Oil at $40 a barrell...lucky escape for the sweaties

[????]

....that independence thing sure would have turned out good

[Mick Mac]

Will probably have some impact on Scotland through reduced activity by the oil giants.

[????]

Yup. But that beats a full on sovereign debt crisis by about a milion

[numbers]

The SNP oil forecasts were laughable at the time.

Can't wait to see that lying shower of incompetent arseholes booted out.

[????]

...even for Corbyn's Marxist leninist mob?

[Lowlander]

Everyone's forecasts are laughable in hindsight. The SNP chose the most optimistic figures and the UK Government the most conservative.

Both were wrong, along with most of the banks (Goldmans were forecasting $100 a barrel against the SNP's $110)

[miga]

Yeah - agree that while those predictions seem laughable now, they weren't wildly out of line with what "the experts" thought. Anyway - if at the time someone thought they were laughable they could have made a pretty penny by now based on their "realistic" expectations.

[????]

Yeah but the forecasts aren't the point, in a way they illustrate the whole risky idea; the gambling on oil when you're a one trick pony is the reckless bit when you can stay with your lovely, sensible neighbours. We'd have had to have armed guards on the border by now.

[miga]

Oh, with that I fully concur. Pinning your economy on one commodity is wacky.

[Blah Blah]

A bit like pinning your economy on just the city and property even ;)

[numbers]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> ...even for Corbyn's Marxist leninist mob?

yep. At least you know where you are with them.

[Lowlander]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Yeah but the forecasts aren't the point, in a way

> they illustrate the whole risky idea; the gambling

> on oil when you're a one trick pony is the

> reckless bit when you can stay with your lovely,

> sensible neighbours. We'd have had to have armed

> guards on the border by now.

Uh, you mean Engand's financial one trick pony financial services?!

Let's have a look at the Bank of England's "cover all bases" forecasting, i.e. anything between -1% and +4% is "on target" http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/liveblogs/2014-11-12-2/

[????]

England's financial services would be fine without having the Bits fooked up by the Scottish banking mafia Sir Fred and the RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) HQ Edinboro' and HBOS - guess what the BOS stands for and the Scottish based BOS was mainly responsible for the horrendous commercial property loans that took out HBOS and yet Pravda SNP still blamed the 'spivs in the City' rather than the spivs in Edinboro

[????]

...not to mention the custodians of the country and economy at that time Messrs Brown and Darling...now where they from?

[????]

numbers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> ???? Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > ...even for Corbyn's Marxist leninist mob?

>

> yep. At least you know where you are with them.

Yup. Marching round Grosvenor Square circa 1968

[Blah Blah]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> ...not to mention the custodians of the country

> and economy at that time Messrs Brown and

> Darling...now where they from?

Yes. because it never went wrong under Thatcher, Major and Lamont - oh wait!!!!

[numbers]

Thatcher, Major and Lamont weren't from Scotland!

[miga]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> England's financial services would be fine without

> having the Bits fooked up by the Scottish banking

> mafia Sir Fred and the RBS (Royal Bank of

> Scotland) HQ Edinboro' and HBOS - guess what the

> BOS stands for and the Scottish based BOS was

> mainly responsible for the horrendous commercial

> property loans that took out HBOS and yet Pravda

> SNP still blamed the 'spivs in the City' rather

> than the spivs in Edinboro

Hang on, hang on...one of the key factors that sunk RBS in 2008 was the disastrous takeover of ABN Amro (2007/2008), a takeover they *won* ahead of Barclays, which both were dead set on. There but for the grace of God etc...Also, and this is the bigger problem with what you said, it's naive to think of any of these big banks as "national" banks servicing some kind of nationalist agenda. Certain "types" cluster in the leadership teams, but this has not much to do with the bank's country of origin. Long bow.

[miga]

Blah Blah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> A bit like pinning your economy on just the city

> and property even ;)

Well, that's two (non-commodity) sectors already...But "the City", however you choose to define it, often has its importance to the overall economy a bit overstated anyway*. The whole financial sector makes up less than 10% of the overall economy**. As anyone with an expensive education in something very useful like economy or political sciences knows***, it's the buying and selling of capuccinos that keeps all western economies ticking along.

*different topic

**www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn06193.pdf

***not useful

[????]

miga Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Blah Blah Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > A bit like pinning your economy on just the

> city

> > and property even ;)

>

> Well, that's two (non-commodity) sectors

> already...But "the City", however you choose to

> define it, often has its importance to the overall

> economy a bit overstated anyway*. The whole

> financial sector makes up less than 10% of the

> overall economy**. As anyone with an expensive

> education in something very useful like economy or

> political sciences knows***, it's the buying and

> selling of capuccinos that keeps all western

> economies ticking along.

>

> *different topic

> **www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn06193.pdf

> ***not useful

Plus You need to add on all the interconnected services that benefit from the 'spivs' - legal & consultamcy being the high profile ones; plus the property; high end goods & services etc etc.

Bit more than some dead animals in the North Sea bed

[????]

...but, more importantly, I've clearly failed in my objective of tempting Snorks out of his pit of self-loathing and despair

[BrandNewGuy]

numbers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thatcher, Major and Lamont weren't from Scotland!

Lamont's from Shetland. Mind you, that's not really Scotland ;-)