Moore Gets it Wrong Again

One of the things many have been waiting on during the Independence debate has been the business friends of Scottish Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to come up with a sound and reasoned argument as to why they would not invest in Scotland between now and the referendum. That they think that they have found a champion in Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSE) whilst showing an ever developing desperate ability to grasp at straws.  

No matter how this story is reported by the BBC or the increasingly embarrassing Scotsman, SSE at no point said that the timing of the referendum would lead to job losses or have an effect on any future jobs and investment. The company merely pointed out that future investment would have to take into consideration any regulatory and legislative changes to the industry that may take place after independence.

The company is not interested in whether Scotland leaves the union or not, only what it means to its profits.

There is of course no prospect of any changes in the way the industry operates across borders.

The SSE story is not an example of what Michael Moore has been promising. What it is though is a one of the big power companies throwing its weight about and trying to influence democratic government. They have done this successfully at Westminster and probably see no reason why they shouldn’t try it on with Edinburgh.

What should concern SSE though, is that a Government of an independent Scotland might not be as compliant as Westminster when it comes to allowing them to put thousands more people into fuel poverty every year in name of profit. Especially when renewables, such as hydro-electricity, in Scotland might be seen as way of subsidising prices in the south of England.