Leah Gunn Barrett
Unionists Ian Murray MP and Alex Cole Hamilton MSP are frantically trying to talk down Scotland’s offshore wind potential to deter inward investment into Scotland.
They dispute the oft-repeated statistic that Scotland has 25% of Europe’s offshore wind potential.[1] So naturally they don’t want people to know that this is an underestimate. An EU Commission report reveals that based on current projected installation capacity, Scotland is on course to deliver nearly half of Europe’s offshore grid supply by 2035.[2] This represents over 55% of the entire offshore grid potential in the Mediterranean Basin.[3]
Unionists are in a panic because they know if the truth were widely known, their hollow arguments that Scotland can’t prosper outside the UK would literally be blown away. With Scotland’s natural resources owned by the Scottish people, not Westminster, Scotland could lead the world in offshore wind energy production.
Downplaying Scotland’s renewables wealth mirrors the UK Government’s suppression of the 1970s McCrone Report, which revealed Scotland’s vast North Sea oil and gas potential. The UK plundered Scotland’s oil and gas, squandering it on tax cuts and the mass privatisation of energy, while nearby Norway used their energy bounty to create a Sovereign Wealth Fund for their people which is today worth over $1 trillion.
It’s beyond absurd that Scots are fuel poor when surrounded by energy riches. The second great rip-off has started. Scotwind was vastly undersold and Scottish renewables are being cabled to England with no compensation for the Scottish people. To end this exploitation, we must end this union.
Sources:
[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2020:741:FIN&qid=1605792629666
[3] https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/91d2091a-27bf-11eb-9d7e-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
Talking-up Scotland 
I had a quick look at the 2013 Scotland’s Future document. I believe it states the offshore income as £7-8 Billion, this was derided as nonsense at the time. I noticed today the UK government are expecting £80 billion offshore income in the next six years, that looks like over £13 per year to me.
Have I misunderstood something or are the unionist using the same lies they did then?
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It’s trillions of Scottish revenues being taken as gratis by the English government. Scotland’s being robbed it’s quite simple.
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North British unionists are now so determined to provide arguments that Scotland is incapable of being an independent country like successful Norway, Denmark and Ireland that they daily decry our country, venomously and mendaciously. We can only hope that our voters recognise what they are up to, these despisers of our native land and lovers of London rule.
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All the hot air being generated over wind triggered a vague memory about Mackie’s and an advert stating that Scotland was the windiest country in Europe. Someone complained to the advertising Standards Authority about this claim in the ad. Mackie’s defended their claim and won the ‘case’.
I went looking for evidence that my memory was not playing me false and found this from 2011.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15283013
Not sure what the evidence was that they produced to back up their claim but clearly it was accepted as proof of their claim
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Not only electricity but this as well:
https://www.scottishpower.com/news/pages/scottish_german_collaboration_could_unlock_20_billion_green_hydrogen_market_in_the_eu.aspx
As has happened in Ireland,an independent Scotland would be looking to diversify it’s trading arrangements away from Greater England (or whatever else they decide to call themselves).
Germany could well end up as one of our most important markets and if England wants stuff from us,they are going to have to pay for it instead of just taking it as they have been doing for a very long time.
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The latest budget from the latest Chancellor tells the story.
Much of the “black hole” will be filled by raising extra tax on Scotland and its oil, gas and renewables assets.
This while Scotlands budget is essentially frozen.
Time for the SNP to stand up in Westminster and tell the truth and make a BIG fuss.
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I’m not wishing to sound like a disbeliever but had a look at the EU document (Source #2), ran a search on “Scotland” and got a “none detected” message back. If it’s not stated in the document, what is the source of the statement that Scotland is “on course to deliver nearly half of Europe’s offshore grid supply by 2035”?
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EU target for offshore renewables (in all sea basins) is 340GW.
That is a LOT! But Scotland has lots of open sea (east and west) and strong, fairly constant winds—-as good as anywhere and better than most.
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Yip, but don’t scare the horses with the truth.
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Leah, let me say first of all that I agree with the thrust of your argument entirely, and without reservation – Scotland’s resources should be used for the benefit of the Scottish community. Full stop. No reservations.
Westminster and their Unionist lickspittles up here are already trying to downplay the Scottish potential for renewables. These Islands, and the dreadful Hague, are leading the charge. However, it is both noticeable and heartening that this time – unlike the 1970s – there is considerable pushback on this. I hope very much the Scottish Government will go in hard on this, leaving Ross as “man mince” (Tom Gordon in the Herald).
There are though two points. First, I think the potential and the implications of your penultimate paragraph need to be explored and specific proposals need to be fleshed out. It’s all very well saying such as “we wont let it happen again”, or (just as bad) “Scotland’s resources should be used for the benefit of its community”. To say anything else would fly in the face of common sense. However, there is a parallel obligation on our side to set out specific proposals for how we would make this happen. It doesnt even have to be difficult. How about starting with the Norwegian model – Statoil – which demands that the state will have a stake in each and every development. Add to that such as demanding that Scottish industry is employed in the development, and when the companies say that the capacity doesnt exist tell them that its up to them to support the capacity to exist. Add to this, a research function to develop a model of excellence of building and running renewable facilities (like the one that will be built in the Forth, which, we are told will be “the biggest in Europe). Add to that an effective taxation system which allows the companies to make a reasonable profit, but at the same time prevents our country being ripped off. I’m sure you could imagine we could go on, but we really need to tell the electorate what our practical proposals would be,
Second thing is a wee bit off-topic but I would argue cognate. If we are producing all this electricity, far more than we need, then we need to be able to export it. Check out the interconnectors from the UK to Europe – they are all in England. I think the furthest north is Middlesborough. Thus to export we need to go through England, who will no doubt impose some sort of charge. The Scottish Government, as a matter of priority, need to start talking to potential European partners about interconnectors between Scotland and Norway (there is one that has been talked about but as far as I know, it’s been paused), as well as with Denmark to get into the EU grid
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It’s funny you should mention These Islands – earlier this week Sam Taylor was continuing his charge on Twitter, describing the 25% of Europe’s offshore wind potential as Scottish government misinformation.
I doubt he ever bothers to read replies to his Tweets, but this one certainly caught the eye – https://twitter.com/dubh_sgian/status/1592546447534485506
It provided a copy of a UK Government (during Cameron’s reign) release on UK investment in Scotland’s offshore wind resources, citing the Secretary of State for Scotland as saying – “Scotland has a major role to play in this, with an estimated 25% of Europe’s offshore wind potential” – the SoS at the time being a LibDem, either Alister Carmichael or Michael Moore.
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