood processing industry, forest management, wood haulage and associated industries.
At the start of the 20th century, Scotland (like the rest of
the UK) depended almost entirely on imported wood.
This led to supply problems during the naval blockades of WW1. At the time the shortage of wood for pit props threatened the UK’s main source of energy, which at the time was coal. In 1919 this led to the founding of the Forestry Commission with the specific aim of ensuring sufficient supplies of home grown timber. Since then, nearly 10,000 km2of new forest have been created in Scotland – and almost half of this was planted between 1965 and 1990. Presuming that average consumption per person in Scotland
is the same as in the rest of the UK, the total consumption in Scotland is about 7.5 million m3 wood. This compares with Scotland’s annual wood harvest of 5.5 million m3, this leaves Scotland 73% per cent self sufficient in wood as a raw material..
In practice, Scotland imports more than the balance of 2 million m3, but also exports large amounts of wood, especially to the rest of the UK
In 1980, just over 1.5 million m3 of wood was harvested from
Scotland’s forests; by 2000 this had reached 5.5 million m3 per
year. Since then production, the associated industries and exports continue to increase. Scotland's managed forests are entirely sustainable and as the newer forests mature, the wood harvest will continue to grow, approaching 10 million m3 per year by 2020 which is estimated to exceed Scotland’s demand for wood.
Fishing Industry
Scotland's main sea fishing opportunities are regulated as part of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy and every year there are ongoing arguments about quotas and time at sea. The aim of the regulations is to preserve fish stocks and ensure sustainability, regulations are needed to protect fish stocks and fishermen recognize this, but that doesn’t make the quotas any easier. Despite quotas and regulations, Scotland remains one of the largest sea fishing nations in Europe and the Scottish Government is an integral part of the UK team negotiating fishing opportunities with other countries. The Scottish fleet is responsible for landing 66 per cent of the total UK volume of fish. You only need remember the difference in the population size between Scotland and the rest of the UK to realize Scotland catches far more fish than (within the UK as a whole) it consumes.
Agriculture in Scotland
Some 75% of Scotland’s land mass is under agricultural production, making the industry the single biggest determinant of the landscape we see around us. Scotland’s farmers, crofters and growers produce output worth around £3.0 billion a year, and are responsible for much of Scotland’s £400 million food exports, rising to £2.4 billion if whisky exports are included. Around 65,000 people are directly employed in agriculture in Scotland. Best estimates suggest that for every worker employed in agriculture another three workers are employed elsewhere. These jobs are largely in agricultural supply, and in food and drink processing.
Beef;
Scotland has almost 30% of the UK herd of breeding Beef cattle and 4% of the EU herd. The UK beef herd is the second largest in Europe, after France.
Dairy
Scotland has approximately 9% of the UK dairy herd. The UK has the third largest dairy herd in the EU after France and Germany, and the largest average herd size.
Sheep
Scotland has more than 20% of the UK breeding flock. The UK has the largest sheep flock in the EU – over a quarter of the total EU flock.
Pigs
Scotland has almost 10% of the UK pig herd. There are over 1000 holdings with pigs in Scotland and a third of these holdings are in the North East of Scotland.
Cereals
Over 454,000 hectares of cereals are grown in Scotland. Scotland’s main cereal crops are barley and wheat. More than 12% of the UK cereal area was grown in Scotland. The UK is the third largest cereal producer in the EU after France and Germany.
Other crops grown in Scotland include potatoes, oil seed rape and fruit. Scottish producers produce over 2400 tonnes of raspberries and over 4600 tonnes of strawberries per annum.
Soft fruit production tends to be concentrated in fertile areas of Tayside and Angus which has some of the best quality land in the whole of Europe. Other fruits, such as rhubarb are also grown in certain areas as are field vegetables such as carrots, peas, beans and turnips are also grown, sometimes for animal feed and sometimes for human consumption.
If you look at the percentage of UK agricultural production that comes from Scotland and then you look population percentages of Scotland compared to the rest of the UK its hard to understand how any one could say Scotland would not prosper as an independent nation.
Financial services
Scotland is already internationally recognised as the most important UK financial centre outside London and the South East. Edinburgh offers international services including global custody, asset servicing, banking, investment management, corporate finance, general / life assurance and pensions. The very word ‘Bank’ is a dirty word these days, but (unfortunately some may say), in a developed country financial services are an essential part of life. Edinburgh is already an established financial centre which is poised to serve an Independent Scotland and make the transition from devolved country to Independent country as smooth as possible.
The latest data available from the Business Register and Employment Survey show the financial industry in Scotland employs over 94,000 people with more than half of these working in banking.
Tourism
Tourism is one of Scotland's largest business sectors. It provides direct employment for 200,000 people and generates visitor spending of more than £4.5 billion a year. In the height of the summer Scotland is full to bursting with Americans tourists looking for their ancestral homes and wanting to buy their clan tartans, and Japanese tourists photographing castles, hills, bagpipes and men wearing kilts.
Even during recent years tourism in Scotland has continued to grow. Tourism has become an important part of Scottish life every where, from major cities to rural areas, many of which depend on the industry for jobs and infrastructure.
And all of this is just the tip of the iceberg, Scotland is so much more than this. Already Scotland offers a more comprehensive health care system than England, no one pays for prescription drugs and residential care for the elderly is free. Our Education system is completely different to that of the rest of UK and unlike other students, our students do not have to pay tuition fees. To generalise; the political ideology of Scotland tends to be more socialist than that of England. Scotland tends to favour a more collectivist, less private type of society than England. When schools across the UK were given the option of opting out of local authority control there was a glut of English schools clamouring to opt out, but to date only one Scottish school has opted out. Scotland WANTS its local authorities to be responsible for providing good education and it DOESN’T want schools to opt out and become part of the private sector. In Scotland, public drinking water and sewerage services are provided by a public sector corporation, Scottish Water, which is accountable to the Scottish Parliament. In England and Wales these services have been privatised. Water companies in England and Wales are private profit led companies but when water privatisation was suggested in Scotland, there was such popular rebellion against the idea that is simply never happened. The mass protest across Scotland against the unfairness of the poll tax led the way for the rest of Britain until finally this Maggie led atrocity was abolished. In discussion about Scottish independence some one recently said to me ‘’ It’s just that people also need jobs, education for kids and access to affordable medical care’’, my response to that is………….yeah I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t be a problem.
Feedback needed from all American ladies
