From one of the many Anonymouses at Talking-up Scotland:
What does Scotland have?
What does Scotland have? We are only 8.3% of the UK’s population, 8.3 %! Remember!!
32% of the land area
61% of the sea area
90% of the fresh water. (There is more fresh water in loch Ness than In England and
Wales combined!)
65% of the natural gas production
96.5% of the crude oil production
47% of the open cast coal production
81% of the untapped coal reserves
62% of the timber production
46% of the total forest area
92% of the hydro electric production
40% of the wind wave and solar energy production
60% of the dairy herd
10% of the pig herd
60% of fish landings
30% of the beef herd
20% of the sheep herd
15% of the cereal holdings
20% of the potato holdings
100% of the Scottish Whisky industry.
Then add over 70% of Gin production
We have a…
17 billion pound construction industry
13 billion food and drink industry
10 billion business services industry
9.3 billion chemical services industry
9.3 billion tourism industry
7 billion financial services industry
5 billion aerospace service industry
4.5 billion whisky export industry
3.1 billion life sciences industry
Scotland still has 350 million pounds worth of textile exports
Scotland has opened it’s first Goldmine
We have 25% of all Europe’s wave and wind energy potential with only 1% of Europe’s population.
The 4th Largest Financial Services in Europe, worth over £1 Trillion & a £10 Billion
Maritime Industry.
We have 1.5 trillion pounds – £1,500,000,000,000 worth of oil and gas reserves.
All of this, yet only 8.3% of The UK’s population…
Not forgetting we have the most educated workforce in Europe with 45% of our workforce educated to degree level and more.
I think we’ll be fine with Indy.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
I’d be very grateful if these figures are confirmed as accurate before I share on X because I’ve seen similar posts being picked apart there. They only have to find one mistake and we are labelled cultist liars. I would dearly love every statement in this to be completely accurate.
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It is pretty much spot on as far as I can see….some of the figures might even be higher now…….I wouldn’t worry about unionist trolls trying to pick apart anything that is good in Scotland……they always will……that is what Labour/tory pay them for…to always undermine our beautiful country…..just to add that, that should not distract us from sharing GOOD news stories as it would let the Scotland haters win.
Even if some of the figures are slightly “out” it still gets “it up ‘em” (sorry for turn of phrase).
JB (hurrah I’m no longer anonymous lol)
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Thanks so much. I just don’t like to give them any fodder. Have already had my character assassinated this morning for saying McConnell returned cash to the treasury when, according to the polite man on Twitter, it was a load of made up bollocks by members of the cult and it never happened. I will share this one just to annoy the shit out of them. I really enjoy doing that.
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I prefer always ensuring well-referenced sources for any statistics to be used in case making. Candidly, without an ability to assess the validity, the authority of sources, I regard lists of data as of limited or no value.
I have often come across the charge against FM McConnell regarding ‘returned cash to the Treasury’. Can’t recall ever seeing documentary evidence accompanying the claim but could this be the source of what is meant?
Source: Audit Scotland (October 2007) Scottish Executive Report on the 2006/07 audit.
(https://audit.scot/uploads/docs/report/2007/fa_0607_scottish_executive.pdf )
Page 2: ‘In June 2007 the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth announced that THE EXECUTIVE HAD UNSPENT BALANCES OF £1.5 BILLION WHICH WERE HELD BY THE TREASURY ON SCOTLAND’S BEHALF.(With my emphasis)
‘This balance includes £1,180 million of earmarked funding for individual portfolios which is held within the Central Unallocated Provision (CUP). OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS THIS BALANCE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED.
‘THE DIMINUTION OF THE PURCHASING POWER OF THESE RESERVES OVER TIME, COMBINED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY COST FROM NOT USING THE FUNDS, RESULTS IN A CONSEQUENTIAL RISK THAT BETTER VALUE COULD HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED THROUGH EARLIER USE.’
I really don’t know if this is the basis of the charge but if it is to be repeatedly made, it would be good to have well documented evidence of its veracity!
Other things of note in the same audit report: Page 4: ‘In 2005/06 the EXECUTIVE CLAIMED SAVINGS OF £441 MILLION AGAINST A TARGET OF £405 MILLION.’
Para 14. ‘The MOST SIGNIFICANT UNDERSPENDS IN 2006/07 were incurred by the Health Department, the Environment and Rural Affairs Department (ERAD) and the Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department (ETLLD) which incurred underspends of £119 million, £57 million and £44 million respectively.’
This audit was for the final financial year of the Labour/Lib Dem ‘executive’ in Scotland i.e. for the period prior to the SNP victory in the Holyrood election of 3 May 2007.
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I suppose the question we ought to ask is did that money remain in the treasury because, if it was not returned to the SG, then the story must be true?
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My reading of this is that the funds referred to in this specific audit report were transferred to a reserve account and will probably have been drawn down in later years.
Don’t forget this from audit report: ‘THE DIMINUTION OF THE PURCHASING POWER OF THESE RESERVES OVER TIME, combined with the OPPORTUNITY COST FROM NOT USING THE FUNDS, results in a consequential risk that better value could have been achieved through earlier use.’
