Dear Scotland: contemporary views on how and why the union harms scotland

England’s Reliance on Scotland

Unionists often write that Scotland is indebted to the UK. In fact, the reverse is true. The British state’s plans to use oil and gas to “power-up Britain” relies on 90% of its supply from Scotland.

It’s not just old energy that England steals from Scotland. A quarter of renewables currently being cabled south to England are located on Scotland’s land and seabed? All the revenue from this bounty flows not into Scotland’s coffers but, you guessed it, Westminster’s.

Scotland has a huge trade surplus, exporting two times more per capita than England, while England runs a chronic trade deficit. The world wants what Scotland, not England, produces. There’s massive demand for our energy, whisky, beef, salmon and seafood, a demand that persists despite the devastating impacts of Brexit, imposed on Scotland by its larger ‘partner’ in this farcical union.

The indebtedness is the other way around. The UK is terrified of losing Scotland because it would expose England as the small, insignificant and insular nation it is.

An independent Scotland on the other hand, would have a central bank and currency and could create as much money for investing in our infrastructure, industries and people to catapult us into levels of prosperity England can only dream about.

Leah Gunn Barrett

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