It's not often I agree with Brian Souter, but the Stagecoach boss along hotelier Donald Macdonald and entrepreneur Sir Tom Farmer are heading off to see the First Minister to urge him to do more for the economy.
The three all SNP benefactors apparently believe the executive hasn't done enough to remove the over dependence of Scotland on the public sector over the private; thinking that many of the government's MSPs as well as those at local authority level don't get just how severe the economic deterioration is. There is also concern as borne out by the Lib Dem budget negotiations that Salmond has been failing to invest in public sector building projects and pointing out the £1bn drop since the Nats came to power.
While these three are meeting the First Minister over the economy it appear that the First Minister has not meet the Prime Minister to discuss the economy since April last year. That is over 9 months of economic turmoil but no communication between the two on this issue. So you have to ask what has be discussed in those meetings promised with the PM during FMQs? Surely you would have thought that one of he most pressing issues to discuss would have been the economy: apparently not.
CBI Scotland and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry have both had to tread carefully around an administration that has tended to not take advise on board from outside their circle. So they must be hoping that this "Salmond three" can speak candidly to the First Minister and get the point across and acted upon when business leaders and to an extent opposition politicians have failed to get significant enough movement.
If the three can break through to the Great Ego of Banff, Buchan and Gordon many in the business world would hope it would ease thing as Scotland hurtles towards a recession.
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