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The Question Asked:

Starting in 1901, what sort of changes would be needed for Scotland to gain independence--sufficient so that it had full control of Scotland's resources--no later than by 1974?

Further Questions:

  1. If Scotland does achieve this level of independence, what would sort of nation would it be? Would Scotland become a nation similar to Norway, with the oil revenues invested to create a national fund used to provide all its tremendous state benefits? Would it become something else, such as Europe's Venezuela? (I find the latter hard to imagine, btw.
  2. How would Scotland's independence affect the rest of the UK? In particular, what the loss of most of North Sea oil revenue affect what remained of the UK? Would England, Wales, and all the other bits face economic collapse or would they keep calm and carry on? Is there anyway way for the remaining parts of the UK to beneftit from Scotland's independence? [One thing to consider: While some calculations I have seen state that currently the net money Scotland receive from treasury (transfers less taxes) exceeds the net revenues from the North Sea oil attributable to Scotland's territory, this apparently was not always the case. The North Sea oil revenues have been credited with, among other things, preventing the collapse of UK finances in the mid 1970s.]

As always, facts and figures to bolster your opinions are most appreciated, especially if they are from actual Scots. Unsupported opinions of a sweeping nature are less appreciated.
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