The lost treasure of the deep
Sir Ian Wood quoted in the Scotsman late last year:
Unfortunately, since then there’s been a cataclysm.
The figure of 24bn barrels is quoted in the White Paper as an estimate from industry body Oil and Gas UK. But Sir Ian Wood […] claimed there are about 15bn to 16.5bn barrels of recoverable oil left, and that the figure from the White Paper is 45% to 60% too high.”
Wait, what?
Sir Ian Wood’s report in February can be read in full here. It references the 24bn figure at least six times. In itself that seems rather conservative, because a footnote on page 5 of the document says that the UK government’s own Department of Energy and Climate Change puts the “high case expectation outcome” at 35bn barrels:
We know the oil industry – which cares solely about profits, not politics – thinks the future is bright, because it’s just undertaken record investment of billions and billions of pounds in the North Sea. Just days ago even the staid Sunday Post was talking of a “new oil boom” as the equally-Unionist Press & Journal enthused breathlessly about spectacular new discoveries, and the potential for more in areas that are currently off-limits due to UK government policy.
So we’re a little mystified about how Sir Ian has suddenly managed to not only arrive at such a gloomy assessment, but also misplace a whopping 8 billion barrels of oil between his own report in February (which he’s disingenuously trying to pretend was actually the Scottish Government’s) and now – coincidentally at the exact same time he’s decided that he needs to come out in favour of a No vote.
None of this is really the point, of course. Everyone knows oil is a finite resource, and that a plan is needed for the day when it does run out, even if that day is still 40 or 50 years off. Other oil-rich countries have dealt with the issue by creating huge oil funds, something the UK government (almost uniquely in the world) chose not to do.
But Scotland has been given a second chance. It’s well-placed to cope despite that UK failure, being blessed with enormous renewables resources and decades in which to use oil money to exploit them. We can see the problem coming a long way down the road, and we have all the tools needed to address it, but they’re currently in the hands of incompetents who are interested only in bleeding the oceans dry and blowing the proceeds on weapons and wars and more tax cuts for the rich.
Westminster has wasted the last 40 years of oil money with nothing to show for it, but it doesn’t have to be allowed to waste the next 40 as well.
Wood’s credibility is shot, as apart from contradicting his own earlier report he fails to recognise the other areas of Scotland’s territorial waters where there is already confirmed vast oil reserves.
Mr Cresswell has no queries as to where Ian Wood has misplaced the missing 8billion barrels.
link to energyvoice.com
The sad thing about all this it has given the press in Scotland the excuse to run with headlines saying oil is running out.
Gardham was right on cue with his take on doom and gloom.
They forget to mention the fact that there is a lot of new and undiscovered oil & gas out there.
It all leads to the conclusion that Ian Wood has been got at.
I wonder what the prize is?
So basically we need to decide on which occasion was Mr Woods talking bollocks.
The evidence of the past fortnight and of course the massive investment of the oil industry over the past year, would suggest this most recent intervention. Which as you point out curiously coincides with his ‘coming out’.
It is not so long since Wood was telling the youth of Scotland that they had a bright future in the oil industry and that they should grasp the opportunities with both hands. The poor deluded fools will only have careers for fifteen year he tells them yesterday.
Westminster has wasted the last 40 years of oil money with nothing to show for it, but it doesn’t have to be allowed to waste the next 40 as well.
Well said!
I wonder what prompted Sir Ian Wood to sell his soul?
I viewed him as impartial and respected. Now he is just another dodgy NaeSayer spouting anti-Scotish propaganda to a Unionist agenda.
Also, all debate has been on the North Sea. The West and its alleged potential is never taken into account.
Ian Wood has been an opponent of Scottish independence since the start of the oil boom, at least – and I well remember him being interviewed along with Margo MacDonald on a BBC Scotland TV programme in the 1970s, when he cast doubt on the value of the oil resource. Didn’t stop him making a fortune, of course!
Wood’s contradiction is to deflect the discussion away from the NHS Privatisation issue. Arise Lord Wood of the Establishment
Ian Wood’s so rich he’s up there with billionaires like Richard Branson and Bernie Ecclestone, so Wood’s sudden halving of his own Scots oil estimates a month before polling day?
Norway has a £600bn oil pension fund, Ian Wood has a £1.5bn oil pension fund and Scotland has none.
Can I use the word Scum, yes I think I can, I have checked the online dictionary.
The man is Scum.
Forgot to add … “Scotland has been given a second chance” … last chance, more like!
I smell ermine ….
Sir Pinocchio Wood, Billionaire philanthropist, was not exactly worried about how the wealth was distributes since he got his paws in his share. The wealthy class’s answer to poverty has always been charity. Food banks are hardly a drop in the ocean, or North Sea. He did not care about wealth distribution or the state of Scotland’s economy then, why should we suddenly care what he thinks any more than we do a celebrity NObody.?
Sitting Bull said the white man knows how to produce things, but does not know how to distribute them. He was amazed at the stark differences between the rich and the poor in the US and Europe then. He even visited Glasgow with Buffalo Bill’s tour and gave money to poor street urchins. What would he think of the Scottish reservation now? Should we adopt the White Eyes ways and treaties, or let our “chiefs” become blanket injuns for a few trinkets?
Arabs for Independence says:
“Wood’s contradiction is to deflect the discussion away from the NHS Privatisation issue”
Probably. One thing BT do seem rather good at is changing the subject. Whenever a raw nerve is touched, and the MSM latch on to something which BT would prefer they didn’t, there’s a rapid media wide switch to another story of BT’s choosing.
It will be a peerage in the new year for Sir Ian, or may be he is scared of losing his knighthood.
Either way he’s just another Scot that has sold us out.
galamcennalath –
I was in Aberdeen when the oil boom started. Wood has never been impartial: he’s always been a Tory. At one time his support was open, but more often he’s taken on an ‘impartial’ persona. The ‘impartial’ views are mixed with Tory messages. You’ll find the evidence, over the years.
Sir Ian does seem to attract issues – as an Aberdonian I still can’t quite get my head round the fact he offered Aberdeen £50m as a contribution to an amenity and they turned him down. What is it we don’t know ?
Anyway with huge marine and wind green energy potential, having “temporary” oil income to facilitate the transfer of resources does seem a good thing, no ?
I honestly think that lots of people have stopped listening to the arguments about the amount of oil. The same goes for the currency and the EU. Undecided voters don’t know who to believe so they concentrate on things they can actually understand.
I just shared a short clip on facebook. I don’t know who put it together, but it contains bits of various interviews with people like Ken Clarke, Simon Cowell and the Richard Madeley episode from the Wright Stuff.
I instantly received a comment from an undecided friend saying that she was now voting yes because of it. It’s hard to know what sways people, but I am just sharing everything now.
Your blog is excellent Stu, and I frequently share your posts, but it amazes me that sometimes it is the little things that push people over the edge rather than the in-depth analyses you provide.
I felt that I had to read everything I could get my hands on before deciding. Some people are clearly going with their gut. We just need to try to appeal to everyone.
Please keep it up. I really think we are seeing the tide turning and everything matters now.
I’m sure that it’s is completely unrelated and a complete coincidence.
But on Sunday during the Radio Clyde phone In, Eck was asked about fracking and the UK Govts plans.
He condemned the rush to frack and said the Scottish Govt would do what it can to stop or slow fracking thru the Planning Process it controls.
Asked whether he was in favour of fracking he made clear there would be no rush to start and that until the issues on the effect on the water table had been addressed he wouldn’t allow any developments.
In other words, there will be no fracking for the foreseeable future in Scotland.
Entirely coincidently, Wood Group has interests in fracking, though I’m sure this wisnae the reason why Sir Ian lost 9 billion barrels on Wednesday.
The fact that the Wood group is well placed to be at the forefront of UK onshore fracking (with a little help from their friends) might just have something to do with his position:
link to bbc.co.uk
SNAP! The Great Baldo 🙂
Clair Ridge alone(officially) has an estimated £8bn barrels of oil. That was even on a BBC website last year.
We also know there is oil off the coast of Arran.
Last year (on a BBC website) the Chairman of UK oil and Gas estimated that there is OVER £24bn barrels remaining.
I listened to his interview last night. The revealing part as far as I’m concerned was his statement regarding dealing with the UK. He was highly critical the the N56 report, but didn’t mention the OBR projections!
The clue is in Sir Ian’s name.
All just part of the ‘con the Scot’ club. Has he not noticed that the OBR projections have already been discredited.
Oh yeah forgot if you tell lies often enough and from ‘credible’ sources you do actually fool some folk.
Come on Scotland. Bloody noses for this lot of con merchants on the 18th.
Additionally to my comment above, I was at a meeting in Kelso a couple of years ago when someone stated ” oil is too precious to be burnt “. From this you can extract that people are using masses of the stuff ( which we’re told is running out ) to heat uninsulated homes while this could be used to convert to chemicals, plastic guttering….. you name it, products of oil are absolutely everywhere.
Sir Ian does seem to attract issues – as an Aberdonian I still can’t quite get my head round the fact he offered Aberdeen £50m as a contribution to an amenity and they turned him down. What is it we don’t know ?
The Union Terrace Gardens fiasco saw him end a revamp plan involving an Art Centre for his own plan to concrete over the Gardens and put in offices and yet another Shopping mall.
New offices are going up all the time in Aberdeen. There’s huge development going on beside the airport, Statoil are starting a UK head office here to serve the Mariner field (which will be producing oil until at least 2047), Amec have just opened a third office in Tullos, and Wood Group – dunno if Ian Wood’s heard of them? – are currently building a new office here that will house 1,000 workers (getting to work in the morning should be fun…)
All this for an industry that’s going to be on the decline within 15 years? Utter bullshit.
I’ve never been so glad that Union Terrace Gardens aren’t going to be destroyed to build the Ian Wood Concrete Carbuncle Memorial after all.
Somewhere Alex Salmond is wondering “Whats Johann, Ruth and Wullie gonna talk about today?”
“Diz the furst minasta agree with Sur Eyan Would that the oilz dun?”
scaredy cat says:
I just shared a short clip on facebook. I don’t know who put it together, but it contains bits of various interviews with people like Ken Clarke, Simon Cowell and the Richard Madeley episode from the Wright Stuff.
Share it here please
I work in the oil industry and its been on permanent boom for decades. Companies are buying up sites. The Norwegian comany Aker Solutions is even building an Aker village
but didnt they tell you…the wind is running out too lol
@ yerkitbreeks, Wood offered Aberdeen £50m to rebuild the city centre, or demolish just about the only bit of Aberdeen that the council have not yet destroyed, tuning our fine victorian city centre into the Sir Ian Wood shopping mall and multi plex cinema.
It was like watching a big rich old fat cat toying with a panicked mouse. He could have donated £50m to the sick kids hospital maybe or that kind of the thing but its not really what these guys are going for really,
We will wait a long time for STV and BBC Scotland to do some real and detailed questioning of Wood. He should not be allowed just to get away with the hard sell by some namby pamby interviewer with an agenda, who is overcome by the aura of greatness surrounding the man. He is human and he has an agenda in spite of what he says.
