In
1999 Scotland handed over 6000 square miles of North Sea to Westminster
On 23.03.1999 Scotland handed over jurisdiction of 6,000 square miles of the North Sea to
Westminster. The remarkable thing about this transaction is the fact that it occurred without the knowledge or consent
of the people of Scotland. In fact it was a Labour government led by Tony Blair
that ordered this bizarre act of treachery towards the people of Scotland and
it was a senior Scottish Labour politician, Henry McLeish that sanctioned it. Yes that is the same one that is still in the Labour Party in Scotland now.
What is even worse is the fact that the whole affair was conducted in secret at
committee level denying the House of Commons or the Scottish Parliament an
opportunity to properly debate the issue. To their eternal shame Tam Dalyell
(Labour) an arch unionist if there ever was one, John McAllion (Scottish Labour) and Sir Robert Smith (Scottish
Liberal Democrats) sat on this committee and allowed this act of treason to be
carried out without authority from the Scottish electorate or the Scottish
Parliament.
There has never been another more serious act of treason since a handful of nobles and lords signed the Act of Union in 1707 without the expressed permission of the people of Scotland. Back then the people were aware and were outraged causing the authorities to declare martial law in Scotland for fear of violent revolt. In 1999 this act of treachery was conducted in secret no doubt to avoid such public scrutiny and outrage. Some people north of the border may not be too alarmed at this revelation and may not appreciate the significance of such a move. The logic of transferring 6,000 square miles of North Sea from Scottish jurisdiction to Westminster jurisdiction makes perfect sense if you are a Unionist government in Westminster. More so if those 6,000 square miles of North Sea happens to contain most of the Oil and Gas fields and over 80% of the traditional fishing waters of the Scottish fishing fleets. Then there is the huge potential of off shore wind farms and the revenue that will come from them when the UK begins to look at more sustainable forms of power supply (if indeed it ever does). The revenue from all those resources will no doubt head to the treasury in Westminster denying any independent Scottish government such lucrative income and counting through any future independence referendum discussion as English not Scottish. I don't think so! If this transfer of jurisdiction was carried out without the knowledge or consent of the Scottish people or the Scottish Parliament then it can only be considered at best of dubious legality and definitely immoral. The case must be made that without the authority of the democratically elected Scottish Parlimaint the transaction had no validity in law. Therefore the boundaries that existed prior to the 23rd of March 1999 will still be in force and as such all the waters within that boundary are still under the lawful jurisdiction of the Scottish Nation.
Because Scotland had its own legal system those waters in question were subject to Scottish law as were the fishing fleets that sailed them. That is no longer the case as all those fleets that have sailed in that area of the North Sea since 1999 are now subject to English law. The sheer scale of this treachery and betrayal is difficult to comprehend. To try and understand the effect on the sovereignty of Scotland is more apparent. Just imagine standing on the beach at St Andrews looking out to sea and then realise that you are now looking out on English water. In actual fact the boundary was moved from Berwick upon Tweed sixty miles north to Carnoustie. If you happen to sail up the river Tay towards the open sea you will be sailing towards English waters. By the same token if you are sailing past the port of Leith towards the open sea you will also be sailing towards English waters. Maybe the Scottish Labour and Liberal politicians who participated in this conspiracy genuinely believed they were acting in the best interests of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, history will show that their dispicable treachery was certainly not in the best interests of the people of Scotland who they were elected to represent.
Their deceit and betrayal is not the worst of the matter because it is impossible to believe that they acted without the knowledge of the hierarchy in their own political party. If the leading politicians within the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish Liberal Party were aware of this treachery then they are just as guilty of treason as those who participated in it. What this theft of Scottish waters and resources has shown is that Scottish Labour and Scottish Liberals are just as untrustworthy as the Conservatives and Westminster when it comes to protecting and representing Scotland and its interests. What makes their betrayal all the more painful is the fact that the Westminster Labour government was presided over by two alleged prominent Scots Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. For decades the people of Scotland have kept faith with the Labour Party and kept faith with the United Kingdom. That loyalty has been repayed with treachery and deceit and now seems likely to further compound the difficulties now facing Scottish Unionist parties. It will also impact on the relationship between the Scottish Parliament and its electorate with the rest of the United Kingdom. In particular it will affect the trust between the Scottish people and a Westminster Parliament that has acted with arrogance and utter disrespect for our sovereignty.
There has never been another more serious act of treason since a handful of nobles and lords signed the Act of Union in 1707 without the expressed permission of the people of Scotland. Back then the people were aware and were outraged causing the authorities to declare martial law in Scotland for fear of violent revolt. In 1999 this act of treachery was conducted in secret no doubt to avoid such public scrutiny and outrage. Some people north of the border may not be too alarmed at this revelation and may not appreciate the significance of such a move. The logic of transferring 6,000 square miles of North Sea from Scottish jurisdiction to Westminster jurisdiction makes perfect sense if you are a Unionist government in Westminster. More so if those 6,000 square miles of North Sea happens to contain most of the Oil and Gas fields and over 80% of the traditional fishing waters of the Scottish fishing fleets. Then there is the huge potential of off shore wind farms and the revenue that will come from them when the UK begins to look at more sustainable forms of power supply (if indeed it ever does). The revenue from all those resources will no doubt head to the treasury in Westminster denying any independent Scottish government such lucrative income and counting through any future independence referendum discussion as English not Scottish. I don't think so! If this transfer of jurisdiction was carried out without the knowledge or consent of the Scottish people or the Scottish Parliament then it can only be considered at best of dubious legality and definitely immoral. The case must be made that without the authority of the democratically elected Scottish Parlimaint the transaction had no validity in law. Therefore the boundaries that existed prior to the 23rd of March 1999 will still be in force and as such all the waters within that boundary are still under the lawful jurisdiction of the Scottish Nation.
