Blog | My Mutteringshttps://my.mutterings.co.uk/blog/2024-03-29T07:06:33+00:00BlogGood Oil, Bad Oil2013-04-22T22:40:00+00:002024-03-28T17:27:18+00:00mutteringshttps://my.mutterings.co.uk/blog/author/mutterings/https://my.mutterings.co.uk/blog/good-oil-bad-oil/<p><img alt="Good Oil, Bad Oil" class="img-responsive" src="https://my.mutterings.co.uk/static/media/uploads/images/blog/0000/politics/repository/cartoon-good-oil-bad-oil.jpg" title="Good Oil, Bad Oil"/></p>
<h2>About</h2>
<blockquote>
<p><b>Better Together:</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Bosnia, Iraq, Vitol - Good Oil</li>
<li>Scotland - Bad Oil</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>The cartoon satirizes the No Campaign's portrayal of North Sea oil revenues as a volatile and unpredictable resource, which an independent Scotland could not handle.</p>
<p>It is also in reference to the recent <a class="external-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20140621025337/http://www.nationalcollective.com/2013/04/07/dirty-money-the-tory-millionaire-bankrolling-better-together/" target="_blank">scandal</a> surrounding the £500,000 donation to the Better Together campaign from Ian Taylor, Chief Executive of oil trading company Vitol plc. Vitol had paid $1 million to a Serbian war criminal during the Bosnian conflict and been charged for providing kickbacks to Iraqi officials to win oil supply contracts.</p>
<h2>Source</h2>
<p>The Cartoon is © <a href="https://www.cairnstoon.com" target="_blank">Chris Cairns</a> 2013. It was published by Wings Over Scotland under the headline <a class="external-link" href="http://archive.is/20160105004039/http://wingsoverscotland.com/a-simple-guide/" target="_blank" title="A simple guide">A simple guide</a> on 22nd April 2013.</p>Westminster Oil Mismanagement2013-03-28T21:45:00+00:002024-03-28T03:52:09+00:00mutteringshttps://my.mutterings.co.uk/blog/author/mutterings/https://my.mutterings.co.uk/blog/westminster-oil-mismanagement/<p><img alt="North Sea Oil Mismanagement" class="img-responsive" src="https://my.mutterings.co.uk/static/media/uploads/images/blog/0000/politics/repository/north-sea-oil-mismanagement.jpg" title="North Sea Oil Mismanagement"/></p>
<h2>About</h2>
<blockquote>The North Sea will continue to be a very valuable resource for any economically independent Scotland. Its management remains a key issue in terms of ensuring fiscal stability. <cite>Centre for Public Policy for Regions (CPPR), 26 March 2013</cite></blockquote>
<p>Westminster has squandered 40 years of Scotland's oil. Don't let them waste 40 more.</p>
<h2>Source</h2>
<p>This graphic is based on the one published by Yes Scotland on 26th March 2013 in the article <a class="external-link" href="https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/en/archive/20141029173356/http://yes.scot/news/perspectives-smoke-and-mirrors-no-campaign-spin-oil" target="_blank" title="Smoke and Mirrors - the No campaign spin on oil">Smoke and Mirrors - the No campaign spin on oil</a>.</p>
<h2>Download</h2>
<p>This image is available in A3 poster format: download <a class="internal-link pdf" href="https://my.mutterings.co.uk/static/media/uploads/downloads/blog/0000/politics/repository/north-sea-oil-mismanagement_a3.pdf" target="_blank" title="North Sea Oil Mismanagement">North Sea Oil Mismanagement (A3)</a>.</p>McCrone Report2012-06-05T21:15:00+00:002024-03-29T00:42:25+00:00mutteringshttps://my.mutterings.co.uk/blog/author/mutterings/https://my.mutterings.co.uk/blog/mccrone-report/<h2>Background</h2>
<p><a class="prettyPhoto" href="https://my.mutterings.co.uk/images/politics/north-sea-oil-platform"><dl class="image-right captioned prettyPhoto" style="width:200px;">
<dt><img alt="North Sea Oil Platform" height="148" src="https://my.mutterings.co.uk/images/politics/north-sea-oil-platform/@@images/c85b212c-f04b-496c-be0f-e7a40c861fee.jpeg" title="North Sea Oil Platform" width="200"/></dt>
<dd class="image-caption" style="width:200px;">North Sea Oil Platform</dd>
</dl></a>Shortly before the first General Election in 1974, Ted Heath's Conservative Government commissioned a report to re-assess Scottish Independence against the background of recent North Sea oil discoveries and EEC membership. The paper, now known under its author's name, Gavin McCrone, then economic advisor to the Scottish Office, was considered so incendiary that it was classified secret immediately.</p>
<p>The paper concluded that for the first time in the history of the United Kingdom, it would be economically advantageous for Scotland to secede from the Union.</p>
<h2>The Document</h2>
<p>Read the <a class="internal-link" href="https://my.mutterings.co.uk/politics/mccrone-report/report-section-1">McCrone Report</a> and the <a class="internal-link" href="https://my.mutterings.co.uk/politics/mccrone-report/letter">covering letter</a>.</p>
<hr class="footnote-separator"/>
<ol class="listTypeDecimal footnotes">
<li id="note-mccrone-original">Image sources: <a class="external-link" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beryl_alpha_from_air.jpg">North Sea Oil Platform</a></li>
</ol>Line in the Dust2012-04-27T18:00:00+00:002024-03-29T07:06:33+00:00mutteringshttps://my.mutterings.co.uk/blog/author/mutterings/https://my.mutterings.co.uk/blog/line-in-the-dust/<p><a class="prettyPhoto" href="https://my.mutterings.co.uk/images/politics/snp-car-sticker"><img alt="SNP Car Sticker" class="image-left" src="https://my.mutterings.co.uk/images/politics/snp-car-sticker/@@images/73098dcc-10b4-4e8e-9392-56de6460ade9.jpeg" title="SNP Car Sticker"/></a>To-day, I was stuck behind a dark-blue Fiesta at the traffic lights when I noticed that someone had written "Scots oil - where is it?" in big letters on the rather dusty hatch.</p>
<p>As I was wondering what could have provoked the dirty note, I spotted an SNP sticker on the rear window …</p>