(c) inhabitat.com
In Energy Voice today:
‘Renewable energy is now able to meet more than 70% of Scotland’s energy requirement, according to new stats. The 2017 data, released today by the Scottish Government, shows that renewable electricity sources are now able to meet 70.1% of Scotland’s energy demand, up from 54.4% in 2016. The new figures break previously held records for renewable demand in Scotland. The rise is largely attributed to more wind being used to produce renewable electricity, with an extra 1.1 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity coming online in 2017.’
https://www.energyvoice.com/otherenergy/188941/renewable-energy-meets-over-70-of-scotlands-needs/
Remember, this is 2017 data. Given the overall trend, the figure for 2018 will be much higher again.
Again, this announcement comes in the slipstream of a great deal of good news about wind power:
Scotland’s wind energy smashes through 100% threshold but fails to bother BBC Scotland
First UK wind turbine repair and recycling centre opens in Scotland
Once more Scotland has the wind in its favour
Sorted! Enough wind power for 87% of Scottish homes in August
First subsidy-free onshore wind farm for Scotland?
Talking-up Scotland 
Scotland are certainly meaning leaps and bounds in moving towards a fully renewable energy country – it makes so much more sense to get electricity, a wonderful invention (discovery?), from an endless supply. Think of all the things we can use that spare oil for instead of burning it! I’m sure William could give us a list 🙂
I’m struggling here, on a firmly talking up Scotland subject, to turn it into a thought-control subject and a smooth transition may be lacking. I really want to continue on from my first thoughts expressed while commented on your Alex Salmond article – I have made comments on Craig’s and Wee Ginger Dug’s blogs – Craig himself is always critical of the SNP so there’s no change there, but Paul never is and there is a worrying number of people commenting on his blog about how they suddenly and without foundation believe the SNP would prefer ermine in the lords to Scottish independence. Being a student of the Chomsky institute for tackling misinformation, I have decided to address this. It is spreading fear, and as you have educated us, fear makes us more receptive to bizarre messages that would normally be dismissed out of hand. So if you can indulge me yet again on putting a different message out there (two sets of comments brought together). I really want people to have a worry-free, relaxed festive season, to forget the fear-mongering for a while, and just chill:
The SNP have been making a huge effort to visit other countries and get them onside, Nicola Sturgeon is very well received abroad, we just don’t get to hear about it. I haven’t heard of many visits to Africa, but certainly the SNP have been upping the global awareness of Scotland being a distinct country over the past few years. I am sure Craig’s option (UDI) isn’t the preferred option of the SNP, but I doubt they would rule it out – if there was a known majority opinion to have independence. Big on democracy, the SNP. Unlike the feudal UK wide parties.
The main problem isn’t the SNP (they are really the only ones working towards a solution), it’s the misinformation, the missing bits of news, the trolling etc that means we are unlikely to get a large majority in favour of independence at any one time. Why would anyone want to be ruled by another country? It doesn’t make sense. People need to give up with the cognitive dissonance, it isn’t good for their health, the U.K. isn’t good for our health, anyone’s health.
To my mind, the attacks on Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP, the dissatisfaction that’s being spread and shared, is down to MI6 doing their job. They are trying to push the SNP into holding a referendum at the wrong time – enough public pressure and dissatisfaction and they might do it. Good tactics. What makes everyone think they aren’t going to hold an independence vote of some kind? Who is it that is actually frustrated and desperate to know when it’ll be, or what form it’ll take? The unionist parties and supporters perhaps?
Do you really believe that the SNP are playing party politics, or could it be that they are acting in the best interests of Scottish people, as they do in nearly all their actions? Why would the current actions be so far away from their norm? Whose beliefs are you holding? The SNP might not always get it right, but their principles have stood the test of time, and I for one don’t believe they are suddenly throwing that away for seats in the lords. They might not get this one right either, it’s a cesspit of political manoeuvring after all, but I’d personally prefer the democratic political option in the first place.
