Landowners in Scotland sign lease for spaceport
The new colonial movement: The landowners for a planned commercial spaceport in Sutherland, Scotland, have now signed a 75-year lease with the spaceport developers.
Construction of the project is anticipated to begin next year with the UK Space Agency (UKSA) providing a grant of £2.5million to HIE, as well as funding two launch companies who will use the facility once it is operational.
I highlight the word “UK”, which stands for the United Kingdom, because that word indicates another very big unstated obstacle to this spaceport. The UK as a whole has voted to leave the European Union. The population of Scotland however voted against that exit, and its leaders have indicated that they will not go along with the plans of the new British prime minister, Boris Johnson, to exit, deal or no deal. In fact, they have indicated that they would instead want to leave the United Kingdom in that case.
Should that happen, the future of this spaceport will be threatened. The deals that have made it possible have come from the UK space agency, a entity that Scotland would no longer belong should it leave the United Kingdom.
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The new colonial movement: The landowners for a planned commercial spaceport in Sutherland, Scotland, have now signed a 75-year lease with the spaceport developers.
Construction of the project is anticipated to begin next year with the UK Space Agency (UKSA) providing a grant of £2.5million to HIE, as well as funding two launch companies who will use the facility once it is operational.
I highlight the word “UK”, which stands for the United Kingdom, because that word indicates another very big unstated obstacle to this spaceport. The UK as a whole has voted to leave the European Union. The population of Scotland however voted against that exit, and its leaders have indicated that they will not go along with the plans of the new British prime minister, Boris Johnson, to exit, deal or no deal. In fact, they have indicated that they would instead want to leave the United Kingdom in that case.
Should that happen, the future of this spaceport will be threatened. The deals that have made it possible have come from the UK space agency, a entity that Scotland would no longer belong should it leave the United Kingdom.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
The EU would jump in with funding for this spaceport to help Scotland to leave the UK and rejoin the EU. Just for reasons…
I will be VERY surprised if the Scottish leave the UK…. The oil is running out… Both in quantity and value, they have no independent military forces, they enjoy the benefits of the national health service, the currency is currently accepted UK wide even though it’s not obligatory.. ( the Scottish pound… Printed by the bank of Scotland) .. And without oil revenue, our northern kingdom will be reliant on farming and whisky production.
I don’t have a horse in this race…. I’m a UK citizen but have not lived there for almost 2 decades… But the Scots are not stupid…
Whatever the result of Brexit, they are not going to leave the hand that feeds them so much.
@Lee S
For the benefit of international readers here let me assure you all that these tired British unionist tropes have been debunked endlessly. [sigh]
Lee, your posting is little more than ignorant (or is it malicious?) bile.
Do please educate yourself, I for one have always valued the discourse on this blog.
thankyou
From the archives:
https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2013/03/19/top-10-unionist-myths-debunked-banned-then-re-debunked/
from the team who became the comedic geniues ‘Dateline Scotland’
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2yulVvCkSPFoZMi-zU0M5A/videos
@Lee S
[sigh] These tired British unionist tropes have have been debunked time and time again.
That you are so ignorant, and yet so opinionated and vocal, must be a source of recurring embarrassment to yourself.
“Top 10 Unionist Myths – DEBUNKED – BANNED then RE-DEBUNKED”
https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2013/03/19/top-10-unionist-myths-debunked-banned-then-re-debunked/
Resurrected From the archives, from the team that became the comedy geniuses of ‘Dateline Scotland’ fame. ;-)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2yulVvCkSPFoZMi-zU0M5A/videos
p.s.
One notices that not one of the 60+ countries that escaped from misrule by the British empire are clamouring to come back.
;-)
aLurker: All comments are welcome, as long as they remain civil. You are lurking here right on the edge. Be warned.
From the standpoint of logic and rationality, Lee is right, it makes no sense for the Scots to leave the U.K. for a very uncertain future. That’s especially so if the EU doesn’t welcome them with open arms. As Lee correctly notes, Scotland is a net drain on UK resources and has been for some time. As a territory, in other words, it is a welfare client. The EU already has plenty such in its current ranks and hardly needs another.
That said, politics is not always rational – as our own here in the U.S. clearly demonstrate. To this point, the Scots have always failed to quite nerve themselves up to actually leave the U.K. when given a chance via referendum. Who knows how things might go with a new such referendum?
Doing things that hardly qualify as being in its own best interests has also become something of a thing lately in the EU, the mass importation of hostile jihadis seeking “asylum” being the most notable. Compared to that, taking on the Scots as new welfare clients merely to spite the Brits seems entirely possible.
