Scotland's Tech Sector Needs Government Help—And I Hate Admitting That

Look, I'm the last person who'd normally advocate for government involvement in anything. Small government, hands-off approach, let capitalism and entrepreneurship sort it out—that's my default position. The best thing politicians can usually do for business is get out of the bloody way.

But here's the problem: we don't live in that Scotland. We live in a Scotland where the government has its fingers in absolutely everything—health, education, housing, transport, you name it. The Scottish Government is involved in almost all aspects of daily life whether we like it or not. And in that reality, there will be no significant change in the tech sector without their involvement. That's not ideology, that's just accepting the hand we've been dealt.

So if they're going to meddle anyway, they might as well meddle in a way that actually builds something for once.

What needs to be done?

As London crumbles—overtaxed, over-regulated, eye-wateringly expensive—people and companies are looking to move elsewhere. Scotland should be answering their prayers. Instead, we're standing there with our hands in our pockets whilst Dublin, Amsterdam, and Manchester hoover up the opportunities.

We need massive tax breaks for startups. Not token gestures. Real incentives that make entrepreneurs look at Edinburgh or Glasgow and think "why the hell would I struggle in London when I could build here?" Make it more enticing for VCs to base themselves in Scotland. Right now, trying to raise funding north of the border is like pulling teeth. The money's all concentrated down south or abroad because there's no compelling reason for it to be here.

Here's the radical bit: create a government-backed VC programme. Set aside a few million a year—pocket change in government budget terms—and either create a government VC or back an existing Edinburgh/Glasgow fund properly. Let graduates pitch their ideas. Yes, most will fail. That's how it works. That's an important life lesson, actually. But young grads are absolutely bursting with ideas and motivation. They don't care about the 9-5. This is their passion project. They'll work on it 24/7 because they actually believe in what they're building.

And when a unicorn does appear—and it will, eventually—it puts Scotland on the map. More investment heads this way. More talent stays or returns. The flywheel starts spinning.

A Message for the Government

As a Scot working in tech, I see you doing absolutely fuck all to boost this sector. You should be aiming to make Scotland the San Francisco of Europe. Instead, I can't name a single MSP who talks about tech with any credibility in Holyrood. Who is the spokesperson for Scottish tech? Anyone? Because it feels like no one's even at the wheel.

More importantly, none of the MSPs are tech-savvy. Most struggle to work their iPhones. Most likely need a civil servant to export a PDF for them. We're being governed by dinosaurs who don't understand the industries that will define the next thirty years.

We need tech-savvy people in government, and we need tech put as an absolute priority. Not "we'll get round to it after we've had another consultation." Now.

Where does this leave us? We have exactly two options:

1. Accept that Scotland's economy will be stuck in the 20th century whilst other countries race ahead, that our brightest young people will keep leaving, and that we'll be a nation of call centres and tourism because we couldn't be arsed to compete in the industries that actually matter.

2. Get serious about tech. Invest properly. Create real incentives. Attract talent and capital. Build something that matters.

This isn't some utopian fantasy. Other small countries have done it—Estonia, Singapore, Israel. They had less to work with than we do. They just had politicians with vision and the spine to back it.

I hate that we need government involvement to make this happen. In an ideal world, we wouldn't. But we don't live in that world. We live in a Scotland where government is already everywhere. So use that power to build something instead of just getting in the way.

If you can't find a way to bring yourself to making tech a priority, please don't keep occupying those seats in Holyrood whilst complaining that young people are leaving. That's not governing in good faith. Whatever economic opportunities we could've had, other countries will take them.