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(not satire – I think)
This is interesting.
Scottish ‘yes’ campaigners are claiming a mysterious article – posted today on a recruitment website for oil and gas industry workers – is proof that the discovery of a massive oil field off the coast of Scotland is being hushed up by the Westminster government until after the independence referendum.
I have absolutely no idea how true these claims are.
But here’s the article anyway so you can make up your own mind:
World’s Largest Oil Field NOT Found – The Mystery Surrounding the Prime Ministers Shetland Visit
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Please feel free to comment. And share. Thanks:
Pride's Purge 
How about what BP themselves said in June about Clair – “we are very excited about Clair” http://www.oilandgaspeople.com/news/949/bp-has-turned-a-corner-in-north-sea-output/
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“Oil Industry News” are not renowned for accuracy or good sources. I’ve never worked for a similar industry-type mag but was an editor at FT magazines for a few years. It’s a plausible story but it should be thought of in that light.
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emma
http://yes2014.net/2014/08/01/oil-around-shetland-could-be-more-than-it-appears/ and what is described as the biggest oil field in the world is off the west coast of scotland, but the nasty nukes blocks it’s exploitation….but imo it should stay untouched as our bio-sphere cannot afford it….
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pssst can you keep a secret cameron’s coming here to shetland, don’t tell anyone pass it on… the comments in this link show the islanders delight @ his visit….see also john jappy on youtube…
http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2014/07/22/cameron-speech-praises-isles-spirit
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Pingback: Massive oil find off coast of Scotland hushed up till after referendum? | Mitherings from Morningside
and then there is this slightly massive one pumping 50000 barrels/day 2017 on…
http://www.newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-economy/6772-new-oil-discovery-in-scottish-north-sea-sector
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oh, and here is the possible origins of the story…
http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-news/9507-westminster-deliberately-downplaying-oil-revenue-says-investment-mag-report
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Hi I forwarded your article about this to a friend who came back with the following comment (below) – all very interesting stuff. Best wishes, Pauline Cory
What is also interesting is the energy experts who gave evidence at the House of Lords Select Committee last year about shale gas: Tuesday 10th Dec. Philip Lambert said (text below), so I can’t help but think there is a short-term / mid-term policy for energy that’s focussing on this Ponzi scheme for fracking, and also holding back North Sea development so that Scotland doesn’t benefit from it!!
Our only fear is that shale gas deflects from the real issue at hand, which is that the UK
offshore gas industry is in terminal decline unless it is rescued, so it is not necessarily in
terminal decline. If we think that shale gas is going to rescue us, we take our eye off the real
ball, which is making sure that the UK offshore gas production is maximised, and it is not
likely to be maximised under the current fiscal regime or political will. There is
infrastructure in place that is empty: pipelines and terminals. The fields themselves can
produce much more than is currently forecast. Seismic is being revolutionised offshore.
There is a huge prize to go for offshore. If we rely on shale gas to save us we will actually
take our eye off the real ball that is there
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Thanks Pauline. Yes very interesting.
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Now the Shetland and Orkneys islanders have said in the past they want Devo Max from England and do not want to be part of an independent Scotland.
They are not Celts. They were Norwegians as a colony of Vikings.
As the Vikings were a Germanic tribe, as are all Scandinavians (save the Finns), that makes them English.
So the oil could belong to England after independence, but really it might just go to Norway if we are not careful 🙂
But Scotland can do what only socialists could do here in England, and that is for the SNP to win big in its yes campaign by offering what the English socialists gave as manifesto pledges in 1997.
See my personal website:
http://www.theswansnewparty.org.uk
If the trade unions took all their money and gave it to the English socialists and the Scottish SNP, with these manifesto pledges, then they would win a landslide victory in 2015.
For a start there are 23 million over 50s in the UK today, and they are the best voters of all ages. This age group would help their children and grandchildren by bringing in a Free Scotland and a socialists government in London.
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and this… http://www.businessforscotland.co.uk/professor-westminster-is-ignoring-a-mountain-of-black-gold/ …..then there’s the mccrone report…
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“The biggest oil-field in the world lies to the west of Lewis, but would be very difficult to work (but not impossible) since it has been shattered and fragmented by ancient volcanic action. But it is there“.http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/06/11/the-real-state-of-scotlands-oil-and-gas-reserves/
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This has been in the pipeline for some time – no pun intended. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-23681061
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I have to say, it’s pure idiocy to think Cameron went to the Shetlands to… what? Look at the oil? Speak to BP? Construct a rig?
Not to say there isn’t oil there, but it will never be at the scale of previous deposits.