You think he’s still pi**ed off at not getting the go ahead for his pet project at turning Union Terrace Gardens into a concrete covered piazza? His ever lasting legacy for the city.
It the same old ‘There’s no more Oil’ scare stories. Better Together, No Thanks uKOK must think we’re all buttoned up the back.
They’ll be wanting my PIN number next.
I really expected better from Ian Wood, but, of course, I shouldn’t be so daft as to expect the truth to survive the promise of a seat in the retirement home for good Unionists.
So the bottom line is that Woods has a vested interest and he wants to frack Scotland.
And I don’t mean that as a euphemism.
every time this comes up we should just say yes North sea oil is running out and west coast oil is just starting
Desimond
You forgot “in the real world”
We know the oil is running out but I certainly did not expect it that quick. We are certainly doomed if that is 8bn barrels used since February. Best vote No then eh.
I think more attention needs paid to the fact that oil is just a bonus. Without oil, we are as wealthy as the rUK and that is with a fraction of the population.
link to oilc.org
Ian Wood’s credibility was shot a very long time ago. Before the 1997 referendum (when he was CEO AND Chairman of Wood Group) he was one of the “usual suspects” who threatened to move the HQ of Wood Group from Aberdeen to London if we had the temerity to vote YES to even a toytown Parliament.
He even went to the lengths of having a threatening letter sent to all Wood Group employees stating that a YES vote would result in them losing their jobs.
There is apparently no depth to which this appalling apology for a Scot will sink.
I saw his evil lear as he sat in at the “Cabinet meeting” with his co-conspirators to defraud Scotland once again which was held a couple of months back at Shell’s offices in Aberdeen.
Unless he changes his approach to Scotland, I suggest it would be better all round if he left forever.
Perhaps he would enjoy a wee demo outside his home in Rubislaw Den South. That might help him concentrate his mind.
David Cameron was in Aberdeen flew out to an oil rig and gave a speech where he talked about the next 40 years of North Sea Oil. It was in the papers and everything. Did that not happen?
Also the subsidy junkie argument isn’t going to go away. If Scotland with oil is paid for by poor english taxpayers then Scotland without oil and no oil fund or replacement industries will need even more subsidies from the impoverished english.
The No to Scotland campaign argument is that Scotland should be a parasite on england forever. And they wonder why we get the english wanting to punish us?
From Twitter…
McV ?@IndyForTheGuy 48m
Oh dear Sir Ian Wood. Will an independent Scotland make it tricky for you to dodge tax?
#IndyRef #WmDLeague
pic.twitter.com/wBlQBe38fp
The only thing Ian Wood has done is discredit himself (the cost of ermine these days apparently). It should be put the Wood Group itself ‘Do you agree with Sir Ian’s latest predictions which contradict your own paper on Scotland’s future oil and gas output earlier this year?’
Lets see if the reply is ‘Sir Ian was acting in a personal capacity’ sort of response. It is quite obvious that Sir Ian has one story for the oil and gas industry via the UK Government and another story for the Scots grunt in the street.
I stopped reading papers years ago. Anytime I read an article on something I new about, at least 50% of the “facts” were wrong – I’m talking about hard things like East and West. I concluded that they were probably equally incompetent on topics I didn’t know about, and chose not to lap up their misinformation any more.
Maybe they misquoted Sir Ian ( at least 6times) and he didn’t feel the subject important enough to bother setting the record straight – or maybe the correction was printed on page 99 in bible- size print.
More likely he has been encouraged to nobly sacrifice his integrity and good name for Queen and Country – and when I say ” country” I mean the green unpleasant land on the Thames.
Another “proud Scot” who, like his predecessors and cohorts, is not averse to duping his countrymen for his own personal profit.
[…] « The lost treasure of the deep […]
For someone who wanted to stay out of politics he was giving it big licks on the radio this morning on behalf of Better Together. He was on when I turned the radio on and I sat through about 5 minutes of it before flicking over to Capital.
As transparently political as is possible to be.
However, regardless of the amount of oil down there, it will run out one day and will Westminster give a toss about Scotland thereafter? Not a bit of it, so we need to grasp this opportunity to build our own country now while we have the chance to diversify and grow. It will be way too late once we become a forgotten backwater of a very faded UK.
Saw the piece on telly yesterday,ending with a scene on a roof or something with the words ‘her majesty’ behind him. Said it all for me.
* At least,I think that’s what the sign appeared to say.
TheGreatBaldo I am sure it’s totally related. Wood Group has spent an absolute fortune buying up USA fracking expertise est.about $700 million all in tandem with the Tory’s various announcements on how they want to turn the UK into another Oklahoma.
link to gasandoil.com
link to news.nationalgeographic.com
Wood Group used to be the best payers offshore, by about 10%. It’s good management, gets the jobs done but it’s always contract construction crews never employees, with colossal savings on pensions, training, benefits etc. All down to St Tatcher and exact opposite of Norway and their continual investment in their people and their heavy indusrty.
TeamGB economics has worked great for dudes like Wood and his manageds too. One just bought a big Victorian vllla near me for over £2 million, but his wife didn’t like it so he demolished it and rebuilt again in same Victorrioan style, cost another 2.5 million quid, nothing to these guys.
During the 1979 referendum they told us the oil was going to run out in 11 years. Now we’re having another referendum all of a sudden the oil’s worthless again.
Difference is since the first referendum the internet was invented.
Great work rev.
Spread this far and wide!!!
Has anybody in the media even bothered to ask why Sir Ian has contradicted his own company’s white paper on the future of oil and gas production in Scotland?
Ian Wood is a typical rich tory Scot. He is frightened to death of an independent Scottish government, especially an SNP one, because he will fear that there will be mass nationalisation, and in his case the oil industry. And like all rich tory Scots they all act in the best interests of themselves.
I thought his gardens offer was very generous, and that he really wanted to give something back to the city and to Scotland.
Thats why his NO vote intervention makes no sense and is highly disappointing.
I had expected more of him, and figured he had more integrity rather than just sell out, using highly conservative figures to make a point, and assuming NO new finds, NO west coast oil, and NO green energy potential.
I guess he expects some big favours coming his way.
I wonder how he can live with himself when he looks at how much more wealthy Norway is compared to Scotland.
How they have built up a £520 billion savings fund in the last 24 years, while Scotland has nothing.
One thing is clear.
Even assuming his ridiculously conservative figures are correct, then 90% of 16 billion barrels is still far more than 9% of 24 billion.
So let me get this straight:
Ian Wood said there are 24 billion barrels of oil left.
The Scottish Government said there are 24 billion barrels of oil left.
Alistair Darling said there are TWO billion barrels of oil left.
And Ian Wood accuses the Scottish Government of exaggeration.
It’s not hard to see whose side he’s taking, now is it?
From this morning’s Courier:
‘A disabled pro-independence campaigner believes her car was targeted by vandals because she had large “Yes Scotland” stickers on the side of the vehicle.
‘Morag Lennie, 69, of Brantwood Avenue in Dundee, said she went outside her house to find that both nearside tyres were flat and the car was unmovable.’
link to thecourier.co.uk
Wood does think we’re very very stupid
link to bbc.co.uk
“Sir Ian added: “I have no allegiance to any party or campaign. I am proud to be both Scottish and British.”
Sir Ian spoke to BBC Scotland as he said he had found himself “reluctantly drawn into the public debate” on independence following an interview for news site Energy Voice.”
The reluctant billionaire. Great title for his next book. How I saved teamGB. I told the saps trust me, I had no allegiance to any party or campaign at all, the oil would gone in a few years, worked last time, worked this time.
Arise Sir Ian
Time for Yes to kill this oil lie stone dead. Get your finger out. We have the facts at our disposal. Oil is back on the agenda but Yes on the back foot yet again.
Re fracking.
link to theguardian.com
link to twitter.com
If we vote No Cameron and his pals will frack in Scotland.
More lying liars lying, when will it end, I recon a brown envelope has been passed in secret to Sir Ian Wood, its funny how the knight’s roll to protect the realm has changed to one of ‘lying with no honour’ and look now how the corrupt BBC etc run with it… Less than a month to go!
Like a modern day Nostradamus, Sir Ian of the Wood predicts doom and gloom in the future. Just like he did over the Union Terrace Gardens fiasco. I vaguely remember threats that Aberdeen city centre would be a ghost town in the future if we did not build his vision. When we didn’t (thankfully), he took his £50 million offer back.
I heard him on Radio Scotland this morning, saying that he had been reluctantly drawn into the Independance debate.
Somehow, I doubt that is the case.
Excellent response.
The Yes message is at it’s loudest and proudest at the moment.
Nana Smith
peers strip devolved powers from scotland.
link to yes2014.net
“It all leads to the conclusion that Ian Wood has been got at.
I wonder what the prize is?”
I think he was a a false flag neutral from the start waiting for just the right time to drop his bombshell, The MOST despiocable of all ,at least Murphy, Baillie, et al have had the gumption to state their case from day one but to profess neutrality and then do what he did will damn him for all eternity, a truly despicable man.
@fred blogger
I knew about this bunch of unelected troughers taking back powers.
We need to tell everyone about the fracking possibilities if we vote No. Don’t think many people will relish the thought of companies drilling underneath their homes.
Ian Wood is a Tory who donated loads of cash to the Better Together fund. That is the first thing you have to remember regarding his statement that the Scottish government has over estimated our oil reserves by 60%. No mention of course of the new Clair Ridge oil field off Shetland or the Bentley field both giant new discoveries or the untapped potential of the West Coast after Trident is kicked out. Like his friends in Westminster his opinion has to be considered tainted just like their previous statements about Scotland’s oil since it was discovered. The McCrone report that they buried for 30 years proved that because they didn’t want Scots to know how much their oil was worth. He is doing his bit for his Tory pals and we should expect it. The timing just weeks before the referendum is designed to further put doubt and fear into the minds of Scots. But we should not be intimidated or swayed from our resolve. Oil is a god given bonus, not a crutch for Scotland.
London has been taking all the oil money and all the money from Scottish exports for years and growing fat on it at our expense and they don’t want that to end. At the same time they encourage the myth that the English taxpayers are subsidising the Scots. The truth is the opposite and they know it, and so will the English public after independence. A No vote will be a disaster for Scotland and our people, but super rich people like Wood don’t care about the little people. The Tories have made him rich and one favour deserves another.
They lied to us way back in the 70’s when were told oil would run out in 30 years. We will not be deceived again …
There are big contracts up for grabs from pro unionist global oil companies who have recently made huge discoveries. If I owned a large engineering company I would not like to upset them by supporting YES!!!
You do wonder at the mentality of someone that can do that. “Well, I’ve now officially stated that I’m for a ‘No’ vote. Better start backtracking, misrepresenting & lying in order to support my position.”
Does anybody in the no camp have any integrity at all?
OT A Welsh poet’s take on the campaign. I think she’s talking about us!
link to youtube.com
Her observations are interesting.
I saw an excellent quote on another website earlier: Not, I will die for my country, but my country will die for ME. Kinda sums up Lord Wood of Gasconade and his other pocket-lining colleagues.
