Analysis: Kate Forbes Holyrood step down should worry us all
This morning on the radio a report into widespread sexism and abuse in Scottish politics, first reported in The Herald, was discussed.
Only two hours after talks about this over the airwaves, the Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes announced she will not seek re-election to the Scottish Parliament next year.
These coinciding issues left me frustrated at the direction our politics is heading for.
Engender's recent report, titled 'The Road to Success - Women's Candidate Journey and Way to Advance it', laid bare the enduring challenges faced by women pursuing political office in Scotland.
It warned that without urgent cultural reform within parties, progress toward gender parity could stall—or, even worse, reverse.
When I saw the DFM's post on X this morning, I could not help but be reminded of a stark warning highlighted in the report that experienced, talented and intelligent women will not stay in politics.
Ms Forbes stepping down was a case in point.
READ MORE:
Major report reveals widespread sexism and abuse in politics
Why are women in Scottish politics still facing hurdles?
Holyrood 2026: Fears over female MSP representation
Second only to the First Minister in government, the Deputy First Minister now joins 14 other female SNP MSP leaving her party next year.
This includes an exodus of senior female figures such as former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, finance secretary Shona Robison, transport secretary Fiona Hyslop and veteran MSP Christine Grahame.
Giving her reasons for leaving, Ms Forbes stated in her letter to John Swinney she does not want to miss any more precious time with her family - more than fair rationale from Ms Forbes but a sad truth that she had to choose between politics and time with her family.
It is wrong to reduce a woman to being solely responsible for caring for children and every woman is, of course, unique.
Yet, it is still a reality that women are often the primary care givers.
The Engender report found evidence of widespread bias at all stages against those with caring responsibilities, and a lack of practical support from parties to help manage these.
Talat Yaqoob, one of the main report researchers, told me: "Women should not have to pick one or the other. For politics to be representative of the people of Scotland, those who have caring responsibilities should be enabled and supported to fully take party.
"I have concerns that, despite significant efforts, we will actually see a decrease in the number of women elected in 2026 for a number of reasons, particularly growing levels of hostility and abuse in our politics.'
Other issues flagged in the report include the growing amount of online harassment, 'default male' models favoured by parties, lack of safety measures and everyday sexism and bullying in political parties.
Ms Forbes has already opened up about such issues cropping up in her life and her colleagues'.
At an event in June this year, the deputy First Minister said the destructive nature of social media "cannot be overstated" as she criticised actor Rupert Everett for making 'misogynistic' and 'abhorrent' comments after he described Nicola Sturgeon as a "witch".
During campaigning, she also said people would "automatically" shake the hand of the male activist instead of hers, despite her being the candidate for the area.
Asked about the impact of social media, Ms Forbes had this to say: "It's going to transform and totally change the kind of people that are in politics for a generation."
So with the DFM ruling herself out of frontline politics for now, alongside many senior female colleagues, questions remain over which women, if any, will shape the politics of Scotland's future.
To prevent us careening towards a future where we erase women from frontline politics, there needs to be a "culture and system overhaul", as Ms Yaqoob puts it, on how politics works and who it currently works for.
