With a little more than a week to go until polling day, I have to say that there has been a massive, gaping hole in this election campaign, unfilled by every other party.
And that’s a real absence of a grown-up discussion about how we create jobs and encourage economic growth in Scotland.
SNP, Labour, Lib Dem and Greens are all fighting about how much money they can reach in and take from the pay packets of hard-working Scots.
Not one of these parties is talking about how we can attract the kind of investment we need to ensure we increase jobs and employment across the country.
It is time to focus on policies which will grow the economy, create jobs, and so increase the revenue available for government to spend on schools and hospitals.
Today, I will be in Aberdeenshire to visit a real north-east success story – world-leading oil and gas services firm Ace Winches.
The deck machinery specialists have shown a commitment to training young people locally and have benefited directly from being a part of the United Kingdom. Last year, the firm secured contracts worth £10million after joining the prime minister
on a UK trade delegation in South East Asia.
I am going to hear about what employers like Ace Winches need in what is undoubtedly a very difficult time for our oil and gas industry.
I have said before that there is life remaining in the North Sea – but the industry requires government at both UK and Scottish level to act.
The Chancellor sent a clear signal of confidence in the sector in his Budget, with a package of tax breaks worth £1billion and a commitment to push ahead with the £250million Aberdeen City Region Deal.
This was in addition to previous fiscal measures outlined in the Autumn Statement.
The Scottish Government must also play its part.
I have made it clear that we would freeze business rates to offer a helping hand to businesses during tough times, ahead of a full review.
Companies in Scotland have been milked by the SNP with ever higher business rates – that is the wrong approach and sends the wrong message.
A freeze in rates could help employers hire a new member of staff or take on an apprentice.
Across the whole country, that can have a significant impact, and it will provide confidence to the wealth creators that government is on their side.
The business rates freeze is one of three things we need to happen.
Employers also tell me they need to see a skills revolution in Scotland – that’s why we propose the creation of new Skills Academies to give young people technical training.
And most important of all, we need to keep competitive tax rates so that we do not get a reputation as the highest taxed part of the UK.
The Scottish Conservatives have made our position clear.
We back jobs, skills and growth. Now it’s time for the other parties to stop talking about how much tax they can rip out of pay packets and start talking about how they can grow the Scottish economy.