I would love for just ONE brave and respectable soul in the media.. or wherever.. to give in to their conscience about betraying their fellow Scots and come out and say they have been told/ warned (paid) to lie/ cover up/ conceal, whatever. They could redeem themselves and prove what we all know is happening anyway!!
Maybe I’m just paranoid but given the recent “mysterious” visit to Shetland and rumored oil mega-finds there, could the Empire be striking back by detaching a portion of the country that just happens to be exceedingly valuable? That could account for the suddenly depleted (Scottish) oil barrells and wouldn’t Shetland make a nice new Trident base?
Wild fantasy? Ask the Chagos Islanders what Westminster is capable of. Their homeland has now been declared a protected environmental area where their sole possible livelihood – commercial fishing is banned. Rich people in yachts are fine as is the massive US military base.
Look at some of the other modified boundaries that resulted when parts of the empire decolonialised. Cameron only agreed to a binding referendum because he was told there would be no “Yes” vote. The British eonomy is addicted to oil and do you really expect a junky to so easily giver up their drug? Maybe there will be an historical exception – I hope so… but maybe I’m just paranoid.
“Bt’s platform shaky after Wood saws important plank in half”
I suspect Cameron promised him something… wonder what it was.
The man only gets one vote + all the fools who believe him.
I would love to see, Wood being interviewed by Lesley Riddoch or Referendum TV or such. A record of him being asked because I have no doubt he would refuse.
FMQ will start at 12.00
Watch it on Parliament TV – NOT the BBC
link to scottishparliament.tv
Ed Davie and Danny Alexander give speeches about UKOK oil is the jewel in their UK crown or there is none if its Scottish
This is really funny, if we win. If we lose we cant say we didn’t know we were being taken for mugs
link to ukpolitics.org.uk
As a United Kingdom we can ensure a brighter future for you and your sector.
You are the jewel in the crown of British industry.
So if you agree with me…
… I hope you will join me in making the case…
… that the people of Scotland should say “no, thanks” to independence.
We should all be proud of being Scots.
And feel proud about everything that your industry has achieved in Scotland.
But we can have the best of both worlds
And the conquest of the North Sea symbolises the interconnectedness of our identities on these islands.
Scottish engineers, English drillers, Welsh divers and Northern Irish geologists.
All working together.
Showing how the United Kingdom is much greater than the sum of its parts.
I am a Highlander, a Scot, a British citizen and a European.
And one thing I know…
…deep inside me…
…is that together we achieve so much more than on our own.
So let’s stay as one United Kingdom.
Where the oil and gas industry can face the future with confidence and optimism.
Thank you very much.
Women for Independence’s fundraising appeal is in the last 24 hours or so. They have raised nearly £12,000 of the £15,000 target.
link to indiegogo.com
@Iain Lennox
“Before the 1997 referendum (when he was CEO AND Chairman of Wood Group) he was one of the “usual suspects” who threatened to move the HQ of Wood Group from Aberdeen to London if we had the temerity to vote YES to even a toytown Parliament”.
Nice one, Iain. Be good if anyone had a link to this one. Or indeed, a letter issued at the time!
Here is what Investors
Chronicle says “We think that
Westminster has been deliberately
downplaying the potential
of the UK Continental
Shelf (UKCS) ahead of September’s
referendumon Scottish
independence”
Seems to me someone has been getting at Sir Ian. Maybe there is a peerage in the offing.
North Sea oil expro was in fact American, Canadian and a lot Dutch drilling know how and experience. Then when the whole sector got going, the Americans in particular were all kicked out and guess who by?
Nana Smith
it also proves that they can take back devolved powers anytime they like.
they can dissolve holyrood tomorrow if they wish.
Other OT, sorry. I note the hashtag #YesBecause
I rather like it as a slogan Yes Because as a counter to No Thanks. It imparts the idea that Yes people have thought it through and have reasons for choosing Yes. It prompts a question, because of what? Then you can do a brain dump and give them 100 good reasons!
Prof Aleisbadas Tomkins is very very very against Scots oil too. That Slovene women knows more about the detail of BetterTogether Scottish everything, than everyone in Scotland put together.
Glasgow uni summer hols are quite long though
link to id.theguardian.com
O/T another lib dem sees the light.
link to edinburghnews.scotsman.com
link to libdemvoice.org)
Just listening to FMQ’s where ‘WEE’ Joanne has just had Ian Davidson quoted against her, nice put down. Now ‘WEE’ Ruthie is about to get same, LOL.
As for Wood, how about lord wood of ‘trumpet-toun’.
Auld Rock
@Stuart says:
“Westminster has wasted the last 40 years of oil money with nothing to show for it, but it doesn’t have to be allowed to waste the next 40 as well.”
Spot on this is what we need to focus on. I work in the oil industry and the next 40-50 years will produce a strong bonanza of oil and gas for Scotland despite what people say to the contrary.
I saw the interview with Ian Wood on the BBC last night and Cook said this would be a blow to the Yes campaign, as Wood was a well respected figure in UK Oil and Gas. He may well be but he has his own views on an Independent Scotland which has obviously presented by his current statement.
After last week’s announcements on big oil discoveries we knew the Unionist campaign would be coming out with something like this.
We should not fall for thsis a second time as Stuart says.
Surprise, surprise… he has interests in the world of fracking! Maybe that’s why he’s suddenly lost 8BN barrels from his projections.
link to bbc.co.uk
Good job in exposing this man’s fraud for what it is, Wings. Let’s get this across to any voters who may have been scared off a YES vote by his “revelations”. That said, if we’re stupid enough to fall YET AGAIN for the UK government’s tactics in understating our oil wealth, then maybe we deserve all we get?
Yesbecause day
link to huffingtonpost.co.uk
I really don’t see what all the fuss is about.
When you’re a man of Ian Wood’s standing, you really do end up accumulating rather a large number of sofas, making it far too easy to misplace a few billion barrels of oil here and there.
Poor BBC24 made a wee error there, showed a moment from FMQs just as Alec Salmond gets a massive round of applause and rips into Labour…poor Subtitles person will fear the sack!
So you connect Iain Wood’s reduction of the estimates with his conversion to a No vote.
What,then, do you make of the Scottish Government’s revision of its oil estimates? In May (Oil and Gas Analytical Bulletin May 2014) they reduced their figures for the next five years by around 30%. Have they also crossed the Yes/no divide?
This is the same Sir Ian Wood, who was prepared to invest in the re-generation of central Aberdeen to the tune of 55 million pounds, he would have been better off just paying that figure to the inland revenue, as his company probably saved that over the years by being registered overseas, which has now thankfully been stopped.
link to energyvoice.com
Yet more.
FUCK SAKE!
Phil
We’re still going to have far too much oil to be able to manage it ourselves – aye right!
I can’t help thinking that Ian Wood could be accused of misleading his shareholders. Is there not some kind of law against that?
Ian Wood is no longer in charge of Wood Group by the way folks…
Well, someone’s been offered a pretty title and an ermine robe…
BBC democrecy live ( NOT )Bbc cut of the FM question time 4mins early, during a question from Neil Finlay (lab) on the NHS & the FM answer. Bias BBC at it again.
There will be no questioning of people like Sir Ian Wood, not by STV, BBC, MSM. This is to be expected as they are the status quo and wish to maintain it. We just have to accept it and challenge it by all means at our disposal.
Until the 18 September it is going to get a lot worse and the well connected establishment will use every trick in the book. No rules will apply and any that are challenged later will be fobbed off under the banner of national security.
The internet, social media and grassroots meetings and conversations are our weapons.
Has Ian Wood been promised a seat in the unelected House of Lords perchance?
I do not have the weight of Ian Wood’s voice. But I too have sons and grandchildren, six of them!.
I am voting YES, for the same reasons he says NO.
Does he have more right than I do to be heard?
He does not need rights he has the backing of the UNION! I most decidedly don’t!. That is how he is made to be so important. He one of many Oil experts, I will believe the ones who tell another story, rather than listen to his Unionist inspired agenda.
@ Ronnie Anderson
Ronnie, see my comment at 11.58 am and then ask yourself why you still watch the BBC. ;-(
Funny that. Another self confessed unionist caught out by his own earlier statements.
Eight billion barrels difference, eh? And a figure by the Scottish Government actually by Sir Ian Wood…. I wonder, do pants as soaked in oil as that burn as more easily? Pants seriously on fire there.
Chalks; true, but not really relevant. His words are still being treated by the unionists as gospel because he’s a weel kent loon in the North Sea oil industry. Never mind that he’s also quoted as being proud to be Scottish and British which makes his comments automatically suspect even before you know what he said a few months ago.
Man accuses himself of wild exaggeration. And agonises over a name change for the Wood Group. How about Turm Oil (UK)?
OT
“Scottish independence: Minister accused of NHS letter ‘hypocrisy'” link to bbc.co.uk
labour really cannot tell the difference between telling people how to vote or reassurances to nhs staff that their pensions etc will be safe after the no camp said they wouldn’t be!
Someone get a cork big enough to stop this garbage.
link to milngavieherald.co.uk
scaredy cat
Where is your Facebook clip? I would like to share it too.
Ta
Alex Salmond on FMQ’s answering this very question, AS pointed out that Sir Ian Wood’s forecast was up to 50 years,(and even then it was below industry forecasts) the petroleum industry say that up to another 100 fields have still to be tapped,that will surpass the 50 year mark by quite a distance.
o/T
The anti-Scottish and ultra anti-independece London owned Daily Record, carries many ant-independence stories today, from oil to currency, what a disgrace this rag is.
However the most, bewildering column must go to the chinless wonder aka Torcuil Crichton,who’s glee can not be concealed when he points out that Prince Philip snubbed a handshake from Alex Salmond at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
This shows you the mentality of Torcuil Crichton, when he takes great pleasure at the snub. Crichton also advoctaes that the “Great Tapestry of Scotland” should be housed in Westminster not Scotland
Phil Robertson says:
21 August, 2014 at 12:26 pmSo you connect Iain Wood’s reduction of the estimates with his conversion to a No vote.
What,then, do you make of the Scottish Government’s revision of its oil estimates? In May (Oil and Gas Analytical Bulletin May 2014) they reduced their figures for the next five years by around 30%. Have they also crossed the Yes/no divide?
Phil, that’s just a tiny little bit different from what Woody said, now isn’t it? It’s one thing to revise figures. He seems to be whipping them off the top of his head, and somewhat miraculously he’s managed to blame a Scottish Government report for figures which HE supplied in the first place.
I have just been debating with a soft No on Facebook.
Well, he says he’s a soft No but I think he’s nailed on.
Anyway, he was giving it big licks about Wood’s comments yesterday and I responded with some facts, figures from various sources arguing Scotland could successfully manage it’s own resources.
His response?
Deletes the entire conversation and puts up an ‘amusing’ Toy Stoty meme instead.
