Norway

2005 marked 100 years of Norwegian Independence. Norway declared Independence after its union with Sweden was peacefully dissolved in 1905. With a population of only 4.5 million people,
Norway and Scotland are similarly sized nations. Like Scotland, Norway is lucky enough to have an abundance of North Sea oil. Oil was discovered in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea in the late 1960s, and extraction started in the 1970s. However, there are marked differences between our two countries.

While Scotland’s oil wealth has been squandered by successive UK governments, Norway has invested its oil revenues in building a nation with the highest standard of living in the world. Most of Norway’s oil wealth goes straight into a Petroleum Fund, established in 1995, to benefit future generations. This fund is now worth almost £100billion.

The UN has ranked Norway as the nation with the best quality of life in the world. On measures such as wealth, educational levels and life expectancy, Norway’s success far outstrips that of Scotland. Norway demonstrates what Scotland could achieve for its citizens with the full powers of Independence.

Norway may be a small nation, but it uses its place in the international arena to work for peace and reconciliation. In the past, Norway has mediated between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, and the Sri Lankan Government and Tamil separatists. In terms of proportion of national income, Norway is also the world’s biggest giver of international aid.

Independence has enabled Norway to deliver a better quality of life for the Norwegian people and also to do more to help the world's poorest nations. With Independence Scotland could do the same.