Life or death decisions as politicians weigh up assisted dying vote
There are few decisions Holyrood can take that are bigger than a vote on assisted dying.Whether or not to allow terminally ill adults to seek medical help to end their lives is of fundamental consequence.The vote on Tuesday will also be of note to decision makers at Westminster, where similar proposals for England and Wales are working their way through the UK parliament.MSPs have twice before rejected attempts to change the law, most recently in 2015.The Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, who has developed the current proposal, believes the mood in parliament is now "very, very different".He clearly expects his bill to have more support than previous attempts - but that is not the same as saying that he is sure it has sufficient support to proceed.
That could partly be because he is concerned about the potential impact of recent interventions.First Minister John Swinney has not changed his position over the years.He has consistently voted against assisted dying and it was no surprise when he revealed that he intends to do so again.He said that representations in favour of assisted dying from constituents who have witnessed loved ones suffer terribly at the end of their lives caused him to agonise over his decision.However, he believes that changing the law would unacceptably alter the relationship between doctors and their patients and that it could put pressure on sick and disabled people to end their lives prematurely.Swinney has also been careful to stress that he has reached a personal view, that he is not seeking to influence others, and the Scottish government will remain "neutral".
Having said that, the Scottish government has already advised that it thinks Holyrood would be exceeding its authority by voting for assisted dying because the law on lethal drugs is under Westminster control.McArthur argues that these issues could be overcome if Holyrood votes in favour of assisted dying.Each MSP is free to vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.That does not mean the views of party leaders are unimportant. They could well sway the opinion of undecided MSPs.Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay is understood to be "sceptical" about the current bill.And Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said he will be voting against, while pressing for greater investment in palliative care.The Scottish Green and Scottish Liberal Democrat leaders are expected to support the legislation.
The indications are that the vote on Tuesday could be relatively close. There appears to be a sufficient number of MSPs who have not declared their views to swing the decision either way.Liam McArthur is still having conversations with undecided MSPs in the hope of winning them over.He argues that not changing the law would let down too many Scots who suffer in the final stages of life to a degree that leaves their loved ones "traumatised".Some politicians are trying to weigh up the arguments over the weekend. Others intend to listen to the debate in parliament before making up their minds.If there are more "no" votes than "yes" votes from MSPs on Tuesday the bill will be rejected.If there are more "yes" votes than "no" votes that is not the last word on the issue.
That would amount to approval in principle. The debate would continue with the potential for MSPs to make changes to the bill to ease concerns.There would need to be another vote of the whole Scottish Parliament on any final version of the legislation.The separate bill for England and Wales was backed by MPs in November, but has yet to go to a final vote in the Commons.One MSP described the assisted dying decision in Scotland as an opportunity for Holyrood to be at its best.Whatever the outcome, they hope for a heavyweight debate with powerful arguments on both sides and the careful consideration that sensitive matters of life and death demand.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
23 minutes ago
- STV News
Swinney to chair youth violence summit after stabbings and classroom violence
John Swinney is set to chair a summit on youth violence as he attempts to clamp down on knife crime among young people. The cross-party meeting follows the deaths of two teenagers in Scotland this year from separate stabbings. It also comes as teachers report rising levels of classroom violence and misogynistic behaviour among pupils. Thursday's summit will hear from the justice and education secretaries, ministers for children and for victims, along with cross-party MSPs, youth workers and those delivering violence reduction in Scotland. It follows discussions led by Mr Swinney to hear young people's and families' experiences and ideas on possible solutions, and will focus on education and community engagement with young people and possible strategies preventing them from turning to anti-social behaviour or carrying a weapon. Angela Constance, the Justice Secretary, has admitted that 'more needs to be done' to clamp down on violence. Earlier this month, the Scottish Government pledged that funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit will rise by 7% to £1.217 million, which reversed earlier plans to cut its budget. Despite several high-profile recent murders among teenagers, Police Scotland said that serious assaults by those aged 11 to 18 fell by 27% between 2019/20 and 2024/25, from 428 to 313. Ahead of the meeting, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton called for greater investment in youth work. Mr Cole-Hamilton, who was a youth worker before becoming an MSP, accused the SNP of presiding over the 'quiet death' of youth work. He said: 'For the best part of 20 years, I was a youth worker, helping some of the most disengaged young people get their lives back on track. 'That experience taught me that no child is inherently bad. Most of the time, they are just in need of some direction, a need that has only been fuelled by the isolating impact of lockdown. 'That's where youth work comes in: it provides young people with the direction they need and gives them a positive adult role model who is neither a teacher nor a parent. 'It teaches teenagers to come out of their comfort zone, helps them rebuild their sense of self-worth and fosters a whole host of key life skills. 'Since the pandemic, however, the SNP have presided over the quiet death of youth work. Budgets have been squeezed, services have struggled to survive, just when we need them the most. 'While acts of violence require a strong response, punishing predominantly law-abiding young people cannot be our broader solution. We need youth work to pre-empt and prevent those acts of violence, to properly engage young people in society and lay the foundations for them to succeed in life.' The Scottish Government has been approached for comment. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Swinney promotes ‘rising star' McAllan in cabinet reshuffle
