The UK government makes more money in tax from Scotland's North Sea oil than it makes from the UK's financial services industry.
England relies on Scotland.
Scotland, under a Scottish National Party government, has been performing better than most parts of the UK.
GDP Growth in UK regions 2000-2010
Scotland 2.2 %
South West of England 2.1%
English East Midlands 2.0 %
South East of England 1.8%
North East of England 1.6%
England's Yorkshire & Humberside 1.6%
North West of England 1.3 %
English West Midlands 1.1 %
Tony Blair's Labour government has been a disaster for the economy in England.
In the UK as a whole, in the years 2000 -2010, GDP rose by 1.7 % annually, the UK’s weakest performance since the 1940s.
In the UK as a whole, output in manufacturing contracted during the years 2000-2010, declining by an average of 1.2 per cent each year
(Noughties growth slowest since the war)
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2 comments:
Aah... Aangirfan is Scottish!
Hoots maun!
Back in the early 60's I used to know Sean Connery and other Scottish actors ...er... Stanley Black(?) an actor/comedian cum known 'agitator'? I liked him, he was great. He and Connery together and the sparks flew! It was the only time Sean could express himself in public without a script, Scottish politics and 'those Brit bastards'.
I made myself popular by saying it wasn't Scottish oil, but British and American ...and Norwegian. The only thing Scottish about it was that it was convenient, and cheap, to draw the lines to nearby Scotland, and base the service-sector there. It got the politicians votes, too.
The oil was discovered by King Olav of Norway during the war. He overheard 2 USA military men chugging whiskey and talking about 'being so close and yet so far, pity the Germans are in the way', and understood Norway came into it somewhere, inquiring as to what exactly they were talking about. The oil. In theory. The men were geologists before the war, and suspected the presence of oil in the North Sea area. So he offered free facilities to the men when the war was over to explore the viability of oil off his coast. They did this. Norway funded the search and found the oil. The USA were the only industrial-complex able to drill and pump-up the oil, so they had to be involved.
Then all others in the area got into the act, trying to pass laws laying claim to areas of the North Sea in case there was oil there too. This included the Brits. Olav wasn't happy. Most of the oil is closer to Norway than GB. But he had to bargain, he needed to trade with GB, he wanted to maintain good relations, he and his people were forever indebted to the British people for their support in beating the Germans. He countered that GB had a huge industrial complex and a vaste worldwide trade to live off, they weren't dependent on the oil. Norway was totally bankrupt after the war, they only had the fishing to live-off and that didn't look good.
He was quiet prepared to offer Britain VERY good terms for the Norwegian oil, but the greedy Brits steamrollered all over him and took the lions-share for themselves. The British side of the oil was paid for by London, on money loaned from the Yanks, the Scots were not involved.
I know this as I knew Olav personally, my dad was a Captain (later, for a short while, a Major) in the 'Kongens Garde', the Lifeguards, and actually shared the same desk in Olav's office the last years of the war, as a personal assistant. As Olav's family were in Canada we became his surrogate family in GB. He wanted to be our godfather but protocol didn't allow it. But he used to visit us after we moved back to GB, and chat. He loved being just a normal person, often on his own without a bodyguard. We used to play footie down the rec with the current king, Harald, teaching him to swear in English!
Me again;
An aside: It took me back recalling King Olav. We used to get birthday presents from him and Marthe (when she was alive) and a huge Xmas hamper of Norwegian products (mostly food, but also other goods) otherwise only sent to dignitaries in foreign countries to let them know Norwegians do more than eat raw fish and brew moonshine. My mum always got a specially-designed piece of enameled - sometimes silvered - pewter. Sadly now all gone. I didn't get any.
The Norwegian government kept 2 huge suites on the top floor of the Dorchester, one for the King, one for the bodyguards (only used for official occasions, for show) and visitors etc. As I had a mercenary friend who owned a 'luxury' mews-apartment nearby (room over a couchhouse/garage!) I was often up in Olav's suite (free pop and cake!) Several times I was shushed-out to the other suite as he had visitors. Ignoring the Danish king, who was there sometimes; Sir Simon Marks (of M and S, we now know he was a top SIS man during the war) Roger Hollis, Dr. Stephen Ward, and sometimes others, I think CIA, Corbelly I've researched as possible. Willie Brant, Mitterand, Harriman, too. I even saw JFK there once, with all these people (before he ran for office, so this was in '60?) Now, obviously some of these meetings might have been official, but my impression is NOT. Something secret was going on. They didn't want anyone seeing them together. A conspiracy was going on. Ok, only a feeling by an impressionable teen-lad, but I'm not stupid. I even speak Norwegian and overheard Olav talking to his closest aide (who, surprisingly, had a very German name! But his family might have served the Danish and Norwegian Crown for generations). The aide was probably the only real friend Olav had, and was utterly trusted by him. What I overheard also cemented my suspicions, these guys were planning something 'under the table'.
Now, Ward (the famous one) was ALWAYS there.
Why?
He and Olav were friends, met at a reception and socialised, Olav was very much at home at Ward's place (I was there, in Wimpole Mews). But why was he included in some high-powered and very secret meetings? I'm inclined to think Ward was very much secret service, used to feed the Reds bull, to twist and turn things.
What on earth was going-on behind not only our backs, but that of the British, and perhaps, the USA governments?
That involved 2 Kings Of The Realm (and not long after, 2 Presidents).
AND Dr. Stephen Ward.
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