I am delighted to be here this afternoon.

I want to start by admitting that I feel somewhat out of my depth already.

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Good morning.  

We are meeting this morning in the Kelvin Library - named in memory of Lord Kelvin - or William Thomson as he then was, who along with William Rankine - a little over a century ago turned this institution into Britain’s leading centre for applied science and engineering.  

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Can I first thank the Principal for inviting me today. When I was preparing for this afternoon I was acutely aware it was Friday afternoon and there are two important things about Friday afternoons in May.

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Scots have always enjoyed debating the fortunes of the nation.  

Yet too often that debate has rarely reached beyond our own shores.  

Better understanding the Irish story matters.  

Interestingly the Irish economy is now forecast to grow more slowly than Scotland this year - but over the last decade she experienced an exciting economic take-off.   

Given recent Irish successes it is not surprising that many commentators have sought an Irish magic bullet: none exists.  

The Irish did what was right for their time and circumstances and Scotland must do the same.  

To “do an Ireland” will mean having our own strategy and “doing a Scotland”. 

Our different histories matter.  

Until the 1990s Ireland had the least impressive economic performance in Western Europe in the twentieth century.  

Ireland in the 1990s was catching up with a take-off that had long since happened in other northern European nations.  

The Celtic Tiger phenomenon was essentially a late take-off.  

Scotland with our earlier record of economic success should be more of a turnaround story.

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Chasing the Tartan Tiger - Lessons from a Celtic Cousin?

Click on the link below:

http://www.smith-institute.org.uk/publications/tartan-tiger.htm