Westminster figures out today suggest that total expenditure for Scotland in 1998-99 was £33.1bn, equivalent to 10% of the UK total, which seems fair given on a population basis given Scotland has 10% of the "UK" population.

However, it suggested that Scotland would be 5billion a year SHORT in its budget should it be independent.

These figures excluded both the oil and gas revenue receipts - as usual.

The "UK" Continental shelf oil and gas sales would have raised another 3billion pounds for Scotland last year and considerably more for 2000 and 2001 given the massive increase in crude prices.

SO, in short, the Scots are being screwed by Westminster. Whats more galling is that our supposed expenditure includes our 'share' of UK defence costs , that is money wasted on NATO and Trident.

The Scots have been lied to for so long about how we are not financially viable as an independent country, when it is clear to everyone worldwide we are better off than Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Portugal it's embarassing to say we still vote en masse to be serfs of Westminster.