"It's Scotland's oil" was a widely publicised political slogan used by the Scottish National Party (SNP) during the 1970s in making their economic case for Scottish independence. It was argued that the discovery of North Sea oil off the coast of Scotland, and the revenue that it created, would not benefit Scotland to any significant degree while Scotland remained part of the United Kingdom.
The SNP campaigned widely in both the February 1974 UK General Election and subsequent October 1974 UK General Election using this slogan. At the February election the SNP gained seven seats in the House of Commons and 22% of the Scottish vote, rising to eleven seats and 30% of the vote in the October election. The idea behind the slogan has proven to be controversial in discussions surrounding the financial viability of an independent Scottish state and still resonates to this day.
An oil drilling rig in the North Sea
A banner by the Radical Independence Campaign at COP26 in 2021
The Scottish National Party is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party. It has governed Scotland since 2007.
Alexander MacEwen, the first leader of the Scottish National Party from 1934 to 1936.
The first SNP administration led by Alex Salmond as First Minister of Scotland, here seated next to Nicola Sturgeon in Bute House
Nicola Sturgeon led the party and served as First Minister for nine years from November 2014 to March 2023.
Sturgeon addresses journalists at Bute House over her plans to hold a referendum in 2023, a proposal that would fail after the Supreme Court ruled the parliament didn't have the power.