Dear Mr. Fantasy

While the US seeks to maintain its pressure on Syria, not all countries are seeking another military involvement. In fact, some countries seldom bother with wars having learned long ago of the cost, both human and financial. Norway is a case in point. When Gordon Brown reigned supreme as Chancellor, his watchword from the word go was prudence. Had he cast his eyes North to Norway, he might have had a better inkling of what prudence means. While he was busy spending our last few reserves of gold and bailing out the unaccountable banking sector, our Norwegian friends must have wondered what on earth was going on. The location of the world's largest sovereign wealth fund is not to be found in the Gulf or in China. To the surprise of many, Norway has a sovereign wealth fund which the experts expect to top 1 trillion dollars by 2020. How? Like Venezuala, Norway is blessed with rich reserves of oil and natural gas. Unlike Venezuala, it has remained prudent in the way it invests the proceeds. In contrast with most of the European mainland, Norway isn't seeking to cut spending. Instead, they are trying to limit spending in the face of a burgeoning wealth surplus. It is a country from which we could learn a great deal. To their credit, they have adopted a long term strategy - something of which the UK could never knowingly be accused. Their aim is to accumulate as much wealth as possible before the golden goose stops laying. As I write, they own about 2% of all UK companies. This has been made possible by a concept which would be unthinkable over here. Successive governments have chosen to continue the same practice of investing their profits prudently with risks kept to a minimum. That is really just a sensible middle way. Here, we have a few years of socialism which takes us near bankruptcy followed by the years where the Tory pantomime villains make cuts to evrything. As is often the case in the UK, we don't seem very well disposed to taking the middle way. Two party politics does little to alleviate this trend. The cost of living is high in Norway but the people are reportedly among the happiest in the world. This is to be expected in a country where social welfare enjoys a high priority. Their health service puts ours to shame as does their emphasis on child care and care of the elderly. Although they are continuing to come to terms with the appalling crimes of Anders Brevik, they conducted the investigation in a characteristically open manner with the proceedings on display for all and sundry. Again, we have much to learn. Even when things go wrong in Norway, they still come out of it shining. Above all else, they have a far clearer set of priorities than the UK. Their new government may well be Conservative in name, but comparisons with our own Conservative party end there. Of course, the only home nation capable of emulating the Norwegian model would be Scotland. In the event of independence, Scotland will always have its North Sea oil and gas. It just might be that such an outcome is not just fantasy. Alex Salmond has often spoken of his admiration for his Scandinavian neighbours so it would come as no surprise if Norway emerged as the role model upon which his new Scotland would be based. That said, a succession of subsequent Scottish leaders would need to stick to such a model like glue if they are to come near to the affluence of Norway. What Norway have done is to keep everything simple. Salmond must seek to do likewise both before and after the referendum. Unlike his fellow Scot Gordon Brown, he must also practice what he preaches and deliver his promises. So goes the mantra in marketing circles, "Under promise and over deliver". That way, disappointment will be kept to a minimum.