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@JP Medard, The cumulative estimates of the various branches of the oil industry give a ballpark figure of £4 trillion of oil under the Scottish Atlantic Shelf. I’m pretty sure that’s more than the total North Sea take to date. The truth is that the geology of Scottish waters suggests that we will have a plentiful supply of oil.
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bob
i speculate that the st clair field must be absolutely ginormous and easy to get at, and being easy to get at is likely what makes it so important….
then there is this…http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/referendum/9531-ruk-no-choice-but-to-buy-scottish-energy-after-yes-vote-say-academics ….and massive reserves of coal….so how is it possible for people to freeze to death, starve, and pay so much for energy? really makes ya think don’t it…
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I am a definite YES voter and until I hear the Scottish Government comment on this subject I am concerned that it may be a YES ruse perpetuated by over enthusiastic YES campaigners. Or could it be a ruse by the anti independence forces to make us appear idiots. So many conspiracy theories going around that muddy the waters. To me it is probable (based on the theory of ineptitude by governments) that Wastemonster is doing what it did in 1974 re the McCrone Report. They have no idea how much resentment the suppression of that report has built up in Scotland.
See the link below for information on the McCrone Report.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/how-black-gold-was-hijacked-north-sea-oil-and-the-betrayal-of-scotland-518697.html
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Cameron clearly wants to play down the future Scottish oil and gas potential before the referendum. The Clair oilfield has been known for some time to be potentially very large. Maybe there has been a new estimate from Clair Ridge which puts the figure much higher, and it is that which is being kept under wraps. That would fit with the hints in the above article. However, Cameron visiting the area would just draw attention to it, so that doesn’t quite make sense.
Perhaps we will see the old lesson that it’s the cover-up which turns out to be the big story. If it emerges that the Government HAS hushed up a report about Scottish oil potential, even if it’s not that big, then it could be the factor on which the referendum turns.
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…and thanks Tom. Nice one.
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As a 100% NO vote I can’t help but feel this is more YES nonsense being pumped out with absolutely no evidence or supporting documents.
My experiences over the last 18-24 months with the YES campaign is that they are willing to feed out hundreds of nonsensical threads in the hope that eventually some guiliable individual will latch onto their promises of a golden future. Even if this story was true and through some miracle a yes vote happened next month – we as the Scottish people will still see nothing of it. Why? Because Scottish politicians are still politicians and as a breed they are lying, thieving scumbags who protect their own interests.
The Labour Party in an Indy Scotland will still be labour.
The Conservative party in an Indy Scotland will still be conservative.
And most worryingly the SNP in an Indy Scotland will still be the SNP – but now they won’t just be pretending to be in charge of anything.
I urge every Scot to read the known facts from both sides if the discussion. Look at the known figures and make a balanced and educated decision based on fact rather than rose tinted nationalism and realise that a YES vote is suicide for Scotland both locally and internationally.
If like myself you would rather not play Russian roulette with our children’s future then vote NO – I am not a gambler, I am a realist.
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“And most worryingly the SNP in an Indy Scotland will still be the SNP – but now they won’t just be pretending to be in charge of anything.”
So would you say that the Scottish Goverment with its SNP majority is currently just pretending to be in charge of health, education, justice, rural affairs, housing and the environment? You are not helping the NO case with such rubbish.
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Mark, you are, of course, entitle to vote as you wish. However, I am voting yes for almost the same reasons you are voting no – I do not wish to play Russian roulette with our children’s future. There are few certainties if we stay with rUK. Yes, it is certain that we will remain a country with nuclear weapons and looks increasingly certain that we will have fracking across the land despite worries about it’s overall safety. Staying with rUK will not guarantee that you receive free health care, nor that you can get free eye tests or prescriptions – I’m sure you and your family take advantage of these things at present. It is not certain that the children of the future will receive free further education either amongst other things. Some of these things already cost in rUK and free healthcare is under increasing threat. Consecutive Scottish Govts under devolution have ensured a fairer society in Scotland by maintaining or introducing the above. As for the political parties remaining the same – I doubt this will happen. Labour have lost much credibility in recent months. We are a socialist country that believes in looking after our poor, ill, old and young (see the way we have voted for years). In order to gain your vote after a Yes, the political parties will have to offer us a society that we want. Labour and the Conservatives will no longer be ruled from London so they will change. If we vote Yes, the political parties will have 18 months to convince us they will work for us rather than themselves and we have 18 months to decide if they deserve our vote. One last thing, I agree with you about politicians in general but it is interesting to note that the self serving MPs recently took an 11% pay rise whilst saying there was no money and giving NHS staff on top bands only 1%. MSPs on the other hand voted to have their pay rises in line with the public sector. Therefore, if the public sector gets 1% pay rise, so do MSPs. In addition, the Scottish parliament have awarded a 1% pay rise across the board to all NHS staff and given a boost to all those on pay of less than £21k. Which do you think sounds more self serving and corrupt on that basis?
