Honesty may not be good politics but it’s what the people of Scotland need right now

“A politician thinks of the next election, while the statesman thinks of the next generation,” James Freeman Clarke wrote in an 1870 essay with the urgent title Wanted, a Statesman! His words, although gendered, still resonate today.?

Honesty, we tell our children, is the best policy. But not if you’re in politics. The short term need to struggle to the next vote often leads to obfuscation, omission and misdirection. We should be angry, but instead most of us are just numb. It has happened so often we have stopped expecting better of those in power.?

In Scotland, we have emerged from our version of the global pandemic, we continue to experience a cost-of-living crisis and the financial picture for many individuals and businesses is bleak. In government, finances are tight. This is writ large in our crumbling public realm, our NHS waiting lists and our spiralling taxes. Less for more, anyone? ?

GDP per capita in the UK is now a staggering 60 per cent lower than the USA, after what has been a 16-year economic slump. We’ve rarely had honesty. Instead it’s blame someone else, pretend it’s not happening or, in Boris Johnson’s case, a dose of boosterism. Say we are the greatest country in the world and it will make it so. Except it doesn’t.?

In the last few weeks, the Scottish Government has confirmed it will follow the UK government in scrapping universal winter fuel payments for pensions, instead offering this only to those in receipt of pension credit or other means-tested benefits. SNP ministers have also confirmed that ScotRail fares will more than double on some routes after the government axed a pilot scheme scrapping peak-time fares.?

Plans to extend free bus travel for asylum seekers have been cancelled. Meanwhile, after a year of freezes, it appears that council tax rises are on the horizon. On top of this, we have many local authorities already warning that tight budgets could lead to a reduction in services, with closures of leisure and culture venues threatened.?

The temptation is to look back. Blame Brexit. Blame austerity under Cameron and Osborne. Blame constitutional wrangling. Blame Truss. ?

But there’s no way to dress this up. Instead, we must look forward and have an honest conversation with voters because that’s where better decisions for the future will be made. If we don’t, voters will switch off and decisions will made in the dark.?

The Scottish Government’s annual budget sits at ￡59.7 billion. Surely that is worth a proper debate on how it should be spent?

The public understands the current challenges they face personally, and the financial difficulties being shouldered by governments. With that in mind – people know things must change, even if that does mean paying a little bit more or getting a little bit less.?

Being honest with people shows respect. It also shows a government that is willing to have difficult discussions with individuals and businesses. And if things are going to get better these difficult dialogues must happen. It’s how we’ll find the solutions.?

As we approach budget season, our governments at Holyrood and Westminster need to be transparent with the challenges ahead. And they need to outline the options. There should be no political buck passing or trying to win small political arguments. ?

In a time when there has been so much upheaval and strain, it’s time to treat people like adults and by doing so, acknowledge that the future of the country is more important than the next election cycle. I suspect James Freeman Clarke would agree.

Rachel Watson, associate partner, Charlotte Street Partners