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THE head of BP has come to the aid of the UK government and said Scotland shouldn’t run its own affairs.

He’s entitled to his personal views, of course. But it’s what he didn’t say that’s significant.

He did not say that a Yes vote in September would affect BP’s considerable investment plans in the North Sea.

He knows we are not stupid.

One of the biggest blows to the North Sea oil industry in recent years came from the London Treasury in 2011.

Without warning, coalition minister Danny Alexander slapped an enormous tax hike on the industry in the middle of the worst recession in years. It cost jobs.

So much of the uncertainty for Scottish business comes from wondering what Westminster will do next.

You can be sure that a Scottish government – if they controlled taxes – would not be so reckless with the fate of such an important job creator. But back to the BP boss’s comments. There is absolutely no evidence that investment is affected by the prospect of Scottish independence.

In fact, the UK Offshore Operators Association, who represent the industry here, say their members plan to invest £100billion in Scotland’s waters.

They reckon it’s worth that to extract the £1.5TRILLION worth of reserves still left.

And let’s not forget that oil companies ALWAYS follow the money, even if it leads them to the world’s worst trouble spots.

BP invest in Iraq and Libya, for goodness sake.

And one of the major fields of exploration is Angola, a country recovering from decades of war.

It takes a lot more than threats of violence, kidnapping, volcanic eruptions, government corruption, coups, revolutions and earthquakes to stop oil executives making money.

So the suggestion that peaceful little Scotland is any kind of risk is completely absurd.