Empire looting

The National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) suggestions that Scotland should exchange oil for her supposed share of debt (your report, 18 September) shows that even at its end, the British Empire still thinks it has a God-given right to rip off the rest of the world.

Isn’t it good of it to “forgive” the debts it ran up for us!

Original debt is England’s and England’s alone. The talk about a broke Scotland from the Darien scheme ignores the fact that that was private debt.

Scotland carried no public debt into the Union, but England – out in the world making war – had a large and growing deficit. Thus, Scotland was given an immediate payment (the equivalent) for taking on English debt (see Article XV of the treaty).

Since we are now about to cancel the Union, it is reasonable to cancel the equivalent. Therefore, we shall pay England the sum of £398,085.

If the UK wants Scotsmen to pay back billions in debt, may I suggest that the bill is sent to the Scotsman responsible, Gordon Brown, and his lieutenant, Alistair Darling, under whom the UK marked up a bigger public debt than ever before.

Perhaps we should go along with NIESR’s idea about oil for debt. Its calculation is that Scotland’s share is £153 billion.

Our London masters have already looted more than £200bn in oil revenues.

So, London has had its oil payment in advance.

We’ll settle for a payment of £20bn from England and let them off with the rest if they behave themselves.

Is it possible that we can get through to these people that they do not own Scotland, the Scots and anything that they fancy looting? I doubt it.

Thomas R Burgess

St Catherine’s Square

Perth