England expects every Scot to do their duty

Chris Huhne is back on the bandwagon proclaiming Scotland’s renewable “industry” as “mission critical” to England achieving its global warming targets. Too true.
Of course Scotland is mission critical because scamming the Scots has been a key part of this policy from the beginning; the way Scottish politicians have allowed Scotland to be yet again fleeced on energy policy makes my blood boil. (hence the nationalist rant … even though I’m a unionist, but sometimes nationalists do have a point)
Even before all this nonsense over global warming started, Scotland was already producing something like 8% of our energy from “clean green” hydro (or as others would see it: “another blot on the landscape”). So, when the UK government committed to a  policy of 1% increase in renewables each year from 2000, Scotland should have been able to sit back for eight years watching the English struggle to achieve their own targets, and even have benefitted from all those ugly eyesores that dot the Scottish landscape: we could have “sold” the benefit of hydro to allow England to meet its self-imposed target and raked in millions and millions for Scottish public services even allowing those greens to bask in the glory of doing more than our fair share to salve the conscience of the world.
EEeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (scratching sound of record being hastily changed)
Scots being able to benefit from their own resources. No way Mrs English. At least not until North Sea oil has been pumped dry, the North sea fished out, the Scottish wind resources secured by English companies … then the Scots can have complete control over everything that is left! We the proviso that everything under the ground belongs to the English German Crown, not the people of Scotland!
But just in time to save the English from a devastating reversal of the centuries old policy of always fleecing the Scots along came Scottish devolution and a new set of gullible politicians who wanted to be seen to be doing something (anything) and a highly manipulative wind lobby with a new “look green without raising (direct) taxation” scam.
It was like handing sweeties to children. Devolving “renewables” to Scotland so that these new politicians could be seen to have “real power”. Setting the renewable (indirect) taxation could mean only one thing: showing they really were men and could really show their manhood on the world stage by setting the highest possible levels of renewables. Wow we in Scotland are so impressed!
The English must have been rolling over in laughter. Not since the Scots asked king Edward to be an “independent” arbiter of the Scottish throne has a bunch of Scottish leaders so meekly done the bidding of the English.
Because the truth is that Scotland’s electorate have been paying renewable energy subsidies not only to subsidise the English, but to prevent the English having to despoil their own countryside. All those bird mincers aren’t because we Scots need them, they are because the English need them to meet their targets.
Devolution, should have meant that Scotland was able to set the level of renewables that meant it achieved its 10% obligation which meant 2% wind. Instead, devotional has been used to force the Scots to produce 18% (and rising) of its electricity from renewables and like a bunch of drunk Scots in a curry house ordering vindaloo, our politicians showed their manhood (i.e. thick headedness) by showing they could swallow the lions share of the renewables burden.
So when Huhme says: “If we are to meet our climate change targets, Scotland will be ‘mission critical’. we know what you mean Chris!
For the greenspin read: http://www.greenwisebusiness.co.uk/news/scottish-renewables-mission-critical-says-huhne-2216.aspx
N.B. “England expects that every man will do his duty” was a signal sent by Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson from his flagship HMS Victory  as the Battle of Trafalgar was about to commence on 21 October 1805.
Scot is a phrase common in the records of English  medieval boroughs, applied to householders who were assessed for a tax. From  the Old English word “sceot,” meaning a tax or duty.

Addendum: What should have happened

(when temperatures were still going up and we were still green about the GW “science”)

1. No devolution of renewables. Arguably, as the rest of energy policy is retained in Westminster, then renewable energy should have stayed in Westminster. That way the people really pulling the strings would have been blamed for the policy and not our gullible politicians in Scotland. This is actually the de facto position because Scotland is only free to set a higher than needed target, and not the target that actually meets our renewable obligation (which would include hydro)
2. Real devolution of renewables. Under this scenario, the national target for total renewables would be retained by Westminster and it would be up to Scotland to determine how it achieved this target. So, e.g. we would have chosen to count hydro as a renewable and not have paid a penny out until 2008.
3. Real devolution +. Under this scenario, Scotland could produce more than its fair share of renewables and then receive payment from the English for doing so. In effect a win-win. We receive funding which may more than offset the damage of renewables to areas reliant on tourism. So, e.g. for the first 8 years the English could have benefited from Scottish hydro (but have paid for the benefit) which would have rightly given Scotland the incentive to increase renewables far more than our “share” in order to benefit from the payments from those who do not share our resources.
4. Fleece the Scots and get them to blame their own politicians for a policy devised in England between wind lobbyists and English politicians. (As described above)