Former finance secretary Kate Forbes is amongst a group of SNP MSPs calling on the Scottish Government to “do more” with its powers to develop the country’s economy.
Forbes, who was narrowly defeated by Humza Yousaf in the contest to become SNP leader and First Minister, has co-authored a new paper focusing on the idea of a wellbeing economy.
It has been written with the former business minister Ivan McKee and fellow SNP MSP Michelle Thomson, both of whom backed Forbes in the leadership contest.
The group said they had “recently indicated our intention to spend time considering key policy areas and publishing papers on matters of importance to Scotland”.
The paper was published shortly before Yousaf’s “mini programme for government” – a statement outlining his priorities as First Minister.
The three SNP MSPs argued that a wellbeing economy should deliver “an economy that serves people and the planet”, saying such an approach could be crucial in eradicating poverty and delivering on environmental ambitions.
While they said the traditional UK approach has been “for many years been a laissez-faire approach that believes that government should ‘get out of the way’ of the economy”, the trio said the approach they were advocating was “very different”.
The paper, published online by the Common Weal think tank, said there is “a fundamental place for the role of government and its agencies in driving forward the economy”.
It suggested the government had a role “as a player on the park, part of ‘Team Scotland’, and not sat on the sidelines”.
The trio stated: “None of this takes away from the fact that with full powers over economic levels, immigration, employment law, borrowing and investment, energy, trade and social security - in other words the full powers of Independence - Scotland could do so much more.
“But we can, and should, do more with the powers we currently have.”
The group also insisted that publishing their paper was not part of “some kind of culture war”, as they argued everyone would benefit from tackling poverty and protecting the environment.
They said: “Steering the economy requires clarity on destination alongside an approach built on that understanding of how all parts of the complex mechanism best work together.
“Dogma, of whatever persuasion, is unhelpful - there are, believe it or not, those who see this debate as some kind of culture war - where for one ‘side’ to succeed the other has to lose, and be seen to lose.
“The reality is very different,“ the statement concluded. “Everyone has a vested interest in tackling poverty, protecting the environment and building strong and healthy communities and businesses.”
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