Scottish independence: Sir Ian Wood is coming out against independence, the number of people saying no and actively campaign for no grows, SNP have reached a tipping point by their continual lying and deception, trust is dead in Alex Salmond and unpopular Nicola Sturgeon

Dear All

One the failed key messages in the SNP’s Westminster campaigns was running with a slogan that’ it’s Scotland’s Oil’.

That one along with other crackpot policies saw the SNP remain a fringe party in Westminster politics.

The trouble with oil is that although it is a great asset, there will come a point where it will run out or the price will be depressed by economic conditions.

A country therefore cannot base its success on that one key asset.

A new person to enter the independence is one of Scotland’s leading North Sea businessmen, Sir Ian Wood.

He is now speaking out to say that Alex Salmond’s government has exaggerated oil reserves by up to 60 per cent.

As with much of what the SNP say, you can’t believe a bloody word they say, it is now lying and outright deception, anything to get a vote.

Unsurprisingly Sir Ian Wood is now warning against independence because he, believes that dwindling oil reserves will “seriously hit” the economy.

Independence because there is no planning means massive austerity, job losses in the public sector and significant cuts to public services as somehow the books need to be balanced.

Many people in many walks of life like Sir Ian are now joining a growing queue of people who are angry and dismayed that the SNP are wildly inaccurate misquoting estimates and opportunities that would be available to Scots, the stench of lying and deception has characterised the independence debate as a sham, a massive political fraud on the public.

Sir Ian speaking out is damaging to the Yes campaign who like to give the impression that Scotland is like some sort of Saudi Arabia of the North.

It isn’t!

The real failure of the independence bid is lack of planning; lies and deception are just the symptoms of that particular disease to mask it.

 Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said:

“In common with other independent forecasts, Sir Ian’s analysis shows that the Scottish Government’s oil projections are over optimistic and wrong.”

Clearly the North Sea is and will continue to remain for the foreseeable future a highly valuable asset, no one would dispute that, but you have to plan for the downturn by developing a manufacturing based economy like Germany to remain competitive as a growing economy.

The SNP economy plans make wild assumptions of hundreds of thousands of jobs, all high paid that just suddenly appear from nowhere. The bogus childcare policy is a classic example of policy of the hoof, policy by soundbite, nothing of merit exists on paper.

Sir Ian said oil reserves would be down to “very low levels” by 2050 and warned that offshore oil and gas “cannot figure significantly” in Scotland’s medium-term economic calculations.

Finally, an economic think tank has come in favour of Scotland being a banana republic using sterlingisation.

It says that banking systems do better without central lenders of last resort and uses Panama, Ecuador and El Salvador as examples.

Scotland isn’t a third world country; the countries above aren’t developing industrial powerhouses in any real sense.

I wonder what supporter of Yes will come out with a paper referencing the benefits of returning to ‘the Stone Age’!

I don't trust Alex Salmond, I don't trust Nicola Sturgeon!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University