The significance here seems to be that the Labour/Lib Dem Executive decided it had no need of £1.5 billion at the time – nothing requiring capital investment, no service that would have benefited from increased recurrent spending. No use of £1.5 billion so no multiplier benefit accruing to Scotland’s economy from spending it.
Also recall that the audit report refers to substantial underspends and also to £450 million savings in one year, in addition to £1.5 billion ‘unused’ at the time. All the needs and wants of Scotland must have been satiated back then presumably?
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All that would be too complicated to explain to the nasty person I was communicating with. I think I won’t use this in an argument again and I’m sure as hell not going to admit that I might have been wrong.🙂😄
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Audit Scotland’s audit of the Scottish Executive’s accounts for FY 2006-7 reveals that the Lab/Lib Dem administration returned £1.5 billion from its own budget to a reserve account held by HM Treasury. The didn’t have ANY other use for the money at that time.
The same audit details substantial underspends in the Labour/Lib Dem Executive’s budget for the same year and also savings of £450 million in the year.
Source: Audit Scotland (October 2007) Scottish Executive Report on the 2006/07 audit.
(https://audit.scot/uploads/docs/report/2007/fa_0607_scottish_executive.pdf )
Simple, straightforward, documented, evidenced!
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Lovely!!!!!
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Of course they didn’t do it you moron, the study wasn’t published until November 2007 and no money was sent back you complete bampot, this is a made up story by Wang nats.
You can imagine why I was quite keen to prove him wrong. However, I didn’t want to make it easy for him by handing him your information so I told him to search Audit Scotland. Can’t see him doing that!
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PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don’t spend a second of your precious time debating anything online with these people. They might not even be “people!”. This is part of the project; to disinform, be constantly negative and turn people off. I’d humbly suggest you engage with friends, relatives, colleagues, in real life that are interested in what you have to say, and may be convinced a closer look at independence is ok.
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Believe me, all my family are staunch independence supporters. Just a pity quite a few of my friends are just as staunch unionists. That’s life, I’m afraid.
As far as wasting my time – I’m 83 years old with all the time in the world and I relish using that time to get up the humph of as many unionistsas possible, whether they be true people, paid poodles or just fake, I don’t want their nasty posts to go unchecked. There isn’t any point in trying to convert the already converted but I can’t stand idly by while Twitter slowly drowns us in a muddy mire of moronic nonsense.
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McOnnell did return the money. Idiot. The SNP once they were in power successfully negotiated its return. I am not at my computer as on holiday so can’t ( no daughter to show me how to on phone) send any links. They are there as it did happen so have a look and stick it to that yoon that was lying. They do it constantly and we have to constantly prove them wrong.
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I’m not giving in to him. He’s been pleading with me to send him the Audit Scotland link but I’ve toyed with him for a wee while. I eventually let him think he’d worn me down and sent him the link provided by Stewartb. And what do you know? He thinks it prooves HIS point.😄 Even after I sent him the SG docs where they
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Yes McConnell did send back £1 Billion so you can reply to the yoon on twitter
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I’ve patiently and painstakingly explained to him using a lot of the information and crediting StewartB but he thinks I’m a f*ckin* moron who spreads nat lies. He pleaded with me for the Audit Scotland link then proceeded to tear it to bits. He called called me a fm after I’d asked him to explain how 1.5 billion had magically transported itself to the London treasury when Scotland received a block grant of so many billions. Was the block grant possibly 1.5 billion short? “Of course not you effing moron”. Then, how did it get there if it wasn’t sent back, says I. Even after reading the document he replied “never happened” Some you just can’t win.😆
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Yeah no Scotland has nothing of value…nothing at all, so England would be well rid of the subsidy junkie Scots and they should definitely demand to ditch Scotland at the earliest opportunity, like, tomorrow, it would surely save them loads of dosh. 😉
Shhhh don’t tell them what Scotland really has 😉
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The whole UK Gov accounts. On the internet. Westminster raises £731Billion. Spends £1090Billion.
Scotland has to pay for illegal wars, tax evasion, financial fraud. Makes repayment on loans not borrowed or spent in Scotland. Scotland raises £87Billion. Gets £40Billion back block Grant. Pays £20Billion (UK) pension and benefits. Scottish surplus fuel and energy. Renewables goes on the grid. Scotland pays more, pro rata. Despite being in surplus and nearer the score. Scotland could be selling it.
Scotland has to pay for Hinkley Point, HS2, Trident, tax evasion, Brexit, decommissioning nuclear, redundant weaponry. All a waste of monies. Pay for Westminster bureaucracy. Gov offices in the Mall. Too civil servant jobs. London HQ. Military personnel 180,000. 10,000 based in Scotland. No navy to patrol the shores.
The so called debt. Westminster policies. Wasted £Billions.
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sorry that was me JB forgot ……not anonymous!!!
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Absolutely! We are more than ready to be independent! 🏴
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Ready and willing but I don’t have much time left.
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Och i pressed the wrong button – the FOI docs on the SG finances where they say the underspends are carried forward because they would NEVER send money back to WM.
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Scotland has the bagpipes!
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