It was heartening indeed to hear Scotland not only managed to retain its impressive place as second only to London as a destination in the UK for financial services foreign direct investment last year but also bucked a declining trend.

That said, it is difficult to shake the impression that not everyone in Scotland will be delighted at this news.

There seem to be many who would rather it was all going horribly wrong, so they could point their fingers and declare, for political reasons, that Scotland is some kind of basket case and that it is all the SNP’s fault.

If anyone thinks this statement is overdone, they might want to contemplate the horrified glee with which the cost overruns and huge delays on the two ferries which Port Glasgow shipbuilder Ferguson Marine has been building for CalMac have been greeted.

That is not a reference to people on Arran or others actually affected by the knock-on disruption to ferry services which has resulted from these delays – they are perfectly entitled to make their viewpoints known. Rather, it is a reference to those who are not affected directly but seem compelled to carp from the sidelines, at great volume and with spectacular frequency and on occasion pomposity.

The cost overruns and delays on this contract for the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, awarded by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and lamentably complicated by what seemed like an unnecessary requirement for dual-fuel vessels operating on marine diesel and liquefied natural gas, have been far from ideal, to put it mildly.

However, in the political fishbowl that is Scotland, it would be good if the carping were proportionate.

Scotland’s continuing strong performance in financial........

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