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Mark
If you vote no you are voting to have the barnett formula scrapped at a cost of 4 billion from the scottish budget
voting no and assuming nothing will change isn’t what will happen
to put it into perspective we spend
1/2 a billion of free university
we spend 75 million of free prescription
Just think how bad it’s going to be to loose 4 billion
free university education will be scrapped
free prescription will need to be scrapped
poll tax free will be well gone as well
be very careful what you vote for
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emma
fire up brilliant vid on youtube; dr lucy reynolds, the health and social care bill, re nhs privatization and what has been slowly and deliberately put in place by successive govts over the last 35 yrs…to profiteer from the nhs…no voters especially should see this vid…i defy anyone to vote no after they have….in the event of a yes vote, yes please…note for no voters…we will still be british citizens with dual nationality, as we are indeed now, except now we will if we choose can have scottish passports or continue to use our british passports and either way will remain eu citizens…we will still be british the clue is that we live in the british isles….which is the generic name for the group of countries the form the british isles…we are voting re our political union with WM…not about our social union with rUK, that will remain as strong as ever and imv will strengthen….i am english of irish decent and proud of my unshakable irishness, i don’t know what it is i cannot get rid of it, it follows me around, ah well that’s for me to suffer, wonderful music…that reminds me check out the eddi reader youtube vid re indy see link below…oil, coal, wind, wave tidal, even solar capture, we have massive amounts of…
see re eu…wingsoverscotland…..sunset-for-scaremongers….no voters should read wings it will allay their fears…i totally understand their concerns, change is scary, we all feel it, but i also feel so excited at the chance to shake off the WM shackles…we can and definitely a fact,expect more of the same if we stay, £25/bn + cuts coming after 2015ge.. or we can choose to go for real change…in 2016 we can vote for which ever scottish politicians we want…THEY’LL BE OURS…if we don’t like em we can get rid of them…not have a so called democracy we now do. based on house prices how many houses or shares or acres of land one owns, or if lives in the se of england, as 30yrs ago i did…how much money is in the bank how much one’s personal wealth has increased over the yr or how many people one controls… sovereignty there is nothing like it…”the cheviot the stag and the black, black oil”…youtube…also see stephen patons, indyref weekly also on youtube….. https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/?s=eddi+reader&submit=Search
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My brother has read this, and his view is it’s a conspiracy to invent a conspiracy. He says; –
“The field in question is Clair. It was found in the 1970s, has been extensively explored and documented in the last fifty years, and *has actually been producing for nine*.” (Emphasis mine.) “It’s the biggest located near Britain, but is nowhere near the largest in the world (seriously, it doesn’t even begin to compete with the fields under Iraq and Iran, and at maximum capacity would only be roughly equal to the remaining reserves in some Texan fields – after 108 years of Texan oil production), and it’s extremely expensive and difficult to get at compared to North Sea reserves (the water depth isn’t the problem, so much as the dodgy nature of the geology).
While the British Government aren’t great at hushing things up, they usually at least manage to do so before a comprehensive Wikipedia article is published: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clair_oilfield.
Equally, the fact that BP publicly announced the drilling project early last year makes the claim that this is a secret new discovery being kept quiet seem a little tinfoil-hat brigade. The figures and projections for Clair are included in both SNP and Treasury white papers for post-independence Scottish budget projections, so if ‘Yes’ campaigners are suggesting this is hush-hush then it just means they haven’t actually read their own literature.”
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Hstorm, I am aware of the information you site above and, as your brother has stated, this is easily to be found and is in the public domain. However, the information relates to the Clair Field as a whole and not to Clair Ridge. If you look at the Wiki link you have given above, it confirms that Clair Ridge is yet to be explored. My understanding is that this exploration has been taking place and the results of their findings have only just become available (to BP – not the public domain). Therefore any projections by either SG or WM will not include information from Clair Ridge. It is a fact that the results are expected now from the exploration of Clair Ridge and that very recently major BP executives descended on Shetland. At the same time, all workers associated with Clair Ridge were sent home on leave on full pay and told not to return to work until end September. It is also a fact that although his press office denied that David Cameron was going to visit Shetland, he did so (I think they released the information shortly before his visit meaning mainland media could not get access to Shetland in time for his visit). He was on Shetland at the same time as the executives. He held a short conference at which he said a few meaningless things that could have been said from behind a desk in Downing Street. He did not answer any questions. He missed a cabinet meeting to go to Shetland and immediately afterwards went on to the Commonwealth Games. I’m not a conspiracy theorist by any means but I am highly suspicious of what is going on here. As to whether the new findings have revealed the biggest oil field in the world, I have no idea. It may not be that. It may be that the oil found will be relatively easy to extract and therefore cheaper for the oil companies. I really don’t know. I do know that successive WM govts have lied to Scotland about oil, the amount, it’s worth etc etc and this makes me concerned about exactly what is going on here.