We have them on the back foot – FINAL PUSH
Deletes t
Once upon a time peacocks arts was about to be given the go ahead to build an award winning arts centre which respected the victorian union terrace gardens in aberdeen. At the 11th hour sir ian wood wopped his 50 million wad on the table and blew it out if the water. Suddenly respecting the gardens was no longer neccesary. Ians idea or nothing. A steam roller.
On his wikipedia page there used to be a quote from him saying he didnt believe in democracy. That most people couldn.t be trusted to make decisions but he was quite happy to make decisions for everyone!
This is what went wrong with his gardens project. People voted for a design which reminded them of the old gardens but ian wanted a concrete telly tubby land because it was more transformational.it won the local referendum backed by millions in anonymous propaganda but was subsequently overturned by a change of council who won with a mandate to keep the old gardens! Ironically this was the mad labour unionists we have now. I doubt they would have got in except for this one issue. The snp were on the wrong side in this instance.
I Ian wood you may be the big papa smurf of the oil industry that every one used to look up to and respect but in one fair swoop you put a stop to that,do you Ian Wood believe all the folk of Aberdeen are are silly enough to listen to you think again, and the idea’s for union terrace gardens looked like a giant coal bunker thank god I voted no on that occasion but this time it will be a YES.
As for Dame Anne Begg of the south constituency of Aberdeen you say you care about your constituents but you only recently opened your new office in Torry Victoria road in April or there about this year where was your office situated the rest of the year’s before, you also claim to defend the rights of disabled people then why is this happening why were you not protesting along with these people.
link to tinyurl.com
Again the BBC TV coverage of FMQs was cut short before Alex Salmond could answer the penultimate question.
The thickos in Labour Party repeating mantra that SNP has got their figures wrong by 60%. But 16 billion as a differential of 24 billion is 33%.
After 2050 there are 125 oil fields to be exploited by which time gas from North Sea Coal will the New Black Gold in Scottish Waters.
link to thegwpf.org
Say hello to Jock McTaxman
link to bbc.co.uk
Next up: WATER! … ‘estimates predict that Scotland doesn’t have that much and it isn’t worth anything. A leading expert in the water industry has said that Highland Spring is a finite source and will eventually run dry by 2030.
Next week: FRESH AIR! … ‘a Westminster think tank pours scorn over Scotland’s so-called abundance of fresh air, saying: the Scottish government has over-estimated the amount of fresh air Scots enjoy by over 60%, it is clear that in 15 years the amount of fresh in Scotland will dwindle.’
Exclusive: SCENERY! … ‘the UK government has revealed that Scottish scenery is in fact a mirage, a Westminster spokesperson said: Scottish scenery was created within the union, it doesn’t actually exist and was the invention of the Victorians, if Scotland were to separate from the UK then Scottish scenery would gradually disappear over the next 15 years. He added that decommissioning costs of scenery would be better met by the broad shoulders of the UK economy.
🙂
Sorry O/T, but can I put in a wee word for the Leith Says Aye Mini-Festival on Saturday 23rd August from 1.00 to 5.00 pm. For full details click onto Yes Edinburgh North and Leith, then Leith Says Aye page for a map of Leith Walk and a full list of Yes groups (hunners!) and venues (cafés and pubs etc).
Even Hibs and Falkirk supporters showing Indy solidarity at Easter Road.
You’ll be amazed at the variety of the groups.
Anyone seen this mince?
link to newstatesman.com
Have just checked something
but I don’t want to say anything on here
Is there an e-mail address for Stu that I can contact?
Before anyone starts to wonder, its nothing bad, its quite ‘interesting’ and made me smile
Dcanmore
Stealing that my friend, hope you don’t mind.
@Midgehunter I watch it on both bbc & hollyrood & tv, thats why I can comment on the bbc Bias. I dont pay a TV licence fee so its free,if we dont watch how can we tell other people as to they,re bias.
@Willie …
Please do 🙂
Here’is FMQ,s where Alex Salmond points out, that the oil industry itself points out, that there’s more than 50 years worth of oil left in the North sea.
link to scottishparliament.tv
A fine read
link to theconversation.com
OT – just finished watching one of the best independence debates I’ve heard… Thank you Glasgow Skeptics…
link to m.youtube.com
@ Edward, top of the page Contact klik on that then message form appears
Thanks Ronnie 🙂
David Cameron has just described Alex Salmond as ‘a desperate man’ when questioned about the NHS in Scotland.. surprise surprise.
We know the BBC’s headline tonight then!!!
The real economic teamGB horror behind all this is super rich bullshitters like Ian Wood trying to protect his cash mountain, that he’s taking with him to the next world no doubt.
Austerity teamGB history, City super rich destroyed our whole economy in deregualted blind eyed Thatcherite Labour Westminster, our savings, pensions, businesses, gone.
Gordon Brown saves the world, City rich get richer, ATOS get busy, the poorest are dead or surviving thanks to teamGB soup kitchens.
So now we have one more teamGB obscenely rich right place right knight of the realm Sir Ian flipping his own oil n stats facts to stop any change whatsovever.
Well thats not true though. they even have that covered with their vastly vast more powers for Scotland so vote no fraud.
Ian Wood is nasty greedy old liar from Aberdeen. But can they really pull this off. £800 million quid owners of the Press and Journal up here are certianly not pulling any UKOK punches to save the rich.
A MUST SEE
THE BIGGER THE LIE – Media Bias in the Scottish Independence Referendum – Prof John Robertson
stevie boy
well, they’ll have to tread carefully there then, coz people south of the border are livid about NHS privatization!
The establishment will do all they can to hang onto Scotland’s oil as there is masses of it down there. See the book, ‘Black and Green Gold’ Aberdeen’s Continuing Role in the Energy Revolution’ 2010, produced by the Balmoral Group based in Aberdeen. I also noticed an ad for a recruitment convention for high level jobs in the uk industry a few months back, which took place in Newcastle.
The oil money has been wasted, we must make sure that this waste by westminster, ceases to continue, it is nothing short of immoral.
The only desperate man is Cameron. One of the most unpopular Politicans in Britain. Scottish Independence will not finished him off. Careless but not insurmountable. Losing a place in Europe he is finished.
@ Dcanmore. You forgot to mention the projection machine for Emboro castle, thats a scene from Brig O Doon film projected on a empty hillside,dey we hiv hillsides.
Didn’t Darling say last year that there was only 2 billion barrels left?
Here’s me thinking the great Sir Ian Wood was another impartial thinker; (Aye right!).
Curtice, Hunter, Ponsonby … blah, blah, blah.
Young folk may be swayed by media mantra and puppet statements but surely anyone around since the 70’s can see right thru this guff from plain old Mr Wood.
Damn that volatile, rubbish, diminishing black stuff off Scotland.
Christ trust our luck, the UK gov poodles tell us .. nae good stuff around her and it’ll be finished in about 20 mins or so; (The good oil is just everywhere else in the world eh?)
The more the unionists lie the less people will trust them.
Despite all the vast income from oil & gas, it is normal for London to claim that Scotland is subsidized by England.
So, since 90% of the oil & gas comes from Scotland, it seems reasonable to assume that this & all the other sources of income from within Scotland is insufficient to cover the public spending here.
Therefore, should London not be desperate to dump Scotland & it’s insufficient oil & gas revenues if it were indeed such a drag on the public purse?
Then again, if you share 90% of the oil & gas revenues with only 5.3 million people instead of 63 million people, one might reach the conclusion that Scotland is getting royally shafted which might explain the real reason London doesn’t want to let go of Scotland’s natural resources.
Ian Wood has one vote the same as everyone else. Ian Wood is retired and concentrates on his Foundation which gives money to Africa, which is fair enough. The Western Oil companies stole the African’s wealth and polluted their countries. Oil companies get away with murder.
The question is whether the remaining Scottish Oil wealth should benefit Scotland or be wasted by Westminster. Ian Wood should support Scotland as well as Africa. Ian Wood is a fine man who has worked hard, 70 hours a week, and used his abilities to help others. Just happens to be a Tory, unfortunately.
SIR IAN WOOD’S MISSING $1000 BILLION.
On 30 Oct 2012 Sir Ian Wood, in a televised interview with BBC Scotland’s Douglas Fraser, described Scotland’s oil and gas prospects as “staggering” with “25 billion barrels @$100 a barrel, $2500billion” remaining in the field :
link to bbc.co.uk
In an interview with the BBC yesterday Sir Ian described the White Paper estimate of 24 billion barrels remaining, as being “45% to 60% too high” saying he “believes there are about 15bn to 16.5bn barrels of recoverable oil remaining”:
link to bbc.co.uk
Who is being devious, disingenuous and economical with the truth, here? Sir Ian Wood or the BBC? Or both?
Can I ask a question about Plan B?
What is the UK Government’s Plan B when the oil has run out?
Diminishing oil reserves present, we’re told, a terrible problem for poor wee Scotland (pop 5.3M). If (god forbid) there was a no vote and the oil is going to run out in 2017… or 2048… or 2064… how will the UK bankroll HS2? And HS3, Boris Island and all those new French nuclear power stations?
Higher taxes? More austerity? Development loans from China?
What’s your Plan B, UK?!
Slightly O/T. Watched Jim Murphy on 2014 last night. The voice, the voice! Who is it? Who is it? Ah yes SCAR from Lion King! Was scar not a ("Tractor" - Ed) to the pride?
Special report: BLUE SKY … ‘Torquewrench Botherswall reports on the finding of a special commissioned paper that puts blue sky at the forefront of the independence debate. Blue sky is a rare event in Scotland, many people travel great distances to be under this special natural occurring event. But the question is asked: Does the Scottish Government have plans for the protection of blue sky post independence? This week the highly respected Chartered Institute of Funny Weather made an independence intervention calling on the Scottish Government to reveal its plans on the protection, research and development of blue sky in a separate Scotland. Johann Lamont said earlier today in response to the concerns of the blue sky report: This is another example of Alex Salmond simply not answering a question of importance relating to the referendum debate. Loads of people fae Scotland travel hunners o miles tae find blue sky that they and their families enjoy, she added. The Institute was clear with their concerns that if research and development of blue sky was not funded properly, as it currently does within the UK, then blue sky may well be gone forever from the Scottish stratosphere in as little as 15 years.
🙂
BigSteveChisholm
i think i’m right in saying that uk gdp figure on oil is approx £36bn pa.
what a headache and burden that is for scotland!
@ Ronnie A
Aaahh, now I understand you. The left eye watches the beeb and the right one Parly TV! Thank god you don’t squint. 😉
The reason why I keep going on about Parly TV is that I want folks to see the real debate as it takes place. This drives home the difference when people see it later on the beeb, STV etc. and ask themselves what the hell are they actually reporting here.
Trying to increase awareness I suppose – each little helps.
Scar got the hyena’s to help kill his brother.
Pretty apt.
From any time in the last 40 years:
Q. How much oil is actually in Scottish waters?
A. A lot more than previously thought.
Ian Wood Gsrdens plan would have pedestrianised the City centre was voted by competition. The majority voted for the agreed plan, which would have vastly improved the City Centre. Until Young/Crockett (demoted by his own party) and the Green (600 votes?) got in power. The ‘new plan’ will shut off Broad Street causing even more traffic chaos and cost 30 times more. A monstrosity that will be leased back from a construction company for thirty years. A total waste of £Millions/Billions of public money. The ignoramuses.
