SCOTTISH MEAN TIME

Strictly Confidential: For Dead , Empty Eyes Only.

Brethren.

We have a problem.

A Scot working in the City of London has tonight revealed a devastating flaw in The Cause.

This businessman lives in North Berwick but works in London for an international bank and he has explained a simple truth that threatens the very viability of our Post Bannockburn Nirvana.

Here it is.

At zero degrees of longitude London sits in the perfect place to dominate the world's financial transactions. The Americans, the Chinese et al would give their eye teeth to own this quirk of nature, yet, like nature itself, London's geographical position is immutable. The sun cannot move.

The Asian markets close as the Americans sleep, and whilst the Asians are tucked up in bed, Wall St opens and closes. Meanwhile, London is awake to the opening and closing of both the Asian and the American markets thus allowing traders to work across all three of the world's financial markets at the same time. Billions of pounds, dollars, bunds, bonds, pounds and yen are traded every day through the central hub that is London. No Skintos as yet but give me time.

Imagine the financial sector in New York being forced to go to work at 2am and the Asians at 10pm. It could never happen and it will not change so long as Capitalism remains the prevailing credo of the human race.

It is for this reason that the top traders from all of the world's banks have a base in London bringing in billions of tax revenue to the City of London and hence into the UK's burgeoning public sector.

Without London the UK would be little more than a tourist destination with some dwindling oil reserves. That is why the UK is a G7 and G20 country capable of sustaining it's own currency, protecting it from becoming a Greece, Ireland, Italy or Spain.

Frankfurt have tried and failed to topple London and the world's financial HQ because they have huge problem. Language. It is just too easy for the American banks to set up and work in the home of their native tongue.

Simple, elegant and eminently sustainable for the UK. An absolute nightmare for yours truly.

Why?

Because I, Bravebelly, tell my Legion of the Stupid that I will cut all ties with London and the £ 6bn of annual tax revenues that Scotland receives from London's financial sector just for being part of the UK.

Instead I favour outright ownership of the dwindling, wholly volatile and unpredictable resource of North Sea Oil. Which of the two tax sources would you bet on to protect your future prosperity?  Oil or the City of London.  Christ, even I know which way I'd vote if I wasn't on my own personal Tartan Jihad.

Keep this strictly to yourselves brethren.

The public must never know.

B