Stephen Flynn says the 60th anniversary of the Continental Shelf Act is very important

Energy-rich Scotland shouldn't have some of the highest bills in Europe

Writing in his fortnightly Daily Record column, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn says North Sea revenues should be spent in Scotland.

by · Daily Record

Stick in a quick Google search of April 15 and it will list off all the anniversaries that took place on this day down through the years.

It was the date the Titanic tragically sunk, it is of course the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, it’s the day when fire broke out in Notre Dame a few years back and apparently, it’s the date when Leonardo di Vinci was born.

What that Google search probably won’t tell you though is that it’s also the date that Westminster first handed itself powers over energy drilling off Scotland’s coast.

You have to search the internet pretty hard to discover that today happens to be the 60 th anniversary of the Continental Shelf Act.

Mightn’t sound very exciting but trust me, it’s important. Because that’s the law which gave Westminster governments control over ‘exploration and exploitation’ of Scotland’s vast energy resources in the North Sea.

It’s not an anniversary you hear much about – no prizes for guessing why - but it’s about time that we finally did.

After all, it’s that very law that has resulted in over £300 billion flowing down to the UK Treasury in oil and gas taxation since the 1970s.

You think Scotland has got value for money from that deal? Me neither.

Instead of investing that £300 billion in North Sea revenue to build up infrastructure, to grow the economy, cut energy bills, tackle poverty or invest in public services, I think it’s pretty fair to say that money has been well and truly squandered by successive Westminster Governments.

And it’s fair to say that is as true today as it was 60 years ago.

The bigger point about this anniversary though Is that it is as much about our future as it is about the past.

The latest UK budget set it out in black and white - Westminster will rake in an extra £20.6 billion from Scotland's natural resources in the next five years.

So, here’s an idea. Instead of those billions making their merry way down to the Treasury in London, every penny of the taxation that is still to come from the North Sea, should be re-invested into growing the green economy and cutting energy bills in Scotland.

That’s what the SNP will be fighting for. Will the other Westminster parties do the same? I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

And that’s exactly why Scotland’s energy has to be front and centre of the general election campaign. For our part, a vote for the SNP is a vote to put powers over energy in Scotland’s hands, not Westminster’s.

With energy independence, we will do what Labour and the Tories can’t and won’t offer - we’ll make Scotland’s energy work for Scotland, not for Westminster.

After 60 years, it shouldn’t and can’t be controversial to say clearly that this is Scotland’s energy – and it must first and foremost benefit the people and communities of Scotland.

That means that in energy rich Scotland, people shouldn’t be paying some of the highest energy bills in Europe during this cost-of-living crisis.

It means re-investing Scotland’s energy wealth back into our communities, rather than seeing it flow to Westminster.

Its means that we can grow the economy, cut energy bills and tackle climate change all at the same time.

The future of our energy goes to the heart of the choice that will come at the general election. After 60 years, after all that energy and all those billions, who can really argue against the fact that Westminster isn’t working for Scotland.

After 60 years, it’s finally time that Scotland’s energy came back into Scotland’s hands.

Iran is trying to exploit the suffering of the Palestinian people

The mass drone attacks launched against Israel over the weekend need to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. It is yet another dangerous development in a part of the world that desperately needs some stability and peace.

Over recent months, we have rightly held Israel to account for their actions and the exact same robust accountability and condemnation of this Iranian attack needs to be voiced and heard.

And let’s be very clear what is happening here.

The Iranian regime is looking to exploit the suffering of the Palestinian people, they have no interest in helping them. The cynical agenda in Tehran is to bring about as much instability in the Middle East as possible. Our response, and our collective resolve, needs to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Scottish politics

What is required now is the very same thing that has been required for the last 6 months. A regional de-escalation of tensions and conflict and a sustained effort by the international community to bring some stability across the entire Middle East.

A renewed effort to help that happen needs to start immediately. It should be obvious to all that the bedrock of that stability begins with an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

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