Why bother baking a bigger cake when you can cut it with a sharper knife?

Or something very much like that.  The various trade union websites are a regular source of material, and Unite, and in particular its Scottish wing, has come up with something quite notable:

"Scotland's biggest union kick-starts push for prosperity".

Has Unite seen the light and decided to campaign against restrictive practices and closed shops and to agitate for PPPs and the like?

Let's find out.

"Unite the union will today (Monday 18 April) launch an economic paper at the STUC Annual Congress which aims to kick-start the push for prosperity in Scotland by calling for the establishment of sector forums...Unite believes a new Scottish government has an opportunity to take the lead in the establishment of sector forums throughout the economy which would help to combat inequality and assist in improving workers’ purchasing power.

Hmm, does not sound much like an effort to boost the Scottish economy to me, but rather to institutionalise the power of unions.

Among the reasons Unite touts for sector forums is this spine-chiller:

"Sector forums would allow Scotland to address some of the structural problems of the economy, by bringing together those who know best, to deal with concerns about productivity, competitiveness, learning and skills, and adjustment to change".  (My emphasis).

I think that by that it means union reps, polytechnic lecturers and superannuated Glaswegian pols.  Rather than venture capitalists, say.

Maybe they can start picking winners too - we all now good these folk are at that sort of thing.