Meeting of the Parliament 09 January 2025
This debate is another opportunity for the Scottish Government to concede what is now abundantly clear—that it has repeatedly failed Scottish businesses and hard-working people up and down the country, and that it has failed to make Scotland a globally recognised destination to attract inbound global talent. The SNP repeatedly spends vast amounts of money on pet projects, on pointless Government documents that nobody reads and on ferries that do not sail—certainly not with paying customers or toilets that flush.
It is important for the Government to remember that that does not all happen under the radar. People notice its recklessness and financial incompetence. They notice, too, that our education system, NHS, housing, public spaces, policing and infrastructure have all got worse under the SNP Government. They notice that our economy lacks dynamism and that the country does not feel as though it is on the up, because one of the few things that is presently on the up here is tax. That is a bitter pill to swallow for people who already live in Scotland; it is also a difficult combination to sell to those who might choose to live and work here. The SNP’s financial recklessness and its poor management of public services, combined with the highest tax burden anywhere in the UK, make Scotland an unattractive place for global talent, which can move anywhere, and often does so rapidly.