Runaway deficit figures , probably all that free healthcare and bus passes

 

research difference between a golf and a golf in a frock

 

Until 5 years ago, Scotland was a net contributor to the UK (and had been since the oil started flowing) Price drops of course changed all that. Scotland does, however, contribute more in tax than England, Wales or Northern Ireland do per head of population. So its not quite as simple as saying "Scotland is a net gainer" as the poeple themselves contribute more than those in the other UK countries.

In fairness, everywhere aside from the City of London is a net gainer from the UK, so basically everywhere that voted to leave the EU is, technically, also "subsidised".

 

Perhaps if you assume that every penny of oil/gas revenue 'comes' from Scotland, but if you look at the North Sea sectors map, if you extrapolate the English/Scottish border out to the oil fields it cuts the central North Sea 'blob' of oil fields into two, plus all the gas in the Southern North sea is English. Also if Shetland went independent it would take a massive amount.

http://www.crystolenergy.com/wp-cont...Gas-Fields.jpg

 

While they do pay more tax, they also get alot more spending, BBC publish the figures towards the middle of last year that showed how the oil crash has affected them, but it also showed the contribution without oil,

Year no oil oil
1998-99 -200 +100
1999-00 -300 +100
2000-01 -300 +400
2001-02 -300 +600
2002-03 -300 +500
2003-04 -300 +400
2004-05 -300 +400
2005-06 -200 +1,200
2006-07 -300 +1,100
2007-08 -300 +900
2008-09 -200 +1,800
2009-10 -300 +700
2010-11 -400 +1,000
2011-12 -300 +1,300
2012-13 -200 +700
2013-14 -300 +400
2014-15 -400 -100
2015-16 -400 -400

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-37167975

with no change in oil price in sight and a general view that we will shift away from oil over the next few decades it leaves the whole idea of scotland being able to finance itself in tatters. In 2014 oil added less than 1% to GDP to the uk but was, so in the grand scheme it hasn't been a huge loss to the UK as a whole, but to scotland its 10-20%, or was, not any more with the massive drop in earnings, 15billion down 35million .

 

There's a new oil discovery up there saw on the net , but its in Shetland



intresting article.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/mark...R8Em?li=AA54rU


Scots mates brothers son just lost his job , was employed in some supply chain there in Aberdeen

few less Porsche driving executives nowadays I should think