Amid competing economic statistics and a warning from experts that the next Scottish Government will face a funding squeeze, Herald writer Brian Taylor deplores the state of political discourse – and argues for a focus on growth. 

Tell me this.  Did you raise a glass at the news that the UK Government registered a record borrowing surplus last month? 

Did a gentle smile crease your features at the thought that the Treasury levied £30.4bn more in January than was required for public service spending? 

I suspect not.  To be clear, sustained debt is a drain on the Exchequer.  But, still, these stats jar somewhat with the overall state of the real economy, as experienced by our citizens. 

Mostly, households are living through a period of disquiet, mild or severe.  They find life a struggle in this, the age of anxiety.  They draw little comfort even from comparatively upbeat figures. 

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And, further, there are those in penury.  Look at the jobless figures.  UK unemployment at its highest rate in nearly five years. 

Within those stats, it should be noted that young people are bearing the brunt as firms are reluctant to hire them, deterred in part by Treasury impositions such as the Employers NI hike and enhanced rights, such as minimum wages. 

UK Ministers are now hinting that they may decelerate plans to increase minimum wages for young employees.  But that is unlikely, in itself, to bolster immediate confidence in the jobs market.

Glance too at the report from the Joseph........

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