Humza Yousaf's £10,200 Scottish independence 'prize' isn't anything like as good as it might sound – Scotsman comment

The supposed pot of gold at the end of the independence rainbow is about as real as the fabled one

Take it from Humza Yousaf, Scottish independence would come with a “huge prize”. According to our First Minister, the typical Scottish household would be a whopping £10,200 a year better off. How could voters possibly say no to that?

The many problems with this headline-grabbing claim lie in the details. It is based on research by the respected Resolution Foundation think tank which suggested that the UK should adopt a new economic strategy that “builds on Britain’s strengths as a services superpower, prioritises public and private investment, [and] expands its great cities”, among other measures. Doing so, the foundation claimed “could help” the UK to close “its £8,300 living standards gap with similar countries including France and Germany”.

In a speech outlining his views on industrial policy in an independent Scotland, Yousaf claimed “the prize for the typical Scottish household would be even greater” – £10,200. However, despite his rhetoric, it should be clear this would not be a prize awarded for independence. To be fair, he did say an independent Scotland would not match the economic performance of other similar independent countries “overnight” but such caveats have a habit of getting lost in the debate, as he surely knows.

Even if the foundation’s analysis and the SNP's extrapolations of it are entirely correct, it would still require considerable work by a competent and committed government for the vision to be turned into a reality. And that work could be done whether or not Scotland was independent.

However, if this is to happen, then Scotland needs a government prepared to think seriously about industrial policy in the here and now, rather than in an imagined future state, and to cooperate with the Westminster government. After all, greater economic prosperity should be an interest they both share. Instead, rather than fixing problems, the nationalists prefer to use them to ‘blame Westminster’.

In the two years until the next Scottish Parliament election, Yousaf and co would be wise to ditch the head-in-the-clouds dreaming and focus on delivering good government. But alas, we fear, this more tangible 'prize’ will remain frustratingly out of reach until there is a change of leadership.