John Swinney has created the largest cabinet since devolution in a 'modest' reshuffle, adding an extra ministerial post to his top team. Màiri McAllan, the MSP for Clydesdale, has returned from maternity leave and been named as the newly created housing secretary, as well as having an extra unofficial responsibility for media interviews. The Scottish cabinet now consists of 12 members with the ministerial team reduced to 11 from 14. Paul McLennan, who had been a junior housing minister, left the government at his own request, it was announced, with McAllan, who had previously been net zero and energy secretary, taking on overall responsibility for the portfolio. With the housing brief promoted to cabinet level, McAllan will be tasked with tackling Scotland's housing emergency as well as passing reforms to ensure homes are more energy efficient — a move that ministers hope can bring down bills while also tackling climate change. Senior SNP sources stressed 'the political significance' of her appointment. McAllan, 32, is highly regarded within the party and seen as a possible leadership contender in future. Some have suggested that Swinney's successor will be one of McAllan, the deputy first minister Kate Forbes and the Westminster leader Stephen Flynn. McAllan's former role as net zero and energy secretary has been filled by the Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin, who has been covering the post during McAllan's maternity leave. However, Swinney's opponents said that the reshuffle was merely 'rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic' and contained the 'same old faces who have failed Scotland for far too long'. There was no cabinet place for Ivan McKee, the public finance minister, who has been overlooked for a second time by Swinney despite his reputation as one of the few well-performing junior ministers. Swinney described the reshuffle as 'modest' and said that the government was focused on four aims: eradicating child poverty, strengthening the economy, making the transition to net zero and improving public services, in particular the NHS. Speaking on the steps of Bute House, the first minister said: 'I've decided to make modest changes to the government because I think it is essential that the government, which is far advanced in delivering its programme of improvement in the lives of the people in Scotland, is concentrated on that delivery, it's vital that we have all the time available to us in this parliamentary term to improve the lives of people in Scotland and that is what the government is going to do.' The Scottish government is hoping to prioritise housebuilding on the back of the announcement of £39 billion for affordable and social homes over ten years by the UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in the spending review on Wednesday. In the wider reshuffle, Maree Todd, the public health minister, has moved to the drugs and alcohol portfolio, replacing Christina McKelvie who died in March. Todd's role as social care minister has been taken by Tom Arthur, the former employment minister. Some within the SNP had been hoping for a more extensive reshuffle to remove, or at least shift, poorly performing ministers, but claimed that Swinney's natural caution and a lack of talent among junior ministers and backbenchers had hampered big changes. One SNP insider described it as a 'missed opportunity' and another nationalist derided it as 'more a wee shuffle than a reshuffle'. Alex Neil, the former health secretary, said it was 'the same old, same old. Nowhere near the changes needed to win next year's election.' The changes follow the party's unexpected loss in last week's Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse by-election to Labour. After the vote Swinney said that the SNP needed a period of 'soul searching' and that the result showed that Scottish voters were no longer prioritising independence. It had been suggested that the first minister would take the opportunity to replace at least one of Shona Robison, the finance secretary, Fiona Hyslop, the transport secretary, and Mairi Gougeon, the rural affairs secretary, who have all announced they will leave the Scottish parliament next year. Rachael Hamilton, the Scottish Conservatives' deputy leader, said: 'Scots will be forgiven for thinking 'is that it'? John Swinney is leading a government that is not only out of ideas, but out of personnel too. 'He's rearranged the deckchairs on the Titanic and ended up with the same old faces who have failed Scotland for far too long.' Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's deputy leader, said: 'The SNP lost the by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse because they failed to listen to the priorities of people who have been badly let down by the government at Holyrood. 'If, after 18 years in power, the best John Swinney has to offer as an answer to the issues facing Scots is to shuffle his cabinet around, then that is simply not good enough.'
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Tax rises needed as £9bn for Scotland is not enough, economists warn
Further tax rises may be needed as more than £9 billion of new cash for Scotland from Rachel Reeves's spending review will do little to solve the nation's fiscal issues, economists have said. The chancellor increased budgets in areas such as health, defence and housing as she laid out spending plans for the next three years in Westminster on Wednesday. That is expected to result in an average of £50.9 billion being allocated annually to Scotland through the Barnett formula over the period, from 2026-29, which Labour described as the largest devolution settlement yet. Many of the big policy announcements had been widely trailed in recent days, including £250 million for HM Naval Base Clyde, the reinstatement of £750 million for a supercomputer at Edinburgh University and financial support for the Acorn carbon capture project in the northeast of Scotland.
