Employment proof is still in the works
The facts are these. The number of people out of work in Scotland fell by 3,000 over the three months to July, according to official statistics, taking the total to 204,000. In the UK, unemployment jumped by 80,000 to 2.51 million – the biggest increase in nearly two years. In Scotland 57,700 jobs were created in the private sector over the past year while 25,200 public sector jobs have disappeared.
Mr Salmond put this success down to his policies of increased capital expenditure, improved access to finance for businesses, and measures to boost consumer confidence and economic security. His claim was disputed by the UK government, but the idea that Westminster policies produce one outcome in Scotland and a different one south of the Border is illogical. We will need many more months of statistics to discover if the SNP has discovered the magic job-creating policy formula. But if they have it, what matters is that it works.