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Overburdeneddonkey (tried to work out how to shorten that to something workable and failed). Thanks for all the links. I have watched and/or keep track of all the site and blogs you mention above. I gave up on mainstream media a while back although I do still keep an eye on it too. This campaign has been run by BT in such a way that we should all be terrified to vote Yes as basically we can’t do it. We have no chance of surviving in the big bad world. But why do they say this and want to keep us? Why are they fighting such a dirty campaign with so many statements made that have then been proven falsehoods? Why do they not just cut us loose and enjoy the benefits of being “unburdened” by the responsibility of looking after us and subsidising us? The answer is, of course, that they don’t subsidise us. The need our revenue, they need our land for WMD, and they need our oil to balance the books. I’m voting Yes and I pray with all my heart that enough of us can see through the corrupt, scrounging, elitist politicians at Whitehall to vote Yes too.
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hstorm
there is no need for yes campaigners to create a conspiracy around scotland’s oil wealth,(it they in fact are) nor to pursue fracking in scotland for that matter…as there is so much gas and oil already flowing…+ masses of other forms of energy…what is true, that regardless of what might be there, there is also plenty elsewhere….
experts already state; that the largest oil field in the world (see details in link below) is west of lewis and west coast of scotland in general…so the existence of clair matters not, except in immediate use/availability terms, in terms of quantity and only in terms of availability ie ease of extraction…best not distract away from the vast known oil and gas reserves elsewhere in scottish waters, and put all eggs in clair basket…
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emma
OBD works well…i feel ashamed of the burden i place on the UK, best they get rid of me/us, we should be as a comet is to buddhists….how about this all of our pensions are paid for up until indy pro rata yrs of contributions of NI ..and as for the romance/romantic tunes non-sense “lovebombing” what’s that all about?!….give me the sex pistols any day….or a bit of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. just a little bit….or a bit of paolo or ball of confusion or the likes of martyn bennet…,,,not “if you leave me now you take away the biggest part of me……….” a tune that may well have it’s moments, but not as a backdrop for #indyref….
http://wingsoverscotland.com/the-pensioner-jackpot/
i’ll make no voters a deal if they promise on their lives that i will get the govt that i want and i believe that the vast majority of people in scotland want and need, a socialist govt with a SPINE, for the people by the people, i will vote no! but hold that if i vote yes i’ll get it anyway, so why rely on the promises of others…cut out the middle person go direct to noise up holyrood if they displease us sovereigns….what ever happens don’t go home after the 18th, the genie is out of the bottle and cannot go back in, the change has already began….we’ve already won, now lets win a little bit more, can never have enough democracy, only ever to little….aug 5th stv whats this event? and i will not vote snp 2016 unless they deserve my vote…wow! imv, the snp are vigorously campaigning to put themselves out of office in the event of a yes vote….plenty of runners and new kids on the block, emergent…oh, wait we need to be ruled with a rod of iron what was i thinking…”we are not genetically programmed to make political decisions”….eh, m’s lament?
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OBD, your rant has just made my day – with even a touch of Martyn Bennet – wow. As you say, let’s go on to win a little bit more! 🙂
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aye….
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It is so secret that here is an article from 2007:
http://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/270/1/205.abstract
And another confirming investment in 2011:
http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2011/10/13/goverment-approves-4-5-billion-investment-in-clair-field-west-of-shetland
Yeah so secret that a basic google search mentions it.
Idiots.
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See my post above about possible new size estimate from Clair Ridge.
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As a contractor who has just finished a major project for Clair Ridge project, the wells are due to be opened this year/early next year. Its been explored they known what they are going to get out of it.
“At the same time, all workers associated with Clair Ridge were sent home on leave on full pay and told not to return to work until end September” What workers!, the platform isn’t even built yet. Its still being finished in South Korea.
Drilling is going to be done via the platform and not via a drill rig.
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The last opinion poll done on the Isles showed that 82% wanted to remain in Scotland. 8% said they didn’t. Shetland Isles council is sitting on a £500 million budget surplus for a tiny population and has one of the highest rates of employment anywhere in the UK. Why would they want to leave?
