Keep calm and carry on

The Herald and Scotsman Publications newspapers have both been looking to the future and questioning Scotland’s business leaders about their thoughts on the dreaded double dip recession.

Scotland On Sunday quizzed some nineteen business people ranging from David Nish, the Chief Executive at Standard Life, to Leigh Wilson, the Chief Executive at JetLogic private aviation firm. As you might expect, when you ask nineteen people the same questions then you don’t get nineteen identical answers.

However, while the interviewees’ views on the likelihood of a double dip ranged from ‘probably not’ to ‘unavoidable’, the majority of them were confident that they were well equipped to face whatever challenges the economy might throw at them. The prevailing view seems to be one of hardy stoicism: ‘We’ve survived the last recession and, perhaps even because of it, are better placed to deal with any potential new downturn.’

It’s a view which is echoed in a recent report from The Herald. The headline, ‘Company directors: We will survive’, might recall Gloria Gaynor’s finest moment but the sentiment is the same as that expressed in SOS.

In both surveys, there were, of course, lots of different suggestion for what the Westminster and Scottish governments could do to help businesses. Among the most common complaints were the perceived reluctance of banks to lend money and the negative knock-on effects of the planned VAT rise.