All the MSM already hates the SNP, and with broadcasting being a reserved matter, I’m not sure taking the hardline and pissing off the BBC is going to be that fruitful – the media is a closed bubble. It would be nice to see the SNP with more backbone, but what you’d get as a result I doubt would be pretty. How do they get any air time? Rock and a hard place. Walking the line. It’s a hostile environment for the SNP and they hold their own in interviews pretty well despite that. If our own guys can’t give them a break, well, they’ve got no chance. They are politicians, and the SNP is a political party, THEY have to play by the rules. The rest of us don’t.
None of the criticism I hear quite stacks up. (‘Get them doubting. Get them suspicious and distrusting. Get them riled up and panicking. That’ll push the SNP to make a move and we can slam them.’ Is how I imagine the tactic session going). If they’d tried to UDI back during the famous walk out? I doubt they’d have had enough backing. Now, Apparently a LibDem MP came out in favour of an independence referendum this week, saying it in the HoC. That’s a change.
There is a difference between criticising someone’s behaviour, and just broadcasting your own imaginary beliefs on something that you think might happen based on a fear of what might happen, based on no evidence whatsoever. It is not criticism of the SNP when you say you think they don’t want independence, you are telling people that you think the SNP have completely changed their whole reason for being, have totally and suddenly lost all form of principle, based on no evidence, for no reason, just,,, because?
It would be cheaper, quicker, easier to have England at least in the customs union, come independence – so why shouldn’t the SNP campaign for it? I’ve no argument against a hard border mind you, and indeed if it’s going to be a wall, I have some ideas on the architecture – might as well make it a tourist attraction too – and it would be great as an infrastructure project to boost the economy & a ton of jobs.
Every day that passes there is a boost to support of independence, starting the campaign too early would be detrimental, and not kowtowing to unionist demands to do it now shows backbone. Alex was pushed into doing the first referendum by the unionists, badgered, and my my they got a surprise, he certainly rose to the challenge. All bets are off after Brexit, Westminster has to show its hand, so the clamouring will get louder up til then I should think.
The EU and the U.K. Government seem to be playing a giant game of chicken at the mo – who will blink first I wonder. As a negotiating tactic, it’s abysmal, and I have no doubt the Westminster public school elitists will be arrogant enough to follow through – no accountability in Westminster. I am happy to see calls for revising the political system, but there aren’t enough, and Scotland is lost to them already anyway, all we really hear now are the dying bleats of a lost cause from unionists.
It’s the insidious messages from within that may cause the greatest harm (aside from the MSM). I was trying to imagine why I would start thinking the SNP would sell out – we are all getting frustrated, not just those openly voicing dissatisfaction – and looked for evidence, and found none, and could not imagine why they’d suddenly change behaviour, or why I would believe so – that’s how your catchy memes take hold though, they sound half way feasible and take advantage of fear and panic. Who is more likely to sell us out, the SNP, or the Westminster government?
Who is causing the fear and panic to make us more receptive? I am actually suspicious that the Tory government might be treating Scotland and its parliament so badly on purpose to get this reaction (obviously they don’t think BBC Scotland is peddling the fearmongering well enough) – let’s have it backfire on them eh? We’ve all done wind-ups, fun isn’t it, pushing someone’s buttons, getting them to react, makes you feel superior? The U.K. Gov’t has a lot more resources to do that on a massive scale. We need to keep asking for an indyref, yes, keep pushing for it, but we’ve got to trust that the SNP will know better than us when the right time is to do it. Be confident and be sure.
But also, I don’t believe I have the luxury of not backing the SNP, I certainly won’t be watching devolution crumble and I see no other rallying crusaders out there with any clout to take on the independence campaign to conclusion. For now anyway!
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” Think of all the things we can use that spare oil for instead of burning it! I’m sure William could give us a list”
A very short list. Unless there is not any conceivable alternative, leave this damnable, polluting and dangerous ‘gift of nature’ where it is – deep underground.
In addition to the well publicised pollution of the atmosphere caused by the burning of petroleum and its adjuncts and the destructive effects of plastic wastes on land and in the sea, we have all the unknown ‘externalities’ of now living in a world bathed in hosts of elaborate chemicals produced from oil very few of which have actually been proved safe in the long term.
