There is a lack of critical scrutiny of key policy areas in the Scottish Government's control.
With regards to the lack of interest economic matters, there have been knock on effects on the Scottish Government’s finances. Taking on income tax powers – linked to the success of the Scottish economy – has effectively deprived it of £500 million (or, equivalently, resulted in a rise in taxes to compensate). This situation might have been avoided if the desire to simply enhance powers had not trumped all other considerations.
On education, the schools system is widely seen as under performing, witness its relative decline using the OECD’s PISA survey results. The potential perils of the new ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ were well documented prior to its implementation but largely ignored. Talk of ‘following the science’ on the new system was disingenuous. You can pay lip service to good practice, OECD or otherwise, but it is the ‘on the ground’ changes that will determine the success of the system. Quality of teachers and clarity of purpose should have been key objectives. Such naivety over what would emerge from such an ill-judged policy is a classic example of what happens when rhetoric and prejudice reign over objective investigation.
On health, Scotland’s life expectancy continues to lag that of all other western European countries, including all of the constituent UK nations. In over twenty years we have failed to see anything byway of catch up in this, admittedly crude but vital, measure. While the NHS has more to do with treatment than prevention, and so its link to a low life expectancy is not the strongest, nevertheless the lack of analysis of Scottish healthsystems in general cannot help in wider efforts to improve lifestyles and longevity.