In Scotland, very little economic scrutiny takes place and so poor policy continues to bumble along.
"There was inadequate debate within Scotland over the transfer of tax powers in the first place and this has been compounded by the ‘nothing to see here’ attitude towards the growing hole in our finances that has emerged over time.
If you think none of this matters then the lack of over £1 billion of additional public funding from higher taxes shows that it does.
Politics is about much more than simply political parties and, at present, that broader field is where the UK system still bests the Scottish one. Clearly there is the potential for the Scottish political system to improve on the UK one, which has obvious failings. However, that doesn’t happen by just having different policies in place, those policies need to work.
Where Scotland differs the most is in its lack of engagement on economic issues. If this continues then the £1.5 billion shortfall will continue to grow and taxes will continue to rise to compensate. Surely no-one wants this but then why does no one take it seriously?"