The decision of Kate Forbes not to stand at next year’s Holyrood election undoubtedly represents a significant loss for the SNP on the economic and business front.

As a business journalist, it is relatively rare to encounter politicians who can answer questions on economic matters thoughtfully and impressively. This lamentable reality might come as a surprise to many people.

All too often in politics, economic and business matters are covered by soundbites which are at best banal and at worst downright ridiculous. In terms of the latter, we should remember those Conservative politicians who told us all that Brexit was going to be good for the UK economy, while keeping a straight face. You got the impression that some, though surely not all, even believed the utter nonsense they were peddling.

The Tory Brexiters constitute an extreme, but crystal clear, example of just how dismal politicians can be on business and the economy.

What is plain is that too much of the narrative on matters business and economic from politicians, having listened to it over the years and decades, tends to demonstrate either a lack of understanding or a disposition to trot out learned ideologies without thinking about what is being said, or both.

Ms Forbes, in contrast, has understandably won the respect of many people in the business community and others interested in economic issues. And a significant proportion of these individuals will not agree with Ms Forbes’s political outlook, notably her passion for independence.

This relatively broad respect surely speaks volumes about the Deputy First Minister’s abilities when it comes to the economy and business.

While she is not alone in the political sphere in being a serious thinker on the economy, my experience over years and decades from speaking to politicians is this is a far rarer trait than many people might expect. All too often among politicians, coherent arguments around economic........

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