My heart sank when I read the Scottish Government was establishing a new council to produce a 10-year national strategy to “drive Scotland’s economic transformation” post-Covid and “unleash entrepreneurial potential”. Don’t get me wrong. A renewed focus on how sustainably to grow Scotland’s economy is overdue. I hope the initiative, led by Economy Secretary Kate Forbes, succeeds. It’s refreshing to see membership isn’t drawn exclusively from a list of usual suspects. There’s also a welcome sense of urgency, with conclusions promised by late autumn. It’s just we’ve been here before. Alex Salmond’s Council of Economic Advisers, adorned by global luminaries like Nobelprize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. Precious few tangible achievements can be chalked up to its 14-year existence. And the Higgins Report of barely a year ago, providing recommendations about Scotland’s economic recovery from Covid. The new council is an admission its predecessors failed to deliver.