Hi folks
Can any one give me information regarding the YES get together in Leith . My buddy tells me The libations are gonna be singing ( Caledonia 2014) and i will be meeting the lads at Elm Row about 2 pm.
Any info would help as only spoke to singer Darren and he thinks RIC and YES Scotland have something on.
Thanks folks and if your going hope to see you there
@ fred blogger
£36Bn? Och, that’s way too much. We cannae handle that sort of money. Leave it to Westminster. They’ll see we’re looked after.
@ YESGUY
Do you mean the mini YES Festival on Saturday, Leith Walk?
Loads to see and do (and drink). Info here:
link to yesedinburghnorthandleith.net
Another stitch up probably, people bussed up from down south and other dirty tricks….
link to news.stv.tv
#YesBecause doing gangbusters on twitter. I’m saoralbapictures on twitter. Some of my own tweets include:
“I’m #YESBecause we’ve had too many leaps of faiths in UK Govt and got fucked over too many times already. Time to trust ourselves now.”
“I’m #YESBecause foodbanks & poverty are unacceptable in a resource-rich country like ours. UK political system broken beyond repair.”
“I’m #YESBecause a Yes vote can inspire our English friends to take things into their own hands too South of the border.”
I clearly remember watching Darling on TV losing the place a few months ago… he was SHOUTING that “…Salmond is a LIAR…”
This related to Alex Salmond repeating the UKOOA estimates for remaining oil reserves in the N.Sea as 24M bbls. Darling’s own (invented) figure was 2M bbls.
According to Darling Alex Salmond had just multiplied by 12 and invented the 24M bbls figure.
You couldn’t make it up … but Darling does on a daily basis. The man’s off his head.
I wondered at the time..what will it take to get Salmond to start legal action against all these ("Quizmaster" - Ed)s !?!?
Darling actually SHOUTED that Salmond was a liar on TV ffs.
Aberdeen City Council did not win on a brief to change the UTG plan. A minority coalition party made that commitment and abused their power to overrule the wishes of the majority of the electorate. They govern without a mandate because of Unionist/Green collusion.
@Nana Smith
Doesn’t matter whether the format is a stitch up or not Nana, so long as our team get face time and get the message across. That’s all that counts – time on air and get the message out. People will make up their own minds on what they hear. 🙂
Ian Wood has certainly blitzed ConDem NHS privisarion off the page. Just watched a bloated Ian Taylor on BBC lunchtime news explain everything very UKOK clearly, without actually mentioning it’s the Ian Wood own reserve estimates of 24+bn barrels last year that the Ian Wood now is completely contradicting. Make your own minds up which Ian Wood forecast Ian Wood now says is true. Oh and Ian Wood also says he’s impartial and non partisan too, like what the BBC in Scotland says it is.
That’s lunch time UKOK propaganda for you. Also massive BBC Lamont boost or her daily ” AlicSamin is a liar” speech/rammy and ConDemLab will not allow CU so it’s Panama for you.
An absolutely appalling outfit or balanced and impartial news from BBC. Takes your choice Scotland.
Having watched FMQ’s at which the subject of oil reserves figured greatly (surprise, surprise), I am impressed at the amount of butter that would not melt in Lamont’s mouth and that look of surprise she can bring so easily to her countenance would impress any budding actor.
So Wood was reluctant to give an opinion and wanted to remain neutral on the independence question? Well that lie has been well and truly debunked by Better Together, tout suite.
What happened to Wee Willie today? No questions from him. Perhaps he has realised that it is safer to keep his mouth shut as opening it just damages his cause.
BigSteveChisholm
yeah, they might even see their way to give a rates cut to foodbank premises. 🙂
@Macart
Hope our side get to actually speak long enough to get the truth out.
Ian Wood does give to African charities but it’s part of the super deal across the Western World at any rate. If you’re a billionaire, you set up a charitable foundartion and you offset it all against your taxes too. Anyone can do it, just ask a UK City center charity chugger. Some gov’s even chip in with you.
link to independent.co.uk
This Scottish and British debate we heard Murphy and Kane rattle on about last night is so ethereal and pretty well meaningless. Does any one care apart from those who want to make an independence issue of it?
Thatcher wasted the equivalent of £Billions of Gas. She cancelled a pipe line. The Gas was burnt off. One of her Minister resigned. Thatcher destroyed the Scottish economy. Wrote this must be kept secret on papers realeased recently. She came to the Scottish Church Assembly and said, ‘ ‘We the English are generous to you Scots’. A lying witch.
The super rich deal across the west.
Bought and sold for English fracking licences.
O/T 2000 WBB ordered by a few of us in Glasgow area impatient to get our hands on them. We had a mini wee whip round and they will be delivered next week. Excited and now cheered by the mental #YesBecause twitter feed which is trending everywhere! A good day in all so stuff MSM. Off to Sweden for 4 days to see how other fine independent countries do it before returning for big delivery.
Local gossip? Ian Wood’s sons don’t work, but they both drive £350k Lamborghinis, as you do.
@Nana
Heh, they can try, but the camera shows all. Even on a poor performance they couldn’t stop the FM from pulling Darling’s chain on live telly. People are a bit more sussed these days to presentation techniques. They just need to hold firm and get their points in when they can. They’ll be seen and heard, the public will do the rest.
He still gives to Africa even if it is tax evaded. The West has stolen enough from Africa. Ian Wood and Companies would have paid £Billions in tax and taken in work to Scotland from all over the world.
People like working for the Wood Group Companies, and Ian Wood is held in high regard. It is hard to find many in Aberdeen/shire who have a bad word to say against him. His family has had their share of hardships. Both sons nearly died – accident/medical issues.
Perhaps this expert is interested in expanding into shale gas, and knows fine well his chances are better with a Westminster government ahead of a Holyrood one…
How does it it improve for the union when oil runs out?
They say it will take this format if so then Robin McAlpine should be on the panel, other wise we will just get the usual politico types.
quote: STV says It will be in the “town hall” format often used in US presidential debates and will allow the panellists to engage directly with an audience up to 350 Yes, No and undecided voters from across Scotland.
@Nana Smith says:
Another stitch up probably, people bussed up from down south and other dirty tricks….
@Ken500.
Burning off high quality gas fuel, which could have been kept in reserve as insurance against blackmail by foreign suppliers, was only done to undermine the miners case and teach them the lesson that Britain did not need to rely on coal. The wilful destruction of communities by Thatcher and Heseltine. The building of gas fired power stations which was certain to burn up the gas in huge quantities. Now we are in thrall to Putin.
Wood’s statement even said Scotland would have to import fracked gas from England.
They say it will take this format if so then Robin McAlpine should be on the panel, other wise we will just get the usual politico types.
quote: STV says It will be in the “town hall” format often used in US presidential debates and will allow the panelists to engage directly with an audience up to 350 Yes, No and undecided voters from across Scotland.
@Nana Smith says:
Another stitch up probably, people bussed up from down south and other dirty tricks….
Hay rev forget the first post waiting for moderation i put in the wrong email sorry.
Ian Wood’s sons both work. They work in the hospitality industry. Run boutique Hotels and restaurant’s in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. They even serve the food. Give folk their dinner. One of them is married to former Miss Scotland. Some folk have had the pleasure of being served by one of them.
YUM, YUM
Another great deconstruct, Stu.
Wood is a prime candidate for selective amnaesia. If it was any other ‘expert’ on the Yes side who had completely contradicted themselves within a matter of months, the MSM would be all over them like flies round shit.
How many times does it have to be said : if the oil is running out, if it’s so ‘volatile’, so much of a burden….why oh why are they desperate to not let Scotland go?
Yes guy
I gave the links at 1.46 pm, scroll back and you’ll find them.
Ken, Ian Wood is a tax dodging bastard.
Sorry, 1.06 pm
Yum Yum! Dad buys hotels, boozers, sons run them. It interesting that teamGB’s greatest oil man doesn’t let his sons near his company. I’m shocked.
link to birminghampost.co.uk
Sir Ian is quoted in The Telegraph as saying he was ‘sick of being misquoted by both sides’.Once again, we are struggling to see the media examination of how this reference can be applied to the UK government.
Also, he refers to ‘future generations’.I voted for the first time in 1974 when I was the ‘future generation’. In 1974, if more of our parents and grandparents had voted for independence and brought about a referendum saying ‘Yes’, then Scotland would never have had a prime minister called Margaret Thatcher. Much as we love our parents and grandparents, that generation got it wrong by rejecting independence.
Can someone help, how many new voters have been registered to vote?
Was just reading Severin Carrell (I know)
link to theguardian.com
I thought there was only 4.2 million eligible to vote?
Very convenient timing for the BT announcement from
Sir Ian .Guess what darling will be attacking on come the
Next debate?
OT Surely it’s getting near time to move towards a more
Cultural and patriotic phase .How about a song to inspire the
Yes campaign for the final run in , what about PRIDE from Amy Macdonald
Which she was inspired to write after singing “flower of “Scotland
At Hampden
So what happened to the “No TV debates after the postal votes go out” from NBUTKOKNOBT?
link to newstatesman.com
Sorry,wrong link.
link to scotsman.com
D Canmore @ 1.04pm
You got to be a contender for Dateline Scotland with that screen spatterin’ three set.
Braw 😀
Do you think the coincidence that Sir Ian has just bought a large chunk of a fracking company has any bearing on his latest statement, and the knowledge that the SG won’t allow fracking?
Even the editor of the Sunday Herald was taking the piss out of him on referendum TV at lunchtime.
Regarding the queue’s of people lining up to register to vote at John Street in Glasgow y’day, did anyone find out if it was ligit?
Arise LORD Ian Wood!
Sir Ian Wood is retired and would not have been buying any fracking licence.
How much has the Editor of the Sunday Herald brought into Scotland, given to the community and Africa? Hot Air.
He may be retired but he can still come out and spout lies regarding oil reserves!!
O/T but Kezia Dugdale has just come out with 400 “unanswered questions. Anybody care to place a bet on how many have been answered more than once already.
I place my bet on the box for 399.
“My headline message for the youth of today – get involved. The North Sea oil industry will see you through your lifetime.”
Sir Ian Wood, 2012
link to bbc.co.uk
The Editor, standing on the fence’ Sunday Herald, can frack off. Herald Group owned by a US tax evaders. Printing Westminster lies and being paid by public money. Hypocrite. How much does Gannet US give to Africa?
link to heraldscotland.com
John Wood Group buys Fracking co
@ Arabs for independence et al
Apologies I am unable to share said clip outside Facebook. It seems to be embedded with no visible link.
He can say what he wants. It depends if folk believe what he says. No one has been right with any Oil prediction ever.
Ian Wood is another Tory tycoon seduced by a title and the prospect of some more quick cash for him and his empire.
He should apologise to the Scottish people for his duplicity and then shut up.
@Ken500
Bugger off troll if all you can do is pretend to be Woods press man.
