Size matters

Occasionally Scotland's politicians tear themselves away from the excitements of social inclusion, affordable housing, ministerial pie consumption and escaping prisoners to spend a few moments considering boring things like the economy. Our glorious leader has made a pronouncement:

JACK McConnell admitted last night that Scotland’s public sector was too big and something needed to be done about it.

But the First Minister insisted that the solution was to increase the size of the private sector, not shrink the public sector.

Oh dear. I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised at this kind of thinking but the truth is that our private sector is so small precisely because the public sector is so big.