One hopes good sense prevails all around, but I’m less confident that will prove to be the outcome than I was even a few months ago. Quite a bit of the world has been acting crazy in recent years and there seems no obvious end to this dysfunction in sight.
Apologies Robert.
It was late here.
A more effective approach might have been for me to write an essay addressing each of dozen false hoods and handful of baseless assertions contained in the words from ‘Lee S’
I see ‘Dick Eagleson’ is engaged in the same tactic now.
To argue from false facts does not inform. It is either an act of stupidity, or perhaps an act of propaganda.
Love your blog, Indeed love the broad viewpoints generally in the comments, but please people, we should be above this kind of transparent disinformation.
;-)
aLurker: This is no better. All you do here is call names, saying that those you disagree with are wrong, stupid, or dishonest. Not only is this insulting, it does nothing to further your position. If anything, it completely discredits you, and instills anger and hostility.
To use your words, “A more effective approach might have been for me to write an essay addressing each of dozen false hoods and handful of baseless assertions contained in the words from ‘Lee S’” However, if you did that, you would probably find that though his statements might be easily countered intelligently, with facts, they were not outright “false hoods” or “baseless,” but conclusions based on a somewhat reasonable positions. To discover that, even if you are mostly correct, would be taking a step towards wisdom.
It would also be challenging, and hard. However, it would the behavior of civilized people.
While other blogs like their commenters to take the easy route, I demand better.
Scotland early released the convicted Libyan bomber of Pan Am 103 (270 fatalities) – who according to expert Scottish medical opinion was expected to die within 3 months, but he lived close to 3 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_103#Compassionate_release_and_controversy
And he lived roughly 24 years longer than the passengers of Pan Am 103 and longer than the people who died in Lockerbie Scotland when the wreckage of Pan Am 103 crashed on them.
The released bomber returned to Libya to a heroes welcome at the airport.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj1jKw9xJT8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Release_of_Abdelbaset_al-Megrahi
Why did Scotland release that terrorist?
Well AFTER he was released, BP, British Petroleum, was awarded oil drilling contracts in Libya.
That was a Blood (Pan Am 103) for Oil contracts deal.
I admit that I don’t understand what parts Scotland and the UK played in that shameful deal.
Ah, Political correctness. Which is based in some form of arguable narrow logic and kernal of truth, is a fraudulent and corrupt basis for putting forth a viable argument. It sounds good at some base level but is always when put to the test very usually just a manipulation that muddies the waters. And that muddy water is where the Left among us must operate due to the fraudulent and disrespectful nature of their arguments and quest for unlimited power.
“You don’t love me, so anything that you propose must be bad.”
“But I respect you”. “Isn’t respect a better foundation to base a relationship / civilization on rather than such an emotional foundation that is Love?”
“It does not matter, you still do not “Love” me so anything you propose is evil and I must oppose it. Your entire existence is offensive to me because you do not “Love me”.
“But not “Loving” you as you need to define it is overwhelmingly subjective, disrespectful and oppressive to me. Now what?”.
“Your demand for “LOVE” as you need to define it does not trump respect and being civil? Does it?”
There is only one answer for the Left. If they can legally enslave another to ensure their interpretation of the rights that they are due just because they exist then they will do just that. And they will call that good. They are unable to see or understand any else. The definition of ignorance.
Political correctness an argument that gets very tiring. Sounds like it might be something, but its not, its nothing only dressed up as something. Kind of like an intellectual shiny object.
The Constitution was written by a bunch of “rich, white, slave owning men” and so therefore everything that they thought and did must be destroyed, razed and reformulated by “US” (We, the privileged white Liberals and Leftists, because we really know whats best for everyone). In their world everyone is equally poor, and that is the only solution. A vial conclusion.
Sounds stupid and childish (And it is), but that is the exact formulation that Marxism is based on and the philosophy that is attempting to control the levers of power on the Left in our country. Let us not be naive.
” In their world everyone is equally poor, and that is the only solution. A vial conclusion.”
Everyone is equal, except for them, they are all incredibly wealthy and it is they who push and pull the levers of power. And don’t dare stand in their way while they have these levers of power firmly within their grip. For if you do they will justify your removal from society “By any means necessary”.
And we all know what that means. You thought that Lois Learner was offensive and an abuser of power while at the helm of the IRS unit that she ran? They can do much bigger and better than that.