HELLE Thorning-Schmidt, the former Prime Minister of Denmark, last month appeared on the Leading version of The Rest is Politics podcast, hosted by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. Ms Thorning-Schmidt belongs to the Socialdemokratiet, in effect the equivalent of our Labour Party (indeed she also happens be married into Labour’s Kinnock dynasty), which makes her commentary and analysis all the more fascinating.

Her appearance lasted an hour or so, and her open, honest, frank style was incredibly refreshing. She spoke like a "normal" person. But two points stayed with me, and I am reflecting on them again this week, in the wake of Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ statement on the public finances.

The first was about the relationship between tax and public services. Ms Thorning-Schmidt was explicit about the basis for Denmark’s social contract; they have amongst the highest taxes in the world and as a result she feels an obligation to provide amongst the best public services in the world.

This will seem obvious to many people, particularly those who are not involved in partisan politics, but in this country our political debate does not reflect such sentiment. We have, in effect, disaggregated the collection of taxation from the delivery of public services by persistently claiming that all of these services are "free".

This perception, of free winter fuel payments, free prescriptions, free university tuition, free bus passes and so on and so on, has proved to be corrosive to our political debate, because it has prevented us from asking........

© Herald Scotland