photo by Terry Cavner
According to the Oil and Gas Production Statistics 2016-17, the approximate sales value increased by 15.2%. Production accounted for 82% of the UK total. The Scottish Government’s Energy Task Force has surely played some part in this. See this from the minister:
‘The Scottish Government will continue to do everything within our powers to support the industry and its workforce, while calling on the UK Government to improve the fiscal and regulatory regime to encourage on-going investment to support jobs and export led growth.’
As expected, this confirms the one-of nature of 2015/2016 when the North Sea allegedly made a loss though, of course, this was more a consequence of the UK government’s failure to tax the producers. See this:
Re-post: A ploy to undermine the case for Scottish independence as Oil companies making more at $50 per barrel than they did at £100 per barrel yet the UK Government is not taxing them.
Talking-up Scotland 
A thought, the cost of decommissioning these rigs seems to have been taken on by UK Gov and not left to the Companies who extracted the oil.
So, is HM Treasury sneakily assigning to the Scottish Expenditure this cost when we haven’t benefited from the oil in the first place?
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You have a suspicious mind probably correctly
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What a fabulous picture! Very dramatic.
What is also dramatic is the contrast between the Scottish government and the English one, and the latter are a bunch of charlatans. Panda, your supposition seems to be inevitable, will we ever find out? Richard Murphy is convinced that Scotland, even with correct numbers, will show as running a deficit (and says that is how healthy economies run anyway,,, but let’s not try to debate this, my poor bedraggled mind can’t take any more economics), but I am not convinced at all, I believe we would be in the black once you add everything up. Not that accountants actually add anything.
Should that have been ‘one-off’ John? ,,, Not that I want to be the grammar police or anything, or is that the spelling police? Anyway, I can’t talk!
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It’s just one of those things. I’m easy.
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