One of the great things about being an MSP and a Scottish Government Minister is meeting amazing people—selfless individuals and imaginative, high achievers.
Truth be told, there is a downside. I love “can-do” folk, but I can’t tolerate the “why would we want to try that?” brigade. The more of the first category I meet, the greater my frustration with the latter.
This summer has reminded me of the value of entrepreneurialism and the “let’s make this happen” spirit on my doorstep. Once again, I’ve been struck by how many of our best entrepreneurs here in Angus are women.
Listening to Kim Cameron’s plans for the already amazing Gin Bothy and hearing from Jillian McEwan about how her goat-based agri-tourism business has grown has been genuinely uplifting. Their “go for it” approach has already reaped rewards, and I am certain there is more to come.
Some people believe such a can-do attitude is the preserve of the private sector. My experience as a government minister tells me that’s not strictly the case. I meet brilliant leaders of colleges and universities who are responsive to changing circumstances and economic demands. They aim to do better for their students and the country.
I am similarly blown away by the selflessness of people from both the public and private sectors who, having made much of their own lives, want to give something back to the next generation of young folk as mentors in the brilliant Career Ready initiative.
However, I think it is fair to say there are elements of the public sector that are set in their ways. My MSP caseload bears testimony to that. This is all about ethos and culture.
We must acknowledge that people’s expectations of our public services have changed since the pandemic. Some among us do not appreciate the scale of the challenge of delivery, given that services are still grappling with the aftershocks of Covid. But things were less than perfect before Covid, and collectively, we need to raise our game now.
Reality is reality. What genuinely can’t be done, can’t be done. But we need far more often to look at things through the lens of “why can’t we do that?” rather than “why would we want to do that?” That distinction may sound subtle, but it is significant.
If we want to develop our country and our public sector to serve the reasonable expectations of those who depend upon it as best as it possibly can, then we need to become much more “can” than “can’t” do.
