Clear leadership is needed after a year we’d all want to forget
Between The Lines David Watt
Few, if any, have ever seen a year like 2016 and I am not that sure we want to see another – the impact of decisions made across the world will bring about changes that none of us can accurately predict.
One certainty is that the fallout from 2016 will need to be managed well if Scotland and the rest of the UK are not to suffer. Leaders will need to stand up and be counted to avoid serious and lasting damage being inflicted on our society.
The Brexit vote revealed several things in the UK – including many significant divides in our communities and very strong antagonistic views on either side of the debate. Politicians must come together to get people to follow them so we do not become a nation ruled by xenophobia and difference instead of one where we work together for the common good.
Regardless of personal political views, people in Scotland must welcome the clear stance articulated by the First Minister in her government’s paper, Scotland’s Place in Europe. This positioning helps businesses plan for the future knowing what the political climate is. We now await some similar document from Westminster – recognising that neither administration is likely to achieve all they aspire to, but clarity of purpose is a helpful guide.
This requires political leadership and statesmanship. In the past year I have called for evidence-based (or at least evidence-informed) policy making and sadly 2016 saw even less of this – with Michael Gove delighting in the fact the public had ignored experts in voting for Brexit.
Another worrying example comes with the president-elect in the US, who apparently doesn’t listen to security briefings and said during the elections that he knows better than his generals. Given Mr Putin flexing his muscles around the world – notably around Britain – we can only hope that Donald Trump starts listening to his experts very soon.
Nearer to home, we also have worrying signs of a failure to recognise good governance when making political statements. Recent examples relate to the railways and to the business support agency review.
The great thing about Scotland is we are so close and we all know what is happening. You can pull people in to work collaboratively to achieve agreed goals quite easily – it just needs confident leadership and thoughtful direction. l David Watt, executive director, Institute of Directors in Scotland