I wonder if Mr Wood helped write the RBS Plc rights issue prospectus? His canny ability to write a report that he then pretends he never wrote or meant surely opens up an avenue for him to be a Master of the Universe in the City.
Is it not strange how all these people decide Wednesday (before FMQs) is the only time they can pronounce on these matters.
bjsalba, how about all of them several times over, problem with Kezia D like all Labour they don’t listen.
Auld Rock
bjsalba, how about all of them several times over, problem with Kezia D like all Labour they don’t listen.
Auld Rock
OT as I dont Twitter
#YesBecause I want to see Evil Blair’s next CV
John Wood Group has brought into a US franking Company. And – They have bought into energy companies all over the world.
Ian Wood is seventy and retired.
That would be the Wood Group that has brought into Scotland £Billions in jobs and prosperity.
Ian Wood has nothing to apologise for. He is a hero. Now shut up.
Many people have shares in the Wood Group.
bigSteve
Thank you . That’s my Saturday sorted . Hope to see Wingers there. Share a pint and chat with Real Scots.
Ronnie A.
After the YES vote storms home i am gonna ask for a wee special medal for you . Your energy is amazing , your ability to “watch ” BBBC takes more guts than i have. Great to meet you at the Newsroom and will shake your hand next time .
Watched FMQ and Wee Eck is on form. The rest are a joke. How can a country with the LAB/LIBDEM/CONS like these be taking seriously. Vote YES and clear oot the dross in the Scottish Parli.
And don’t fall for the deflection folks. Arab 4 indi hit the nail on the heed. THE NHS is the big factor here, oil is a bonus, The NHS is at risk …. get that message out folks.
Anything the NT campaign crow about is a deflection of the BIG issue. We have oil , it might run oot in 2050 but will we have a NHS in Scotland if we vote NO????
Get the message out
Ian Wood has nothing to apologise for.
Other than throwing his lot in with Better Together I have issue with the man at all.
He probably never said. The Press made it up.
Every time I see a yellow Lambo roar past me on my wobbly old Raleigh 300 on the North Deeside Road, I always give it a middle finger wave, and yup, there goes Scotland’s state oil pension fund, zoom zoom.
See Norway’s oil pension funds taking a pasting for being too successful and not taking enough risk.
Good old teamGB, we’re bust, we know it, keep yer hands of my stash, money, it’s a crime…
link to ft.com
The FT, written by City boys who want other City boys to look clever on the bus and or limo, pending multi billion bonuses, paid out no matter how you get on recklessly pissing away other peoples mullah.
Ian Wood has probably brought as much money into Scotland as Alec Salmond.
O/T postal vote, anything we can do to stop any wrongdoing? This concerns me.
Ian Wood has nothing to apologise for. He is a hero. Now shut up.
He’s a Thatcher hero Ken!
People like Bill Gates are heroes Ken, invent something, make your fortune. Oor oil has made a very few, very rich, unlike say our Norwegian and Danish friends, 150 miles away across the oceans of ukok oil and gas.
Ian Wood has probably brought as much money into Scotland as Alec Salmond.
No, its oor oil that’s brought the money in. But everyone needs heroes.
@ scaredy cat
is it this one?
link to youtube.com
You are getting yourself a bit worked up there Ken, you are not ian wood are you?
1. The oil everywhere will eventually run out.
2. Scotland’s oil will eventually run out.
3. Most experts predict Scottish oil will continue to be productive for at least the next 40 years, and is worth around 1-1.5 trillion pounds, at least.
4. We can either carry on giving it all to London to squander within the UK, or with independence, we can use it to benefit Scotland.
Not really a difficult decision.
Any neutral observer would conclude that a post NO Scotland would be reduced to that of subservient.
Once the independence question is formalised a NO vote becomes morally reprehensible and the NO voter will be vulnerable to the accusation of political bankruptcy.
A NO vote is literally a negation and it would be perfectly legitimate for the rUK post referendum to relegate Scotland on that NO outcome.
My last should have said “no issue”
This multi tasking lark is tricky.
Aye
I’m Ian Wood. This is how I spend my retirement on Wings, arguing for Independence.
How much have you given to Africa?
I would love to ask Gordon Brown
How does the Westminster Gov pay for all those things he listed for Scotland from the £3 billion???
Wood Group bring in money from all over the world Oil industry, not just the North Sea. Contracts world wide.
link to huffingtonpost.co.uk
UKIP tax. Bear in mind there is a possibility that the Tories and UKIP could be form a coalition government after the 2015 general election. OMG what a thought.
VOTE YES
Ken, wonder how Ian feels about this:
link to independent.co.uk
The person you are defending is one of these guys that has led to so much wage disparity and so much inequality.
He is a hero, is he? If he has brought so much money into Scotland, then has the union also brought money into Scotland?
Did Ian Wood and the Union make oil?
@Ken500
“Many people have shares in the Wood Group.”
And many more are struggling to put food on their plates.
which is more important?
In the BBC link Hoddles posted above, Wood is quoted as saying that we must “ensure that history doesn’t record our oil era as here today, gone tomorrow, and worse off.”
Which is precisely why a Yes vote is so imperative.
I wish papers would just stop quoting these types. Rich, self-centered scumbags with no interest in anyone beyond where their next couple of million being opposed to independence should be enough to convince any normal punter that it’s the best thing to do.
Ian wood is not responsible for UK gov policy. He is not a Politican. He has one vote the same
as everyone else. He has given £millions to charity. He will died and leave the rest to an Independent Scotland.
The Wood Group pays high wages. People queue up to work there. They have good wages and conditions.
Ian Wood can support who he likes.
Ian Wood’s reputation and credibility,
like everyone else’s,
is based on his known achievements and success.
But Ian Wood, like everyone else,
has made mistakes
and will have done things
which he ought not to have done.
And perhaps some of these will be uncovered after Independence.
But for now, these will not be known
because they will have been well hidden.
So before Sir Ian Wood is canonised
as being incapable of error
or of Unionist bias,
let us remember that we all have feet of clay
and that in the fight for Scotland’s vast wealth
the Unionists will stop at NOTHING
to keep hold of it.
They’ll even tell lies about it.
Imagine – Tories, like Ian Wood, telling lies.
Like they did for 35 years with the McCrone report
and like they are doing now with West Coast oil.
Ian Wood?
With a personal fortune of £1.5 billion,
made out of Scotland’s mineral wealth,
and being a lifelong member of the Tory Party,
which will not have hindered him along the way,
the least he could do to repay
his friends in Westminster and in the City,
is to put in a word for them
to help them out in their hour of ‘need’.
After all, as a Unionist,
it’s so important to take care of one’s billions
even when you’ve got them from the poor.
Yes Ken, wood group has contracts all over the world.
So do many other small operators and many of the smaller service companies, tooling companies etc etc.
The North Sea is not about Ian fkn Wood.
The only thing wee need to know about oil wealth is:-Do we keep 100%(YES) Or do we keep 8.4% and give away 91.6%(NO)
Wood Group are losing contract after contract in the North Sea.
They are getting rid of contractors and paying piss poor wages for the industry.
Go ask a Wood Group employee about morale there.
The place is going downhill rapidly and if you ask anyone in the oil industry they will tell you that Wood Group is getting out of the North Sea and prioritizing international markets.
Go do some research instead of blindly following a ‘scottish’ company and thinking that everything is rosy with them.
Ian Woid isn’t a self centred scumbag with no interest for anyone else. He gives £Millions to charity. He offered Aberdeen £80Million to predestrianise the City Centre and because he was concerned for the future prosperity of the City. He had seen a walk way in Stravanger and wanted Aberdeen to have a similar attraction.
The origin of the Wood Group came from fishing – trawlers and shipping.
@Jim Thomson says::21 August, 2014 at 10:36 am:
I smell ermine ….
Aye! Jim, sae dae Ah bit ermine? is, an Old World weasel, ‘Mustela erminea,’ having in its winter color phase a white coat with black at the tip of the tail.. That means it is a stoat or any of various weasels, how apt is that? The Hoose o Lairds is ane muckle kist o weasels.
If the Wood Group is reorganising to deal with the markets. So what. If there is a down turn in Oil activity they will relocate. And. There are no reports of the Wood Group paying off. The Oil industry has stalled because of Westminster policy.
The Press and Journal and Shell are making workers redundant.
Ian Woid isn’t a self centred scumbag with no interest for anyone else
OK Ken, we get it. Can we just agree that Ian Wood, 3rd richest man in Scotland, is a very nice man who does not want Scotland to run Scotland and he only made a little mistake when he told Scots.gov and us too, that he had overestimated great British oil reserves by half a few months and he only want to correct his own booboo and tell everyone to vote No.
He probably just forgot his glasses that day and is not a very rich liar desperate to keep the status quo.
seanair
got it buddy Saturday day out in the best company EVER.
Gonna watch my mate Darren and his band sing Caledonia in the YES shop.
All the money for the song goes to food banks. Itunes and amazon have it.
Hope to remember to wear my Wings badges and a YESGUY sticker so if you see me i can have a chat with you all.
All excited now. I’ll no sleep
No one said the North Sea was about Ian Wood.
There are/were two hundred Companies and the supply chain operating. Massive.
The origin of the Wood Group came from fishing – trawlers and shipping.
And North Sea/Atlantic fish stocks have been fished to near extinction Ken. Old Sir Ian’s a teamGB triumph of money grabbing and an environmental catastrophe too. Who knew.
Ian Wood did not tell everyone to vote No.
And another thing…
I’m ‘watching’ BBC Alba in the afternoon. Sad, eh? the banner headline has just crossed the screen saying that ‘…the Scottish government’s predictions for North Sea oil recovery are overestimated by 60%’. How do I change it to ‘…the UK government’s predictions for North Sea oil recovery are underestimated by 60%’?
Yes Ken, I work in it.
I am aware of these things.
Wood Group are a tax dodging company who do not value their employees.
Reorganising to deal with the markets? No, their shareholders and Bob Keiller have decided the profit margins aren’t enough.
So Ian Wood personally over fished the sea and stole Scotland Oil revenues. Aye right.
the UK government’s predictions for North Sea oil recovery are underestimated by 60%’?
or even “Darling’s forecast complete pish”
Without trying to upset Ken500, you have to question the timing of this intervention, a few days before round 2 of the big debate. If AS brings up the new oil finds then AD plays his Get Out of Jail Woods card.
What is significant is that Woods is quoted as saying to The Torygraph that ” …Scotland could end up importing from England following the discovery of shale gas reserves …”, playing the ‘Dependency’ card based on pure and utter speculation, and thus showing his intervention to be politically motivated, nothing less.
No Ken, he is using his position in the industry to formulate arguments that undecideds will believe and strengthen any soft no’s that are thinking of voting yes.
He is a political pawn. Get over it.
The wright stuff.
Watch and be warned you will scream and shout at everybody after watching.
//youtu.be/xm5EBDa42ck
No HOT LIQUIDS NO SHARP OBJECTS AND valium needed if you can watch it twice.
