The most striking feature of this election campaign for me has been how little cross-party debate has focused on Scotland’s economy and its post-Covid prospects. Given that the pandemic has brought much of that economy to a standstill, it’s a curious omission. Where party manifestos do offer prescriptions for economic recovery they are about how arms of the state can reshape whole industries and businesses large and small to deliver greener or more inclusive outcomes. The SNP, already 14 years in power at Holyrood, is promising “a new ten-year strategy for economic transformation” and wants to create a council for economic transformation and a £50 million National Challenge competition for “the project or projects with the greatest potential to transform Scotland”. SponsoredThe Scottish Conservatives, in

Source: The Times April 26, 2021 22:52 UTC