Homelessness

[piratelassie]

Brittain today. Poverty rising, homelessness more than doubled recently, foodbanks busier than ever, thank goodness we have a UK oil fund to fall back on. Oh wait a minute-----. Incidently all this austerity is political choice .

[tonkatojo]

Where is this country you are describing ?.

[piratelassie]

Open your eyes, your living in it.

Where is this country you are describing ?.

[bekisman]

Brittain today. Poverty rising, homelessness more than doubled recently, foodbanks busier than ever, thank goodness we have a UK oil fund to fall back on. Oh wait a minute-----. Incidently all this austerity is political choice .

I've just returned from Italy, if you want to see beggars on the streets, homelessness, rising poverty, have a look around the poorer areas of Bologna, Florence and Padova, it makes Brittain (sic) look not a bad place. Tell me Piratelassie (Please) what countries YOU have visited - and I don't mean the Tourist hot spots, but where the 'real' people are.. I will be really surprised if you answer, as you seem to have a very parochial view of most things.. Oh Wait a minute what Oil fund would that be? nope it ain't $114 a barrel it's $34.24, so YOUR SNP promised land of milk and honey is even further away.!

[tonkatojo]

I live in the UK Great Britain, ya geet dip. You really need to use a spell checker.

[Alrock]

I've just returned from Italy, if you want to see beggars on the streets, homelessness, rising poverty, have a look around the poorer areas of Bologna, Florence and Padova, it makes Brittain (sic) look not a bad place. Tell me Piratelassie (Please) what countries YOU have visited - and I don't mean the Tourist hot spots, but where the 'real' people are.. I will be really surprised if you answer, as you seem to have a very parochial view of most things.. Oh Wait a minute what Oil fund would that be? nope it ain't $114 a barrel it's $34.24, so YOUR SNP promised land of milk and honey is even further away.!

Not that I would ever want to be homeless or wish that upon anybody else, but I'm sure being homeless in Italy is far more preferable to the cold streets of Britain...

As for the Oil Fund, I think that was an attempt at sarcasm, as we don't have one.

[bekisman]

At least there is a NHS here.. http://www.italymagazine.com/forums/...d-beggars.html It's all relative, might have been 10 degrees there last week when I was there, but that's a very very low temperature for Italy.. Yea, I agree I'm fully aware that the 'oil fund' was a pretty pathetic attempt at sarcasm by piratelassie - I see Norway's Oil Fund has had it's biggest loss in the fund for four years, and their social costs are pretty horrific..
Often wonder WHY, IF the UK is such a really nasty place, why the hell are 8,000 economic migrants in Calais so desperate to come here, when they are being offered asylum in France?

[sids]

[rob murray]

Not that I would ever want to be homeless or wish that upon anybody else, but I'm sure being homeless in Italy is far more preferable to the cold streets of Britain...

As for the Oil Fund, I think that was an attempt at sarcasm, as we don't have one.

Yep and if we did have an oil fund it would belong to the UK not Scotland. If Scotland obtained indepedance sure we should get a % of any oil fund, not all of it.

[Alrock]

Yep and if we did have an oil fund it would belong to the UK not Scotland. If Scotland obtained indepedance sure we should get a % of any oil fund, not all of it.

Maybe, maybe not, Shetland seems to have it's own oil fund seperate from the UK.
Not that it's that important who actually would control the oil fund, it would have just been good if one had been set up instead of the spend now (in hope of getting re-elected), worry about it later attitude of this country.

[rob murray]

Maybe, maybe not, Shetland seems to have it's own oil fund seperate from the UK.
Not that it's that important who actually would control the oil fund, it would have just been good if one had been set up instead of the spend now (in hope of getting re-elected), worry about it later attitude of this country.

Did SHetland COuncil not negotiate a % per barrel landed and processed at Sullom Voe ? Personally a huge mistake by UK in not putting a % oil fund away but only to be used for re investment, instead of having to rely on taxes which may or may not be the case now.

[Hoggie]

When the oil started flowing, we had just got Harold Wilson in office and the economy went to pieces. Amidst the strikes, power cuts, breathtaking inflation and all the fun that socialism brings, putting a little aside for a rainy day was not likely. As Lord Silkin quipped at the time of Wilson's Chancellor Dennis Healey "All things bright and beautiful, All projects great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Chancellor cuts them all cuts the old age pension, Although he cuts by stealth, And while he looks for savings, He cuts the National Health". How they kept getting re-elected is a horror and a wonder.

We didn't get an oil fund under Margaret Thatcher, but then Brussels kept threatening the take the oil fields, then later we had a Shetlander in Number 11 (Norman Lamont). Now the economy is starting to totter back onto the straight and narrow, and a good, solid Irishman is in Number 11, maybe we can look at it. Oh, but the oil's running out.