Because Scotland had its own legal system those waters in question were subject to Scottish law as were the fishing fleets that sailed them. That is no longer the case as all those fleets that have sailed in that area of the North Sea since 1999 are now subject to English law. The sheer scale of this treachery and betrayal is difficult to comprehend. To try and understand the effect on the sovereignty of Scotland is more apparent. Just imagine standing on the beach at St Andrews looking out to sea and then realise that you are now looking out on English water. In actual fact the boundary was moved from Berwick upon Tweed sixty miles north to Carnoustie. If you happen to sail up the river Tay towards the open sea you will be sailing towards English waters. By the same token if you are sailing past the port of Leith towards the open sea you will also be sailing towards English waters. Maybe the Scottish Labour and Liberal politicians who participated in this conspiracy genuinely believed they were acting in the best interests of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, history will show that their dispicable treachery was certainly not in the best interests of the people of Scotland who they were elected to represent.
Their deceit and betrayal is not the worst of the matter because it is impossible to believe that they acted without the knowledge of the hierarchy in their own political party. If the leading politicians within the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish Liberal Party were aware of this treachery then they are just as guilty of treason as those who participated in it. What this theft of Scottish waters and resources has shown is that Scottish Labour and Scottish Liberals are just as untrustworthy as the Conservatives and Westminster when it comes to protecting and representing Scotland and its interests. What makes their betrayal all the more painful is the fact that the Westminster Labour government was presided over by two alleged prominent Scots Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. For decades the people of Scotland have kept faith with the Labour Party and kept faith with the United Kingdom. That loyalty has been repayed with treachery and deceit and now seems likely to further compound the difficulties now facing Scottish Unionist parties. It will also impact on the relationship between the Scottish Parliament and its electorate with the rest of the United Kingdom. In particular it will affect the trust between the Scottish people and a Westminster Parliament that has acted with arrogance and utter disrespect for our sovereignty.
The Liberals have shown yet again that they are
definitely not to be trusted whether in a Lib/Lab coalition government in
Holyrood or a Con/Dem coalition government in Westminster. We have witnessed
since the last general election how quick they were to ditch many of their
manifesto pledges in order to boast they were in government even if that was as
a subordinate minor partner. It is only now that we are beginning to realise
just how low the Liberal Democrats are prepared to get in order to achieve status
as King Makers. Sir Robert Smith’s part in handing over control of this vital
resource must have been sanctioned by senior members of the Scottish and United
Kingdom Liberal Democrat Party just as the same must be true of the Labour
members on that committee. What they did on that dark day on the 23rd of March
1999 was to act without authority from the very people who elected them and in
defiance of any democratic process. It is my dearest wish that our own
democratically elected government will strive to overturn this act of treason
and that those Scottish politicians who participated in that act of treachery
are held to account. With regard to Westminster and the future of Scotland
within the United Kingdom I believe that particular Parliament has given a
clear indication that it cannot be trusted to act in the best interests of the
people of Scotland. The Unionist Parties in Scotland suffered a major blow in
the recent Scottish Parliamentary Elections. When the people of Scotland
realise the full extent of this treachery and treason it is possible the next
blow could be fatal. It is now apparent that the people of Scotland cannot
trust any of the Unionist parties to act in the best interests of the Scots or
the nation of Scotland in all its entirety.
In a recent post entitled ‘My head says Yes but my heart largely says NO’ I was undecided. That post was written just a few weeks ago and at the time I genuinely believed that to be the case. It was also before I discovered that the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish Liberal Party had conspired to remove 6,000 square miles of North Sea from Scottish jurisdiction without informing the people of Scotland first or seeking our permission. I am now convinced that the argument for independence has been made. Not by the Nationalists who are prepared to accept the will of the people and delay a referendum but by the deceit and contempt displayed by all the Unionist parties towards the people of Scotland. The changing of the North Sea boundaries by Westminster without our consent is not the first time that Unionist parties have disregarded our rights and our sovereignty. However, it is by far the most serious act of betrayal since the signing of the Treaty of the Union back in 1707. For the sake of our children and our grandchildren we must make sure it is the last time. I am no longer undecided about independence for Scotland and believe it will and must happen before those liars and thieves take even more.
In a recent post entitled ‘My head says Yes but my heart largely says NO’ I was undecided. That post was written just a few weeks ago and at the time I genuinely believed that to be the case. It was also before I discovered that the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish Liberal Party had conspired to remove 6,000 square miles of North Sea from Scottish jurisdiction without informing the people of Scotland first or seeking our permission. I am now convinced that the argument for independence has been made. Not by the Nationalists who are prepared to accept the will of the people and delay a referendum but by the deceit and contempt displayed by all the Unionist parties towards the people of Scotland. The changing of the North Sea boundaries by Westminster without our consent is not the first time that Unionist parties have disregarded our rights and our sovereignty. However, it is by far the most serious act of betrayal since the signing of the Treaty of the Union back in 1707. For the sake of our children and our grandchildren we must make sure it is the last time. I am no longer undecided about independence for Scotland and believe it will and must happen before those liars and thieves take even more.
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