Yet again the other day I was challenged by a Scottish nationalist with a list of resources Scotland possesses that would make us wealthy after separation – oil, gas, wind, water, tidal power. You know the sort of thing.

An added subtext to these lists is not only that these resources will make us wealthy but England won’t be able to do without them (a bonus in nationalist eyes).

The lists are not just the preserve of anonymous online eccentrics. Supposedly heavyweight groups like separatist organisation Business for Scotland punt them too.

Never mind that many of the overlapping lists circulating are at best dodgy. Comprehensive and surgical demolition jobs have been performed on them. …https://scotsnationalistliedestroyer.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-big-meaningless-list-scottish.html

The thing that interests me is how one-sided and partial these lists are. It’s as if the whole economy worked through the possession of natural resources, whether or not they have current or future value.

All you have to do is wait. The wind will blow, the tide rise and fall, the water flow (South) and we’ll reap the benefits.

Even where human intervention is conceded (fishing, whisky, even potato acreage for heaven’s sake) these are not industries that will drive future growth. And boy, would growth be needed given the state of Scotland’s public finances. https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-gers-2019-20/

This is all a fundamental misunderstanding of how economies work. The natural resources Scotland possesses will not drive future prosperity.

Future prosperity will be driven by the application of technology underpinned by human ingenuity and creativity, a highly-educated workforce and an entrepreneurial spirit, all supported by an understanding government.

I see little of these drivers in the actions of our SNP government over the last decade, although they’re good at pouring public money into ailing industries and lame duck companies.

Ailing industries and a list of purported natural resources as long as your arm will not secure our economic future. Something else is needed. Neither lists nor the Scottish government are providing it.