[rob murray]

When the oil started flowing, we had just got Harold Wilson in office and the economy went to pieces. Amidst the strikes, power cuts, breathtaking inflation and all the fun that socialism brings, putting a little aside for a rainy day was not likely. As Lord Silkin quipped at the time of Wilson's Chancellor Dennis Healey "All things bright and beautiful, All projects great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Chancellor cuts them all cuts the old age pension, Although he cuts by stealth, And while he looks for savings, He cuts the National Health". How they kept getting re-elected is a horror and a wonder.

We didn't get an oil fund under Margaret Thatcher, but then Brussels kept threatening the take the oil fields, then later we had a Shetlander in Number 11 (Norman Lamont). Now the economy is starting to totter back onto the straight and narrow, and a good, solid Irishman is in Number 11, maybe we can look at it. Oh, but the oil's running out.

North sea oil did not flow in substantial barrels until the 1980's when we had the tories in power, strikes, hyper inflation, 3 day week etc were prevalent in 73 / 74 under Heath, a Tory government, post 75 -79, inflation was tamed by Labour ( the social contract ) its the 80's government ( Tories ) that could have set up an oil fund precisely to mitigate price collapses when oil was pouring from the North Sea and companies had more than recouped development and exploration costs back. The oil fund could have propped up further explorations / keep production flowing until prices pick up again, they didnt do this but used the dough to service tories massive debt interest etc the only way out in 2016 for North Sea and UK / Scotland Oil industry is for tax interventions / tax incentives, which is basically diverting money away from areas badly affected by so called austerity cuts. If we had set up an oil fund then we arguably wouldnt be in the mess we are in now as North Sea is collapsing and as things stand the vast majority of work will be in whats called plug / abandonment and decommissioning ie tearing down rigs / closing fields etc. So given we dont have access to a tardis and undo the past, we can only hope that rUK use tax breaks and incentives to get things moving again or NOrth Sea will shrink alarmingly and cause mahem in oil and supply chain jobs / employers. One thing is 100% sure, an indy Scotland wouldnt be able to look at this option.

[piratelassie]

My comment about an oil fund was simply to highlight the pathetic mismanagement of a tremendous asset to the UK by the Westminster governments. But it's not too late for an independent Scotland to start one now that exploration is underway on the west coast. Incidently drilling was refused in the Clyde basin years ago because of the nuclear sub movements, and that's another expensive white elephant we can get rid of with home rule.

[bekisman]

What, and then join NATO with their nasty weapons to protect you? bit hypocritical that!

[davth]

Did SHetland COuncil not negotiate a % per barrel landed and processed at Sullom Voe ? Personally a huge mistake by UK in not putting a % oil fund away but only to be used for re investment, instead of having to rely on taxes which may or may not be the case now.

Yes they did, and now they are moaning as BP have decided to pipe their West of Shetland oil directly to mainland Europe instead of via SVT to avoid the levy.
Which I think is affecting SVT pretty badly as they had been banking on it.

[tonkatojo]

Yes they did, and now they are moaning as BP have decided to pipe their West of Shetland oil directly to mainland Europe instead of via SVT to avoid the levy.
Which I think is affecting SVT pretty badly as they had been banking on it.

Shucks, are these those same EU friends who are threatening us with "repercussions" if we don't want of be part of the extortionate club after June.

[Hoggie]

My comment about an oil fund was simply to highlight the pathetic mismanagement of a tremendous asset to the UK by the Westminster governments. But it's not too late for an independent Scotland to start one now that exploration is underway on the west coast. Incidently drilling was refused in the Clyde basin years ago because of the nuclear sub movements, and that's another expensive white elephant we can get rid of with home rule.

Will there be a City of London fund too, taking the taxes from the City and London to benefit only the South East of England?

[davth]

Will there be a City of London fund too, taking the taxes from the City and London to benefit only the South East of England?

Only if the City of London went independent.
Incidentally piratelassie it is too late for Scotland to start its very own oil fund, primarily as the revenue from oil and gas is the UK's not Scotland's.
And secondly because the majority of citizens in Scotland rejected independence, you really seem to have trouble in grasping, understanding and accepting this massive fact.

WE DO NOT WANT INDEPENDENCE FROM THE REST OF THE UK!!!

[rob murray]

Only if the City of London went independent.
Incidentally piratelassie it is too late for Scotland to start its very own oil fund, primarily as the revenue from oil and gas is the UK's not Scotland's.
And secondly because the majority of citizens in Scotland rejected independence, you really seem to have trouble in grasping, understanding and accepting this massive fact.

WE DO NOT WANT INDEPENDENCE FROM THE REST OF THE UK!!!

Seems SNP as a party wont accept the vote either, still, they cannot call indy2, they havent the legal power, as well Sturgeon knows, this Scotland votes EU and UK vote out = a call for indy2..... is nonsense / rabble rousing, and well she knows it.