Sorry folks are asking about this and i found it easily on YOUTUBE although it’s bad for Scottish blood pressure
be warned tho , these folk don’t hold back
John Reid, you say:
‘Wood’s credibility is shot’
Surely Sir Ian Wood is giving an honest account into the oil forecasts over the next 15-20 years.
I had a look at the Wood Report – it estimates 12-24bn boe. So the Scottish Gov’t will always uses the highest number. I think most people would agree that it’s sensible not to take the outer limits of an estimate as the most likely outcome. The number he quoted yesterday was bang in the middle of the range the report proposes. What’s the problem?
To put it another way, if you thought your business was going to have a net profit of £120k-240k, you wouldn’t plan your outgoings for the year on the basis of a £240k income, would you?
“I had a look at the Wood Report – it estimates 12-24bn boe. So the Scottish Gov’t will always uses the highest number. I think most people would agree that it’s sensible not to take the outer limits of an estimate as the most likely outcome. The number he quoted yesterday was bang in the middle of the range the report proposes. What’s the problem?”
The DECC figures are 12-35bboe. The 24bn Sir Ian used to be wedded to already IS in the middle of that range.
So Ian Wood personally over fished the sea and stole Scotland Oil revenues. Aye right
I doubt Sir Ian would get his handees dirty Ken:D Ever come close guys like this Ken? Even the money in their wallet’s perfumed.
He has said he is sick of being misquoted by both sides.
Ian Wood worked 70 hours for years, and built up a successful company employing thousands. Bringing £Billions into Aberdeen and Scotland, by ability and hard work, getting his hands dirty. Many people are more than happy to work for the Wood Group, which has a good reputation.
Ian Wood gives his money to charity and will continue to do so.
He can say what he likes.
Yes there are folk who have come close to Ian Wood and their opinion is he is a gentleman.
He has said he is sick of being misquoted by both sides.
Ken I really like your Cif but what are you voting for?
The UKOK is nearly the most unequal country in the world and Ian Wood is the living embodiment of the how and why. Like many super rich dudes, he was at the right place and the right time and Thatcherite Westminster set up the socio economics to ensure the top guys took the wealth and everyone else could lump it.
We have Norway to show us what might have been and what could be Ken.
Ian Wood worked 70 hours for years, what was he doing when he was 1 Ken?
link to news.stv.tv
“No one expected piper alpha so you could never ever be complacent, but what I will say is if there is a reasonable adherence to the safety regulations that now exist, and the platforms are designed differently, and if the mindset continues – and I really believe it will continue because it is now just part of the industry culture – it is very unlikely it will happen again and in my deepest soul I really hope the industry hasn’t got to go through that again and the families don’t have to go through anything like that again,” said.
Thats a deep dark lie too.
Ian Woods has put a “negative spin” on Scottish oil. WHY ??
He want’s a no vote KEN.
I know a few NO’ers and they are decent enough and still good friends but the fact that an oil magnate comes out with this type of statement after the hushing of the Lancaster/Hurricane and Clair fields are typical negative tactics laid out in the NT campaign.
No one doubts you Ken , but sticking up for a poor wee billionaire who sounds like he is a certain NO voter , is a bit rich because we are trying to push a positive view of Scotland.
He might have been mis quoted but so what. If he really wants to get his point over he can. Money talks ken.
Any way another deflection from the big issue… Scottish NHS.
That’s the vote winner not oil. We have loads but our NHS is in danger.
Please stop fighting amongst yourselves and agree to disagree . less than a month folks and we will be a free new/ancient country again.
YES
Might I suggest our generous and kind hearted beloved English friends should wake up that Scotland’s oil & gas is about to run out and they should start an independence for England movement as soon as they can. If they think they are subsidising we Scots so much now they should reaise it’ll be by a much greater sum after the oil & gas has gone.
See now, if he didn’t personally overfish, the he can’t possibly be personally capable of donating millions either. He is or was the owner, or head, or person making the decisions in order to be the person making the most money. That’s pretty simplistic I grant you, but it’s not generally the folk doing the actual fishing, drilling etc who get the most money, but the people who already have the money, via their investment in the company doing. The fishing or drilling who get the most money back. The more shares you have the more money you get. Usually the person in charge has the most shares that’s how they get to be in charge. So. Either he is personally and directly involved in the exploitation of the marine environment both in fishing and oil industry and also a major charitable contributor or he is not, but he cannot be one without the other.
Headtracker
Actually your right
I worked for a ships agency in Leith in the 70’s
and knew about Ian Wood’s trawlers.
It was one of these ‘in the right place at the right time’ for Mr Woods
The Oil services industry was fairly fledgling in Aberdeen. There was a shortage of oil supply vessel’s so the trawler owners were approached to utilise the trawlers as rig supply vessels.
Woods trawlers would come into either Leith, Methil or Granton to take on stores to take out to rigs that were in the Forth for the winter.
The trawlers were replaced by larger purpose built supply ships, which over the years have grown in size and capability to the ocean going ships you see now
Methinks the good sir ian maybe a tory,and has unwittingly undermined his scare story,as the o9nly people who believes what torys say in Scotland is other torys.
Headtracker
Just as a footnote, was given a miniature of North Sea Oil in 1975 from a company called Marinco in Aberdeen
Still have it, sitting on my desk to remind me what its all about 😉
I think he is hoping for a peerage. I can think of no other reason why someone who calls themselves an expert would throw away all their credibility by talking such nonsense.
He’s looking for a peerage.Doubt it.
There is always paraffin. Maybe not.
To Ian Sanderson – thanks for posting link to vid about Glasgow skeptic debate. I just can’t take to that Jaqui Baillie, yuk.
To North Chief – if Darling goes with Wood’s statement it will be playing into AS hands. The way he knocked Lamont and Davidson about at FMQ’s shows that.
Woods has contradicted himself at the end of the day.
To Steph – I have never seen that vid before. I am raging sitting here after watching it. I did laugh at that shoplifter said it the bank of England eh ENGLAND
Isn’t he aware it was founded by a Scotsman.
To Ken500 – prick
@ Edward, no way! I have a bottle of crude from Fulmar and probably quite lot in my old bones too. Ian Wood is a actually the reason I quit drilling oddly enough, Wood group were the best payers but they were really the first in the North Sea to not actual recruit construction crews but merely contract them and make a lot more money obviously.
The shite that ran BP in particular were watching all of this, so then all the big UKOK operators shut everything down in 89 I think, for a year, paid off all staff beneath grad level, then restarted it all again for what they called CRINE, Cost reduction in the new era. So every dept in say BP, drilling, geologists, piping etc, effectively became private companies but still actually in the BP office at Dyce for example. Each manager became a director of his own business or what was his old dept the week before. Oil co’s says it’s made for huge efficiency, competition makes better motivators etc but it really means massive cost savings and even more profit. BP’s not the biggest oil company in the world run by upper class twits for nothing, all of it came from not Scots Oil.
It’s certainly made some good former managers a lot of money and how long it lasts, is all down to Sir Ian’s flip flop production estimates. It’s not oor oil for 15 years, or it’s UKOK oil for 60 to 100.
It’s up to Scotland now
I quit offshore during the year of CRINE. Cheers for that teamGB. What about our mortgages? Fcuk off, get another job, come back in a year if youre not black listed:D
Truce
Leave oor Ian a lain
Andrew Neil has a programme on Parliamentary Channel about Ibdependence noo.
@muttley79 says: 21 August, 2014 at 11:59 am:
“Women for Independence’s fundraising appeal is in the last 24 hours or so. They have raised nearly £12,000 of the £15,000 target.
link to indiegogo.com
That’s a few quid sent for then Muttley
I repeat:
There’s something distinctly sinister about a wealthy individual telling the masses they will be poorer if empowered.
link to theguardian.com
I used to work for this Lord, a hero to some but I know guys dead and gone thanks to his business practice, dead or maimed for life that is. We also did 18 months Fracking expro for him across the midlands of England, before it was fashionable. Who knows why they taking it out now but it could well be getting set for Scotland running Scotland.
Good old Lord Brown. I still bump into an old driller of Browne’s from Clydebank, still counts all my fingers and laughs like a cnut.
@Phil Robertson says: 21 August, 2014 at 12:26 pm:
“Have they also crossed the Yes/no divide?”
Nah! Just reflecting the Osborne North Sea tax hike.
Now – back under the bridghe for you, Troll.
@fred blogger says: 21 August, 2014 at 12:48 pm:
““Scottish independence: Minister accused of NHS letter ‘hypocrisy’” link to bbc.co.uk
Am I the only one who finds Jackie Baillie calling someone a liar is absolutely hillarious?
@Sinky says: 21 August, 2014 at 1:00 pm:
“Again the BBC TV coverage of FMQs was cut short before Alex Salmond could answer the penultimate question.
Then watch it on Channel 81, “The Parliament Channel”, or on Holyrood TV : –
link to scottishparliament.tv
“After 2050 there are 125 oil fields to be exploited by which time gas from North Sea Coal will the New Black Gold in Scottish Waters.
link to thegwpf.org
Ever heard of Methane Hydrates, Sinky?
link to web.ornl.gov
@Dcanmore says: 21 August, 2014 at 1:04 pm:
“Exclusive: SCENERY! … ‘the UK government has revealed that Scottish scenery is in fact a mirage, a Westminster spokesperson said: Scottish scenery was created within the union.”
Many’s a word spoken in jest …, Dcanmore.
Matter of fact it was. First the Great Caladonian Forest was cleared to build Royal Navy & Mercantile Marine Ships. The Glens used to be teeming with people. Then the landowners and English educated Clan Chieftains brought in the sheep and cleared the people out. The sheep and deer then finished the job of ending the forest.
Those splendid barren barren wilderness vistas you see now are not the Scottish natural habitat and neither is those vast sporting estates. In just a few hundred years.
As I’m old I remember that he was involved in downplaying the oil in the 1979 referendum. Somebody mentioned that he was in a debate back then with Margo MacDonald. There must be some anorak who has that somewhere on a cassette tape. That would make interesting hearing now. If he reacted badly to the Yes No for a Scottish parliament well that must be on the record too. It’s all about being one step ahead of the journalists who only read what they get from Reuters. Leopards rarely change their spots. I maintain that one main reason is that the House of Lords have demanded that peers will have to pay rest of Uk tax to get their seat in the Lords in the event of independence. It’s brought the Sirs out in their droves because they did their bit for the state and practically they’d have to go and live abroad in England to make use of their ermine after independence.
Boy does that seem to have upset them and those who aspire to be them.
What is it with the concern trolling for Sir Ian Wood, Holy F*ck get a grip he may be sweetest guy God put breath in but he is actively working against Scottish self determination so fuck him
Scadey cat
What facebook link did you post re undecided to yes
Voter?
Ta
The stakes have been raised.
With a new, coordinated BT-MSM attack on the SG’s oil revenue forecasts, I think we can expect Mr Darling to bring this up at some stage during the next debate.
Be prepared, Mr salmond!
Many are revealing themselves to the Scottish people through speaking during this period of change.
Their are exposing what has been hidden for generations.
