I BECAME an MSP because I am an internationalist, someone who has worked at the sharp end of businesses across the globe. I’ve seen economies boom and bust, and witnessed the decisions of policymakers as they impact on people’s lives.
Because of this, and my work supporting [Keith Brown], cabinet secretary for the economy, I know just how lucky we are to live in one of the world’s most prosperous countries – in the top 20 OECD nations for income per head – and I recognise the responsibility we have as politicians to protect this.
Scotland is lucky to have an expanding food and drink sector and a globally recognised tourism industry. We’re lucky to have seen R&D investment up 41 per cent in real terms over the last nine years.
We’re lucky to have world-class universities and gold standard research, and even a blossoming space industry. We’re lucky to have lower unemployment and higher productivity growth than the rest of the UK.
But these things have not happened by chance; they have happened because the SNP Government has worked hard to ensure that Scotland’s place in the world is an outward-looking, international one, and has ensured that the fundamental drivers of growth have been strong over the last decade.
As they say in business, you make your own luck. Growing Scotland’s business base has been a key priority, cutting rates for small businesses and growing productivity at four times the rate of the UK. We’ve worked hard to make Scotland an attractive place to do business, hitting record foreign direct investment this year.
In the latest unemployment statistics, published this week, Scotland is leading the way once again. Unemployment is down to a record beating four per cent, and the youth unemployment rate is almost three percentage points lower than that of the UK.
But there is no denying that there are challenging times ahead. The biggest threat to our economy right now is Brexit, and the Scottish Government is right to keep all options on the table to protect our economy from the decision of this Tory Government to leave the European single market.
Since then, inflation has risen, wages have been squeezed and businesses are losing confidence. The pound fell again this week as the Prime Minister formed her coalition of chaos with the DUP.
The SNP Government is focused on the day job but we are at the start of a rocky ride. At some point reality will intervene and the illusion of fortress UK, isolating itself from our European neighbours, will be revealed as the economic idiocy it truly is.
In the meantime, the Scottish Government is focused on doing what it can, with the limited powers it has, to protect and build Scotland’s economy, and to make the case for Scotland’s future as a European trading nation that understands the benefits of membership of the single market, which is critical to the future success and prosperity of this country.
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We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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