To paraphrase a famous election campaign, what do the Scottish Liberal Democrats do for a working-class boy from Greenock?

Well, in my case they make him their Economy and Finance spokesperson in the Scottish Parliament.

I’m delighted to be able to speak for us on this portfolio at Holyrood and honoured by the trust I’ve been shown as our newest Lib Dem MSP. I’m also aware there is a lot of hard work to do.

In nearly two decades in power, the SNP have failed to deliver. They have preferred bureaucracy and constitutional bickering over supporting Scottish businesses, particularly Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

As deputy convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit committee, I see what has gone wrong on a weekly basis.

Figures from the Auditor General lay bare the SNP’s economic mismanagement.

While the tax powers of the Scottish Government have brought in an extra £3,367 billion, a startling £2,738 billion has effectively been lost due to policy decisions taken in Scotland, leaving just £629 million available to use. In layman’s terms, just 20p in the pound of additional tax paid due to divergent policies is available to spend.

This has been labelled the “economic performance gap” by the independent Scottish Fiscal Commission and it should worry us all.

The gap is a direct result of Scottish Government decisions and is a creation of the SNP in government. “Pay More, Get Less”, should feature on every SNP leaflet at next year’s election.

As a result of their poor management, we have seen weaker employment and earnings growth in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK in recent years.

Meanwhile, the UK Labour Government is content to impose a tax on jobs, via hiking employers’ National Insurance Contributions (NIC). Labour has chosen to increase employers’ NICs to 15 percent and has lowered the threshold by almost half, from £9,100 to £5,000.

Local businesses in my West of Scotland region have told me this is hurting them. Labour’s jobs tax is forcing difficult decisions on businesses when they are least able to cope. This particularly impacts SMEs, the beating hearts of our struggling high streets.

For this SNP Government the only way they know how to raise money is to raise taxes. Economic growth goes unmentioned.

We need new ideas. For me, the best way to fund excellent public services is to grow the economy. Anyone who understands economics knows how important innovation, creativity, and dynamism are. These values will be at the centre of everything I do to help jump-start our stalled Scottish economy. The heavy industries of former years are being supplanted by the industries of today and tomorrow. Scotland can and should be at the forefront of this new industrial revolution from precision medicine to renewable energy to AI. But that would require a competent government willing and able to grasp that digital thistle.

In my nine years as an MSP, I’ve achieved the work I’m most proud of by collaborating with others across parliament. Doing so will be essential in achieving our goal of a prosperous Scotland within a successful UK. As I’ve said consistently, my door is always open.

Scotland should be encouraging businesses to thrive and providing them with the infrastructure for growth. We should be lessening the burden on business, not growing it, and making Scotland an attractive place for business. Whether through entrepreneurship schemes, supporting high streets, or by embracing new technology like AI, the possibilities are there but nobody in power seems willing.

As still one of the youngest MSPs in Holyrood, I’m concerned about what we have to offer Gen Z and Gen Alpha as a country. These Scots who have only ever known the digital world and the information age. They are educated, technological natives, bristling with skills and ability, and have creativity running through them like a digital watermark.

As our Economy spokesperson, I’m committed to delivering for them.

I know what it is like to grow up in gritty circumstances, where optimism and ambition are scarce. As I take forward the Economy portfolio, I’ll always have that in mind. I’m grateful to the chances I’ve had, and I’m dedicated to offering the same and better to this generation and future generations. The main political parties in Scotland have tried and failed that trust test with the economy. The Lib Dems can be the party of ethical growth, business, rejuvenating our high streets, and a skills revolution.

The welcoming drinks have been drunk, the handshakes had, now it’s time for me to get to work. I’ve had so much support from other Scottish Liberal Democrats, but I want to close by asking for a little more. I’ve got lots of ideas about how to modernise and grow Scotland’s economy, so it works for all of us, and I know you do too.

So, if you’ve got an idea you want to share, please get in touch. My door is open.

* Jamie Greene MSP has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament for West Scotland since 2016. He recently joined the Liberal Democrats and is the spokesperson for Finance and the Economy.