Blessed country

Tonight’s televised referendum debate seems destined to touch on oil. Everyone seems to agree that Scotland’s oil will last until at least 2050.

The elephant on the oil rig, however, is the near certainty that by 2050 fossil fuels will be viewed as the fossils of the energy industry. By then, it seems both necessary and desirable that our power will be derived from cleaner sources.

The debate over oil should therefore be widened to one over energy resources as a whole.

In that respect Scotland is in a unique position, having been blessed not once but twice; not only do we have the European Union’s biggest oil reserves, we have the EU’s largest renewables base. It is a remarkable position of strength from which to embark on a future as a normal, independent country.

C Hegarty

Glenorchy Road

North Berwick