The Shetland secession scenario is a fairy story invented by coked up spin doctors
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But he is right about one thing. Why would Cameron travel all the way up to a place where BP have no operational base on a ‘secret’ trip about new oilfields? His very presence there would alert everyone to the secret he was trying to hide.
I call BS on this one.
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goggs
perhaps he heard the jars of pickled red herrings were good…
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What is it that u are all arguing about here? There’s oil there, that’s for sure.. The problem is when it comes out the ground, it belongs to whoever has got it out of there, that’s who makes the money, not the Scottish or UK government. You can only sell what is yours, the land /area belong to Scotland / UK , but we wont see a penny (apart from tax etc) of the huge profits available, and that wont matter whether were in the UK or not.
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Dave – It’s the tax which is the whole point, and which government will get it. It’s a massive amount of money.
There is also a clear argument that a Scottish government (either SNP or Labour) will be more socialist than the UK, so that tax money will be used more fairly for the people of the country.
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mark
a woman asks a perfectly reasonable question…what happens next is astonishing….democracy in action….still no?
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A politician who didn’t answer the question – Sadly that’s normal behaviour for all politicians on all sides of an argument (and also some other people I might add!).
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f f
not always true, and that is not my experience of yes meetings at all…in this public yes indy meeting no voters ask questions and are treated perfectly reasonably and questions answered…and this happens almost nightly all over scotland atm… there are also as well 300+ grassroots yes groups, from what i’ve seen, all questions are treated with respect at them…
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I agree with you. From what I’ve seen the politicians on the Yes side more often answers questions plainly than the No side. The politicians on the Yes side are FAR from perfect and getting a plain answer from ANY politician is still like getting blood from a stone, but that’s the balance as I see it.
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anyway biz 4 scot have today posted this re clair….
http://www.businessforscotland.co.uk/clair-ridge-and-scotlands-new-oil-boom/
8bn BOE which is approx 13.6bn mwh of energy, worth £1trillion…the world uses approx 19bn mwh of electricity /y…..
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sounds like the nats making shit up as per normal.
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Well, you may think it might be speculative, until you see that the government is already making plans for what to do with our money…
http://londonist.com/2014/08/londons-1-3-trillion-infrastructure-plan.php
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I wish there were more like you Emma. You speak so much sense.
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Ah,Isabel. Thank you. I do a lot of research and I try not to upset anyone. We are all entitled to our viewpoint and I respect that. Lovely thing to say. You have made my day.
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So what we are saying, is that a recruitment website set up by Oil exploration contractors, has got the scoop on the largest oil field disovery in the last 30 year, and it has not been picked up and reported on by the Financial Times or the Wall Street Journal?
To say that David Cameron and BP together have the power to suppress the free press of the UK is really stretching belief, but to say they also have the power to silence the rest of the world media is just a joke.
As I understand it, the oil being discussed is not a new find, it has been known about since 70’s/80’s but was deemed to expensive/difficult to extract. Only not has technology moved on and prices are high enough that it makes this a really viable source. Crucially, whats not being said is also that reducing reserves can also force oil companys to tap oil fields which they had previously ignored/passed over as too expensive. Just look to the oil sands of canada for evidence.
This will not turn out the be the “Biggest Oil Field in the World” and if anyone believes it will, let me ask you how many shares do you have in BP or the companies owning the oil and gas people website. Cause if you were 100% sure or even 70% sure it was going to find this level of oil, you would beg steal and borrow what you could to buy shares as it’d be a sure winner.
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Also, none of the oil is in Shetlands territorial waters. There is a recognised formula for working out such things and I believe Shetland would only get about 12 miles within which there are no oil fields.
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WHY would Cameron go to the Shetlands at all? i bet he didn’t even know where they were before this trip. he is a cunning, lying ,bastard, oops, i meant a politician.
how come the original report into North Sea oil was kept under(freedom of information) wraps for 30 years?
Politicians are a load of crap!!
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Well, here we are a week and a half after voting No and it seems that suddenly there is, in fact, shed loads of oil, reasonably easy to extract and we are looking a new oil boom in the face. Have just read through the comments above again. All you Naysayers may want to rethink your attitude to govts and the fact that they “obviously” would not suppress information about the oil. A final point – Sir Ian Wood, who originally said the SG forecasts were pretty much spot on and then changed his mind to say they were ridiculously high, was, in the last week awarded a major fracking licence. Please remember that fracking was not something that was going forward in an Independent Scotland. We can’t change the result. We have to live with what we have done. Ray, I hope you bought shares in BP as it seems you would, indeed be on to a winner.
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