Leej said:
The Scotish independance movement is only gaining speed because the Scotish government is working out so much more efficient then the British one. If the British system could have a bit of repair work done to it then the wish for independance would drop off.
I presume you've spent the last 10 years living on the far side of the planet Pluto with your fingers wedged into your ears.
The SNP have constantly been losing ground since their dizzying highs in the late 80's and 90's. The Scots aren't stupid. They vote Labour nationally and SNP locally to get the best deal for Scotland as it works out that way. Core support for SNP policies has been declining since the Scots got their Parliament.
And the Scottish Parliament is only working because Westminster is subsidising it. If it stood independent, it would be as effectual as the Welsh Assembly at best.
My rant over.
Now to answer the questions:
1. Scotland would continue to rely on BP and Shell to develop the North Sea oil fields. But without general English/Welsh support in Brussels, the Scots might be forced into sharing the oil more with Europe in return for subsidies. In 1973 when the UK was admitted into the EEC, there was great hope that the British could flood the Common Market with millions of gallons of cheap petrol. Prudently, Governments have kept tight control over North Sea oil saying that it's not up for discussion - ever. In all likelihood the Scots would be allowed to keep all the UK claims to North Sea oil in return for cheap sales for the next 25-30 years. Unless the Scots really developed Wind and Tidal energy in the interim, the period after that date would see Scotland having something of an energy crisis.
2. Estimates vary between 25 and 50 years. There is a lot of natural gas out there but it's harder to tap. Unless there are some richer finds out there.
3. For Scotland to cede from the UK we have to see a Government that treats the Scots really badly. I don't think there's enough of a movement for peaceful seccession that a referendum could deliver on. North Sea Oil and the potential revenues rekindled the independence movement but it never really materialised as an overwhelming threat and is receding into the background.