Oil is integral to the economies of the North East and Scotland. It is a disgrace that it has been deserted in its hour of need by both the SNP and the Tories.
The Nationalists were happy to parade the strengths of the North Sea during their doomed separation drive in 2014.
Alex Salmond’s fabled land of milk and honey was built on fanciful predictions about the stability of the industry.
His desire to push Scots into backing independence meant the SNP did not – and still cannot – come to terms with the oil and gas crisis.
But the figures tell the story: according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK Treasury is now expected to receive £4.6 billion in oil revenues between 2017-18 and 2021-22.
To put this in context, prior to the independence referendum, the SNP projected Scottish revenues of up to £11.8 billion in 2017-18 alone.
Yet Nicola Sturgeon cannot admit that the industry is in crisis, because to do so would destroy the already defunct case for separation made in 2014.
That is why the SNP’s actions to help the North Sea have been so pitiful.
The Nationalists’ much-trumpeted Energy Jobs Taskforce could have done so much more for those who have lost their jobs and for those affected in the supply chain.
That Nicola Sturgeon did not even bother to meet with the head of the taskforce for six months at the height of the oil and gas crisis – as the Press and Journal revealed – shows where her priorities really lie.
The work of the taskforce is far from complete, yet it was recently announced that it will now meet quarterly, rather than monthly.
That just doesn’t send the right message, especially when jobs are still being lost, livelihoods remain at risk and the local economy has declined. Rather than blaming everyone else, the SNP need to start reassuring people that they are taking the threat posed to the industry and the wider economy seriously. Opportunities in exploration, opportunities to export Scottish expertise for emerging oil fields abroad and preparing for the opportunities presented by decommissioning.
The chance to secure thousands of jobs in the north east for decades to come is being lost because of the SNP’s obsession with independence.
What the industry really doesn’t need is the additional uncertainty caused by the SNP’s reckless plans for a divisive second independence referendum.
But the Tories also share part of the blame for the mishandling of the crisis.
With the industry crying out for support, successive Tory chancellors have failed to deliver – and a hard Brexit and the ensuing economic uncertainty will only make this situation worse.
That’s why, prior to the March Budget, Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale wrote to the Chancellor urging him to take further action to support the industry. Typically, those appeals went unanswered.
Despite the SNP’s habitual posturing, we are the only party that has set out a comprehensive plan to protect and grow the North Sea oil and gas industry.
A Labour government would invest in the industry, safeguard jobs and prepare properly for decommissioning.
We would channel public investment into strategic pieces of infrastructure – such as pipelines – that are judged to be profitable in the long term. Through this, we would ensure that the North Sea taps are not turned off prematurely.
AThe crisis in the oil and gas industry has been ignored for too long by the SNP and the Tories. With jobs and livelihoods at stake in the North East and across the country, we need a government that will meet this challenge head on, and act to alleviate it.
A vote for Labour on June 8 will deliver a government that will protect the oil and gas industry and fight for jobs in the north east and across Scotland
Jackie Baillie MSP is Scottish Labour’s economy spokesperson
With just a few days left to the snap General Election, Energy Voice has been round the political parties to see what they have in store for energy policies.
All the major political parties were contacted for comment. Here are the ones who responded.