LETTERS OF THE WEEK

Two great letters from Leah Gunn Barrett, one of my colleagues on the Scottish National Congress Steering Group.

Dear Editor,

Scottish politicians talk endlessly about eradicating poverty (April 18, Scots living in very deep poverty), but don’t acknowledge the root cause – that Scotland’s wealth is controlled by Westminster.

Take North Sea Oil, 90% of which lay in Scottish waters. The 1975 McCrone report, buried by Westminster, revealed that an independent Scotland’s budget surpluses would be so large as to be “embarrassing,” and Scotland’s currency would become the hardest in Europe, making Scotland far wealthier than England, and putting it in the position of lending to our indebted southern neighbour.^[1] Instead, the entire value of North Sea oil – hundreds of billions of pounds – flowed to the UK Treasury where it was squandered on tax cuts, mass privatisations, English infrastructure projects – Channel Tunnel, Eurostar, Canary Wharf – and nuclear weapons, sited near Scotland’s largest city.

In 1999, before the Scottish Parliament opened, Blair’s government secretly moved the Scotland’s maritime border north, transferring 6,255 statute square miles of Scottish waters to English jurisdiction, in violation of the Treaty and Acts of Union.^[2] Blair’s government feared that after devolution Scotland would leave the UK, so this was designed to neutralised its claim to North Sea Oil.^[3]

Twelve producing oil and gas fields are in the stolen area, each of which sends taxes and licence fees to the UK Treasury. Not a penny of this money is credited to Scotland, significantly understating the GERS accounts to Scotland’s disadvantage.

The union has impoverished Scots and impeded Scotland’s economic development in comparison with its prosperous Nordic neighbours. The people’s wealth was stolen and sold on the cheap to foreign entities. 

It’s simple. To end poverty, stop the theft. 

Yours sincerely,

Leah Gunn Barrett

^[1] https://www.thenational.scot/news/17461406.westminster-doesnt-want-read-mccrone-report-full/

^[2] https://electricscotland.com/independence/ScotlandsStolenSea.pdf

^[3] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/secret-plan-to-deprive-independent-scotland-of-north-sea-oil-fields-3nsvc8k8vg5

AND

Dear Editor,

The UK is a feudal state. For evidence, look no further than the protection of the monarch’s private wealth. When Elizabeth died, her son didn’t pay inheritance tax. His private wealth exceeds his mother’s at £1.815bn.^[1]

The reason he didn’t pay a tax his subjects must pay, was a 1993 agreement made with Major’s government that the Queen would voluntarily pay tax on her large private income as long as bequests between monarchs were exempt from inheritance tax. So, all the Queen’s private wealth was bequeathed to her heir. 

Charles’ wealth spans estates including Balmoral in Scotland, official gifts, horses, art, jewellry, secretive investments and the royal cash cow, the Duchy of Lancaster, that generates £20m per year. 

Consistent with this wealth hoarding is the oath Charles will take on May 6^th. He won’t take a UK coronation oath which you’d expect if this was one united kingdom, nor will he take the Scottish oath referenced in the 1689 Claim of Right and required by Scots law for any legitimate monarch. He’ll take the 1689 English oath.

The Anglo Norman English Crown designates the monarch as ‘overlord’ and head of state, controlling the land, the people and the law. This monarchical sovereignty was transferred in 1689 to the English Parliament, where we get the principle of English parliamentary sovereignty. 

The Celtic Scottish Crown is completely different. It is the Community of the Realm, the people. They, not parliament, are sovereign and the head of state, and have the power to remove a monarch and government that doesn’t serve their interests. They did just that in 1688, treason under English law.  

The English Crown illegally annexed Scotland. The union is a fig leaf hiding the theft of one nation by another. Scots must wake up and reclaim their nation.

Yours sincerely,

Leah Gunn Barrett 

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