Shooting ourselves in the steel-capped boot

The Scottish Government is missing a trick, according to last night's File on 4. Unlike their Welsh counterpart, they are playing too literally by EU procurement rules and Scottish firms are losing out as a result. Instead of using steel from the Dalziel works in Motherwell for the new Forth Bridge it is coming from Spain and China and that is just one example. Yes, we need to ensure that we get value for the taxpayer's money when putting contracts out to tender but surely, we should also be trying to support our own indigenous businesses. Other EU countries do so by specifying that tenders meet criteria such as providing apprenticeships as well as being competetively priced. The Welsh Assembly has learnt to do likewise, however it seems that Alex Salmond is too big-headed to learn from them. If the SNP are so keen on Europe, why can't they learn how to use EU legislation to best advantage for Scotland instead of giving away Scottish jobs to EU nations and getting sod all in return?