I’M with Nicola Sturgeon when she describes the ScotWind auction as a truly historic opportunity for Scotland’s net-zero economy.
Every person from every party should demand independence and fast, or Westminster will grab every cent of this wind power bonanza and dole us out a few pence, just as they did when we struck oil in Scottish waters.
Wake up, Scotland, and smell the money!
READ MORE: As Scotland's seabed is sold off, is there a danger of history repeating?
This auction is only the starters. The dripping roast will follow with good jobs for us, our children and their children, but only if Scotland has an independent government to ensure that the taxes from the companies involved and the jobs that accrue from the operational wind farms come to Scotland.
Think about it!
Tax returns from the companies owning the wind farms going to our government; jobs for engineers, food suppliers, transporters, lawyers, everyone. Jobs in factories supplying parts for the rigs, jobs in hospitality for the boom in onshore housing while the wind farms are being set up ... it goes on and on.
READ MORE: Professor Richard Murphy: Why Scotland needs a Wind Energy Tax
At last our children have a goal to work for. They can work on the turbines, design new ways of maximising wind power, sell it to the companies involved and create new industry in Scotland. They have a rich future ahead of them All we need is independence and the Scottish Government can control where the money from these companies goes.
If we want our children to have a good life, get an independent Scotland for them now and we will be thanked by future generations. Fail them and we will be vilified.
Go for gold!
Elizabeth Scott
Edinburgh
I COULDN’T agree more with those who say that the £700 million sale of seabed locations for wind farms is a foolish underestimate of the value of these assets. The electricity generated there will be worth many billions in profits over many years to the generators, and none of that is likely to be reinvested in Scotland.
Who advised the First Minister that this was a wise choice?
Look at Norway, which has taken a stake in every oil and gas field and receives a share of any profits in perpetuity.
READ MORE: Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: Our prize assets have been sold down the river – once again
Scotland could have insisted on, say, a 10% share in each location, which would have had little or no effect on the £700m sale but would have ensured a revenue stream far into the future. It would also have given us a voice in every development.
This was a short-sighted decision which will be much condemned in the future.
James Duncan
Edinburgh
M ROSS from Aviemore, in responding to my concerns over the Scottish Government’s £33 billion zero-emission heating plans, states that “if you can afford it you should afford it” (Letters, Jan 20). I have no problem with anyone who can afford the £12,000 average cost of replacing their heating system doing it tomorrow, and even feeling a wee bit smug about doing it. I would, however, question the personal economics of such a decision. Even if – and it’s a very big if – the monthly bills were lower, I strongly suspect the payback period will far exceed the lifespan of the installation, and its impact on global climate change will be miniscule.
READ MORE: Think of the long-term savings after green fuel switch
I would recommend that anyone interested in this green dream scheme spend the hour and a half needed to watch the Tuesday January 18 debate in the Scottish Parliament on the subject led by two Green MSPs. It will become fairly clear, fairly soon, that none of the political parties have the faintest idea of how to turn this political dream into financial reality.
Not one MSP could explain how to squeeze the average £12,000 per house from the pockets of home owners, and what to do if they can’t pay or won’t pay. None could explain where the skilled personnel to safely carry out this massive amount of work could be found or trained. None could even explain how to install a suitable system in our many Victorian tenements.
Perhaps our MSPs, of all parties, should spend a wee bit more time considering the current fuel bill crisis that many of their constituents are facing, especially those using credit cards to pay their bills, and a bit less on how to make them pay an addition £12,000 each with no guarantee that it will reduce their future fuel bills.
M Ross concludes by stating that “when the freedom plebiscite declares our return to independence we can nationalise all energy sources and supply. Compensation being paid by the profits already made by the present companies.” That kind of fantasy economics will ensure that we never return to our independence.
Brian Lawson
Paisley
REGARDING Saturday’s story on page 18, “200 years of canals to be celebrated”, it’s just a small detail, I suppose, but the Union Canal terminates at the Falkirk Wheel, some way short of Glasgow. The Wheel enables boats to transfer to the Forth and Clyde Canal and proceed to Glasgow and beyond.
Julian Smith
via email
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