We see their anxious posturing, and see favours being granted to them from afar. During their fall, which is in progress, they tell us to be afraid.
Our hope is not in them or what they have, but in a new beginning for those who live here and form this beautiful and great nation.
As their self built status crumbles with each spoken word, our path to a new beginning widens. It is a path that all can take.
We also know there is oil off the coast of Arran.
Last year (on a BBC website) the Chairman of UK oil and Gas estimated that there is OVER £24bn barrels remaining.
New offices are going up all the time in Aberdeen. There’s huge development going on beside the airport, Statoil are starting a UK head office there to serve the Mariner field (which will be producing oil until at least 2047), Amec have just opened a third office in Tullos, and Wood Group – dunno if Ian Wood’s heard of them? – are currently building a new office here that will house 1,000 workers.
All this for an industry that’s going to be on the decline within 15 years? Somebody lied not me! Companies are buying up sites. The Norwegian company Aker Solutions is even building an Aker village.
The fact that the Wood group is well placed to be at the forefront of UK onshore fracking (with a little help from their friends) might just have something to do with it and his new naw position:
Wood’s credibility was shot a very long time ago. Before the 1997 referendum (when he was CEO and Chairman of Wood Group) one of the “usual suspects” he threatened to move the HQ of the Wood Group from Aberdeen to London if we dared to vote YES to a Scots Parliament. Didn’t happen. What about the threatening letters sent to all Wood Group employees stating that a YES vote would result in them losing their jobs. Yes he’s not called sir Ian for nothing.
link to bbc.co.uk
But Whits Johann, Lahmont gonna talk aboot?
“Diz the furst minasta agree with that mista Eyan Would, that the oilz gonna run oot, n whitz eh gonny dae when it diz?” Aye no danger.
SIR IAN WOODS MISSING $1000 BILLION
Apologies. 2nd link should have been :
link to bbc.co.uk
FFS everyone knows Ian Wood is a Tory and doesn’t support Independence. It’s nor exactly news. Some Tories do.
Did you watch FMQ’s? what a stitch up this has been and awl cnut face Woody is in on it up to his billionaire arse. Don’t care if he was Jesus Christ what he has done is unforgivable so fuck him with bells on!
Sorry OT but relevant
Nuclear and the inconsistency of the Lib Dems
For as long as I can remember the position of the Lib Dems and over half the parliamentary Labour party has been that Trident should be discarded, in favour of an expansion of conventional forces. They were also adamant that the UK would remain to be a full member of NATO. They said it was illogical for anyone to voice opinion that NATO would prefer the UK not to be in it since the geographical position occupied by the UK was of crucial importance to NATO.
But the Con/Dem government killed that position off in 2010. Trident is getting old and unstable and needs replacing. When it came to a vote, a deal was done in the dark corridors of Westminster and the Lib/Dems, (all of them) abstained from voting and those in favour of replacing Trident carried the day. The question asked but never answered is, “What will happen to the Lib/Dem’s in Scotland if the party simply echos the Westminster based elite”. Many Lib /Dem supporters in Scotland were very angry that MP’s they had sent to Westminster ignored the mandate they had been elected to support. Namely to vote against the retention of Nuclear weapons.
The 2014 Referendum, (independence for Scotland) provides the Lib/Dems with another chance to redeem the party by supporting a, “Yes” vote which would achieve the dream of a nuclear free Scotland. It is unfortunate that the Lib/Dem parliamentary party are turning their faces away from independence prefering to, “toe the party line” in support of the retention of nuclear weapons in Scotland. But all is not lost, from discussions I have had when out canvassing Lib/Dem voters are prepared to vote, “Yes” with conviction in spite of the official position of the party. I say, “well done” all you individuals who prefer to think of your children getting rid of these awful weapons from Scotland.
Robert Peffers brought up the subject of Jackie Baillie. She must be thick as shit, or believe everyone else is, if she believes there is any comparison between Alex Neil’s letter and that order to support the Union sent to DWP workers.
The only conclusion you could arrive at on reading the BBC report would be that she was a moron or a liar. Average assessment for Labour parliamentarians.
I’m enjoying how we’re going to become net importers of energy from England thanks to their vast shale gas industry. Of course it is in its infancy but is as good as money in the bank, dependable unlike that bloody oil stuff which is terribly volatile.
And the offshore oil and gas industry has become so good at finding and extracting oil and gas that it won’t be long until it’s all finished. The record levels of investment seems like a desperate rush to get the last few billion barrels.
And that oil stuff is such a pain in the arse to get to in the middle of the sea – the great thing about shale gas is the workforce and general public can live right on top of where it is fractured and extracted. What could be more convenient!
Maybe we could take Sir Ian’s advice – after all once the oil and gas is gone Westminster will look after us. They’re good like that – looking after areas once an industry disappears, eh North East England!
Many in Scotland have done well out of the oil and gas industries but were it not for this industry, Westminster would not be mobilising all of its forces against Scotland’s right to self determination.
We will only really enjoy the benefits of this bonanza once we remove this yoke from around our necks. The more I’m told by these anti-Scots that the oil and gas industry is dwindling and volatile, the more confident I feel that we are burdened with a solid and lucrative industry that will enrich an independent Scotland for many, many decades to come.
Reading another article (debunking the ‘peak oil’ theory) it discussed the predictions of number of barrels available from new fields. They are routinely underestimated. Companies are conservative in their estimates and, on average, are 10% under the actual amount. This explains some of the disparity in figures when looking back as the ‘extra’ amounts are attributed to the year of the original discovery. Cynics could use this anomaly to make it seem that oil is ‘running out’. Of course the assertions attributed to Sir Ian Wood are much more than this. The difference is SO large that it can only be explained as lies or massive incompetence. Still, like every other ‘story’ from Better Together its just a ‘hit and run’ ie a massive lie splashed all over the pet mouthpieces and then change the subject quick before being rumbled for the cynical cheating liars they surely are.
Ammunition for the no camp in time for the next debate! These self serving bastards should be thrown out of a new Scotland!
Sir Ian Wood
I assume people do know that he runs a body shop and engineering company?
I’ve met him several times and I would say that he is a smart man but with very little knowledge of the oil and gas industry from the perspective of reserves and reservoir development. When I say very little I mean zero!
I do not consider him an expert on Oil & Gas through supplying support trades anymore than I’m an expert on whisky because I drink it.
[…] over those pesky facts, decided to give us the benefit of his entirely independent opinion that is mysteriously and suddenly tailored to the needs of the No campaign that he’s just come out in favour of. . It seems that eight […]
Oil is the amazing yo-yo resource. It drops down in amounts when there’s a Scottish election or referendum and then reserves rocket back up when those are not on the horizon or when the Westminster politicians want to big up the “UK” economy in the media or to their peers. It’s been doing this amazing yo-yo act for decades now, always “running out” or “only five years left” every five years or so.
They’ve had BILLIONS of barrels out of us when other countries are over the moon just to fine one billion. An enormous wealth squandered, but we’ve still got vast resources that can be ours, which is why I know in the long run we can do this and do it well!
Is it just me or is that quote image in the original post tiny? Got to have yer good specs for that one (until you click on it).
Lets hope there isnt enough oli ‘to make a difference’. Otherwise, we will see a sudden ‘upsurge in terrorist activities believed to be linked to Al=CIA-da’ and then America on the orders of their Rothschild banks will have to ‘liberate the people with democracy’
Lets assume woods is correct for a second and there is ‘only’ 16 billion barrels left.
So that’s around $120/barrel x 16 billion.
= $1,920,000,000,000 (ish)
Must an exchange rate even be quoted for 1.9 trillion dollars to Scottish Bawbees ?
It is an incredible amount of money, and that is the lying arse end lowest possible BT/NO figure, so if(sic)they are wrong, every million barrels they are out is another $120 million in our pocket.
Are these idiots actually saying that income of that extent is a disaster for 5.5 million Scots and a SG committed to helping everyone
in Scotland benefit ???
40 years of oil revenues to westminster = £1.4 trillion debt.
What will they do without us..they will be in utterly deep shit.
Oil for Dummies.
from Minister of Propaganda
to EBC Spy Centre
Oil for Scotland = Bad
Oil for UK = Good.
Ian Wood is retired and is apolitical and always has been. A gentleman. He now runs his Foundation giving money to Charity, including Africa. He has bought £Billions into Scotland and paid £Billions in taxes.. Stop slandering him or the Independence movement will lose votes.
Looks like Wood’s servicing divisions are actually losing money, it’s the shale operations in the US that are holding up profits.
Makes a lot more sense now, looking for licensing in the UK is Mr Wood is undoubtedly the reason for his outburst.
link to uk.reuters.com
‘Wood Group said EBITA (earnings before tax) from production services rose 47 percent, but fell 9 percent in its higher-margin engineering services segment, hurt by a slowdown in upstream projects in some regions.’
Ian Wood is retired any decisions the Wood Group make are not made by him.
Earning before tax rose 47% but fell 9% in another division are bad results?
Learn to count.
Nearly every penny Ian Wood has ever received is now in a Foundation which now and when he dies will go to Charity in Scotland (especially young people) and Africa – some of the poorest people in the world. Ian Wood has always been concerned that Scotland diversify and invest in other industry sectors. Even in a Oil Fund. He has set up an Oil Fund – a Foundation.
You are right Ken, Ian Wood is a true hero of Scotland and in no way whatsoever has vested interests in the UK. Nor the UK’s tax system.
I’m off to materbate to Margaret Thatcher whilst listening to Jerusalem.
Stop being disgusting and watch your language. It does you no favours.
I am so sorry Lord Ken500.
Not content with telling others off for slagging off your hero and pointing out flaws in the greatest Scot, ever. You are now telling us all how to post.
Any other news on Ian has he rescued the journalists from ISIS yet?
There is no need for crude or offensive language. I know it has become the norm for most young people, judging by the TV and pram pushers. Some do not know the difference. I would hope the posters on here do.
It is common to give to charity and make it tax deductible and creep for honours such as Knichtiehoods. Anyone buying into that system is hardly apolitical. He did threaten to move his Aberdeen HQ to London during the Devolution debate and he wasn’t the only one. Some people have so much money that they do not know what do with it. Many give to charity, whilst attacking Welfare rights. An attitude very common at SE dinner parties.
Bit late in the day I know but I couldn’t resist.Sir?? Ian Wood a man only concerned about himself and his good name.??,many a North East Fisherman, Dead and Alive might have something to say about that.Donates Millions here and there, makes him feel good I guess, all put down on the Tax Claim..Family business built on the Sweat,Toil and LIVES OF MANY a Fisherman.Sits on his throne pontificating and spouting lies and untruth’s. listen to ME I have all the answers, I know what has to be done.A BETRAYER of all morals and True Scots and his country..A man without honour who sold his sole for wealth and power..You may try to buy favour and notoriety Mr Wood but you will be remembered for what you were..
[…] barrels of oil (bbl) remaining, which seemed a sensible mid-figure using industry expert estimates. Sir Ian Wood dropped his own 24 bbl estimate to 16bbn in just 6 months, and was knighted in 2016 for his […]