27/04/07
The Cost of the Union, Energy
“Jack McConnell, First Minister of the Labour and Liberal Democrat Scottish government, has posed the question in the Scottish Parliament elections what would be the cost to Scotland of Independence, it would be more to the point asking what is the cost to Scotland of staying in the Union,“ said Jim Fairlie, Free Scotland Party candidate in Perth and number one in their Mid Scotland and Fife regional list.
“Nuclear leaks was/are the norm in Caithness and rusting radio active submarines in Rosyth are another cause for concern with Scotland as a potential dumping ground for UK nuclear waste. Has Scotland to sacrifice its environment for or Southern neighbour?
“Energy policy in Britain has always been hit or a miss with no forward plan obvious. Why were downstream activities in the petrochemical industry never developed to their true potential? Unfortunately, Scotland’s Oil resources have been squandered by successive UK governments for the past thirty years. Scots have been lied to about the true wealth taken from the Scottish sector of the North Sea. However, there are still greater reserves remaining than those already taken, estimates say North Sea oil will still be there in 2050. Norway discovered oil and established an oil fund which is now worth more than the oil itself, Scotland could still do the same but only if we are Independent.”
“If we are serious about our energy usage then a start should be made to drive down the need for power by cutting back on power usage in homes. Insulation is the less fashionable end of the power issue. Better insulated homes, cavity wall and roof, means saved cash for residents and less call on energy resources. Grants should be opened to more people, particularly pensioners. There could a programme of distributing energy saving light bulbs and draught proofing materials.”
“In Scotland, we have great potential renewable energy sources such as wind, tidal, wave and solar but the UK is so inept that they have driven a potential Scottish tidal system out, to be based in Portugal. The Portuguese will reap the rewards instead of Scotland.
“The UK has lumped all their hopes into wind power. Government funding is biased towards wind power so that is where the research and development is going. It would be wise to fund research and development into the other options renewable wave, tidal and solar technologies as well. Portugal has earmarked £5 billion for new technology. UK has earmarked less that £100 million.”
“Clean coal technology should be investigated further, there are still significant coal fields in Scotland, work should be carried out to see if this a potential option for the future.”
"Incredibly, Nuclear power is being pushed as a 'clean' option for future energy needs. Tell them that in Caithness, Chernobyl and Three Mile Island! Nuclear waste is the responsibility of the country that produced it. No one in Scotland should accept nuclear waste being imported into Scotland but they should be aware that Scotland is being investigated as a potential nuclear waste dumping ground. We must put as much time and money and research into renewables and then compare what we can do unlike now when all the research and money poured into Nuclear power dwarves that put into renewables."
"Our coast line and the Islands are ideally placed for producing environmentally friendly power but if we are serious about producing electricity in remote areas then Interconnectors must be put in place and the electrical infrastructure across Scotland Highlands and Islands has to be improved to be able to move electricity from where it is produced to where it is needed. Another issue is the export of Scottish electricity to England and beyond which would be a good source of revenue."