John Swinney has identified regionalisation, energy and Europe as three big policy areas “to get Scotland’s economy moving up the gears”.
In a speech to business leaders he said the regions need to be empowered in order to maximise their potential, though he did not say if this meant emulating the mayoral offices in England.
“Glasgow and Edinburgh in particular, with their distinct strengths and characters, can be powerhouses for economic growth..with the benefits felt nationwide and at all levels of the economy.
“I want to see the energy and talent of these cities, all of our cities, unleashed, because each corner of our country has a depth of potential that is currently untapped.
“Scotland as a whole will only truly flourish when all parts of Scotland are flourishing and so we will empower our cities and regions to make that happen.”
His second push will be “reconnecting with the European Union” following the “mistake” of Brexit and the “economic harm” which had “left Scotland paying a high price”.
He said: “The impact of Brexit is felt in the balance sheet of every business. It is there in the fiscal pressures facing government and in the day-to-day business difficulties people across Scotland experience as they struggle to make ends meet.
“It is a mistake the effects of which we must mitigate, but more than than, a mistake we must reverse.”
He added: “Rejoining the EU should be, indeed must be, a national mission. Anything less leaves us weaker an, in an increasingly uncertain world, dangerously exposed.”
His third priority is realising the full benefit of Scotland’s energy wealth. “An energy policy that works for Scotland would see energy abundance translated into lower energy costs for businesses and households alike,” he said.
“Lower energy costs have the potential to create for Scottish business the same sort of transformational competitive advantage as lower corporation tax has delivered for Ireland. It is an opportunity we must grasp with both hands.
“Choices made here in Scotland have enabled the expansion of low-cost renewable generation. But the full benefit is not yet being fully felt.
“With the right mix of storage and transmission we can become a location of choice for investment in the high-energy industries of the future. And with energy policy for Scotland decided in Scotland, with Scotland’s interests at its core, we can deliver the just transition that was promised to oil and gas workers in the north-east.
“Right now, UK choices are accelerating the demise of oil and gas and hampering the deployment of renewables. What could and should have been a managed transition is becoming increasingly a tragedy for Aberdeen and the north-east.
“None of this is acceptable. None of it is good enough. And if we are serious about Scotland’s economic and social wellbeing we have to change course.
“These are constitutional arguments, yes. They are economic arguments, too. And whether it is Europe or energy, they are issues we can no longer afford to duck or ignore as a country.”
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