The SNP's bone-headed leadership contenders have no idea how to fix Scotland's broken economy

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

59% : With taxes rising so steeply in England, it would be very easy for Scotland to carve out a space for itself as the pro-business, pro-wealth creation alternative.
50% : As finance minister, she presided over rises in the top rate of tax to take it significantly above the English rate for the first time and oversaw a budget deficit that at its pandemic peak reached an eye-watering 22pc of GDP, which is only sustainable because of subsidies from the rest of the UK.
48% : With Westminster pushing taxes up to eye-watering levels, there is a huge opening for the administration north of the border to cut taxes, a move that would turbo-charge growth and, paradoxically, hugely strengthen the case for independence.
47% : Just imagine the impact if Edinburgh had decided not to match Jeremy Hunt's reduction in the threshold for the top-rate of tax, while using its powers to charge high-earners just 43pc of their income.
34% : Put up taxes again.
34% : Even the supposedly "moderate", fresh-faced Kate Forbes pushed up taxes as finance minister while running up a budget deficit so huge even the Greeks in their heyday would have been embarrassed by it.
33% : The proposals put forward are unfortunately all too familiar: Put up taxes.

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