Tax Payers' Alliance And The Continental Shelf Act

The Tax Payers' Alliance has been answering criticisms of its recent report on the Barnett Formula - all good stuff. As the Alliance states, total North Sea oil revenue has for the vast majority of the time not covered Scots' expenditure and there is another issue there.

When the oil was discovered, it was thought that revenue would be shared throughout the UK.

The North Sea Oil issue needs resolving.

In the 1960s, the UK Government passed the Continental Shelf Act - which altered the maritime border between England and Scotland, placing formerly English waters (and oil) in a "Scottish Sector". The electorate in England was not consulted as apparently the UK Government felt that any oil revenue would be equally shared - we were, after all, the "UK".

This sharing of revenue has not happened and if Scotland is being treated as a separate country whenever it suits itself, then England needs a voice as a nation too - not UK MPs running the country into the ground.

The maritime border must be corrected (it was originally, under international law, a continuation of the land border) and England, Wales and Northern Ireland need their own parliaments, on a par with Scotland. These needn't cost more - because the UK Government will be so honed down, there will be no extra expenditure.

Then, at last, the nations of the UK will be on an equal footing. And a lot of the hugely expensive quangos and non-accountable Westminster wallies (think of the West Lothian Question) will be gone forever.

We'll probably make enormous savings.

And in the meantime the attitude prevalent amongst some Scots of "what's ours is ours, what's yours is also ours" needs confronting and debunking at every opportunity.

We musn't meekly accept the warped facts, bile and nonsense any more.

Big hat-tip to The Secret Person.