‘Global warming’, or as we now have it ‘climate change’ has all the headlines at the moment but in my view hidden pollution is a much more urgent concern.
Deriving energy from the wind is one of the most positive steps we can take to save ourselves from ourselves.
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🙂 a good strong opinion!
There is also what they now call the cyclic, or its circular, economy – waste management where you end up with no waste with careful management. There are fungi out there that eat hydrocarbons and can be used to start cleaning up the mess we’ve already made. There are fungi already being used to soak up heavy metals in land remediation – the oyster mushroom is a big one (I wouldn’t be eating it afterwards mind you!). Oil products are so much part of our world just now, a gradual reduction in use, with replacements or alternatives installed at each stage would be my preferred path, rather than just banning everything. Strict regulation and a long term plan is needed though – hmm, maybe I should look it up, there might already be one in place!
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Yes, we need to stop burning oil immediately, I agree.
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Hi Contrary – lots of good wisdom in that (lengthy) post – a right good read as they say. John’s brilliant news on the sustainable electricity generation front should keep all us Indy types (bad pun warning) ‘energised’ for the 2019 leg of the struggle!
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Thanks Ludo! Bad pun aside – you are just going to start John off now! (Rolls eyes) – you are absolutely right, we can stay energised for years on the constantly renewing good news. I hope to see the public services coping well (despite BBC Scotland’s desires) over the winter, our weather mild (hah, maybe that’s pushing hope too far), and people start the new year with a positive outlook.
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Will repost Contrary piece to get it more attention.
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With editing? And an editorial? And a pretty picture? Ludo always gets a good picture with his pieces. I’m being a bit demanding there… But, it would be interesting to have your take on it John, and it’s possible people are starting to get sick of hearing from me!
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“Sick of hearing from me”.
Not so, Contrary. The more opinion pieces the better—its the best way to counter the fake stuff we get fed by our colonial media.
In this age of digital news, people can change their minds three times before breakfast, if they believe all the guff they are told.
But pro independence parties ( the SNP in the main) have kept their ratings reasonably high over a decade in SPITE of the endless lies, jibes and personal attacks from agents of the British State. So people aren’t that daft.
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No editing! Or very little. I’m in that phase of life where I won’t suffer controlling others more than can be avoided.
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On the topic of renewables. It is certainly good news but I wonder if Scotland is getting maximum advantage in terms of jobs particularly in manufacturing from this sector? Its seems that across the renewable sector whether wind, marine or tidal Scotlands efforts seem to be stymied at every turn. A few examples:
RSPB in Scotland delaying offshore windfarms via courts. RSPB has opposed every offshore windfarm proposal in Scotland and delayed them massively
https://reaction.life/rspb-trying-block-offshore-windfarms/
Scotland also seems to be missing out on jobs in this sector for example in the manufacturing of turbines etc.
2012 Gamesa (Spanish) and wind turbine manufacturing plant in Leith
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/mar/23/gamesa-offshore-windfarm
2012 Areva (French)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/19/areva-wind-turbine-factory-scotland
Then in 2014 these companies announced they were discussing a joint venture which would mean 1 plant in Scotland and thus a reduction in jobs etc.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-25818347
Long story short, the Gamesa Arriva joint venture did not happen. Gamesa went into partnership with Siemens and they built the plant in Hull – £310 million and 1000 jobs.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-25818347
Isle of Wight shipyards have also benefitted from contracts to build windfarm service vessels.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-25818347
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An additional piece of information that raises questions the RSPB’s behaviour in Scotland.
A few months ago I was watching an edition of Countryfile which featured Northumberland. One of the items was about the Little Tern, one of Britain’s rarest seabirds. It’s only nesting ground is off the Northumberland coast. During the piece I noticed an offshore windfarm in the background. In Scotland the RSPB’s objections to offshore windfarms is usually based on protection of seabird breeding grounds – objections that have held up many projects yet here was one of the rarest seabirds in UK nesting within sight of an offshore wind farm!
http://www.northumberlandcoastaonb.org/little-tern-recovery-project/
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