Talk Talk

The much hailed Council of Economic advisers that the First Minister has pledged will have a key role to play in informing the Scottish Government's pledge to raise growth rates north of the Border to those in the UK as a whole. Look at its make up.

John Swinney and Alex Salmond along with the Executive's Head of analytical service, Scottish Government and Special adviser to the First Minister (a 30, an American management consultant) and Andrew Goudie - Chief economic adviser to the Scottish Government (He's been at the Scottish Office aince 1990 and in his current job since 1999). So five out of the eleven at the meeting were part of the Scottish Executive.

Add to them Executive vice-president. the Chairman of Weir Group and Scottish & Southern Energy, Chairman and chief executive of Clyde Blowers. and Sir George Mathewson Chief executive and then chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland (SNP supporter). Then there are a Fellow of St John's College, Oxford, Professor of petroleum economics at the University of Aberdeen, Professor emeritus at Cambridge University and professor-at-large at the Chinese University, Hong Kong and a visiting Professor of Economics at St Andrews University. It's all rounded off by Ireland's Director of IEconomic and Social Research Institute.

Yet more talk talk.