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The Herald Scotland
31 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Kate Forbes should be chair of Highlands and Islands Enterprise
First though, I should say there is absolutely no reason to doubt the primary reason for her departure. Standing again means another five years as an absentee parent. I have filled that role and know that there is really no way round it. Politics, particularly with serious responsibilities, is not a family-friendly occupation. Read More: Dingwall, for practical purposes, is as distant from Edinburgh as from London. Ms Forbes is surely right to criticise the modesty of creche facilities at Holyrood but the reality is that attentive parenthood and seven, or even six, days a week of heavy political duties do not really mix. A choice has to be made and I respect her for making the one she has. No matter who is taking such a decision, there are always other factors in play. If independence was round any foreseeable corner, would she stay? If the party dynamics were more congenial would it make a difference? These are all hypotheses which can be speculated upon but should not detract from straightforward acceptance of the reason given. Why am I sorry to see her go? There are two principal reasons. First, she is patently head and shoulders above those around her in terms of ability and, heaven knows, Scotland needs people of ability – regardless of party affiliation – to be involved in its devolved affairs, whether in government or opposition. The second runs a little deeper and more personal. There are very few at Holyrood who has any ingrained knowledge of, or care very much about, causes to which I have devoted a disproportionate part of my own political life – the land, the language and the people of our fragile periphery. Ms Forbes was a clear exception. To most of Scotland, never mind the wider world, these are arcane matters. There is no particular reason why Ecclefechan or Easterhouse should concern themselves with crofting or ferries or Gaelic or land reform or fishing or depopulation of places which could, with wiser interventions, be lively, flourishing communities. This is, quite reasonably, reflected in those they elect which in turn means that government as it relates to these complex, minority matters is in the hands of politicians with no particular interest or empathy. This void is eagerly filled by civil servants who share the same lack of qualifications. The result is insipid legislation and decision-making which displays no awareness of a bigger picture. Kate Forbes was very different in these respects and I would have been very pleased to see her elected two years ago as First Minister for the duration of this Parliament. Her competence and the ability to make a difference on matters she personally cares about would have been two welcome breaths of fresh air. The people who now sit around the Bute House table with her thought differently, from Swinney downwards, and rallied to the standard of Humza Yousaf. In other words, they did what they were told. This is the Sturgeon clone-ocracy continuing; cheer-leaders for all the wokery and Greenery that Ms Forbes stood against, from Highly Protected Marine Areas through Deposit Return Scheme to a convicted rapist in a women's prison and the madness that ensued. Much was made of Ms Forbes' religious affiliations as if the Free Church of Scotland was some outlandish cult which ate its young, rather than having its roots in radical resistance to the power and patronage of landlordism. The irony was that those who reviled her were themselves much more cultish and gender politics was their false god until that tide turned. McAllan, Gilruth, Constance and indeed Swinney…. When has any of them demonstrated capacity for an original thought or strain of resistance to whatever orthodoxy was prevailing at the time? In these respects, Ms Forbes was significantly different and she paid a political price. I doubt if she will look back with regret at being out of it. Anyway, I have a suggestion which, as ever, is intended to be helpful. I cannot help noticing that there is currently a vacancy for a chair of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. It is a three day week job based in Inverness. Personally, I would have absolutely no complaint if Ministers cut through the bogus quango appointment system and offered it to Ms Forbes. This would serve three purposes. First, it would give her a role to which her talents are well suited. Second, it would give that agency a strong voice in corridors of power, whoever happens to occupy them. Third, it would signal a return to days when people appointed to these jobs were expected to be free spirits, rather than servants of the Scottish Government. It is 60 years this month since the incoming Labour government fulfilled a manifesto commitment to establish the Highlands and Islands Development Board, HIE's predecessor, with wide-ranging social and economic powers. For decades, one of its qualities was that the people who led it, quite irrespective of party politics, were serious public figures, expected to be thorns in the side of governments. Under the dull, centralising mentality of SNP rule, all that has gone and HIE is, like all the other quangos, required to maintain a low profile on a shrunken budget. I doubt if Ms Forbes would settle for that which is exactly why I would recommend her appointment. I'm sure the incumbent could be persuaded to hang on for another few months. I have no insight into Ms Forbes intentions but suspect she would be happier in a role where she can make a real difference without the encumbrance of party politics. Better still indeed if, this time next year, it is a Labour-led government she can be a thorn in the side of while the remnants of the Sturgeon-Yousaf regimes contemplate five long years of opposition. Brian Wilson is a former Labour Party politician. He was MP for Cunninghame North from 1987 until 2005 and served as a Minister of State from 1997 to 2003.
The Herald Scotland
44 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Moral Minister Kate Forbes will be missed when she leaves politics
Her Christian faith and integrity meant she did not receive a civil or warm reception by many in her party who confused her moral stance with bigotry. Her character came from finding her 'core identity and strength in other ways', which for her meant her Creator. This was the reason she could continue despite hostility, while contributing so much in her constituency work and Deputy First Minister post, while being so well thought of by many. There is dismay felt by many in Scotland, who see the loss of a brave and talented politician of such calibre diminishing the future governing of our country. Irene Munro, Conon Bridge Hamas depravity A SKELETAL Jewish man digging a hole implied to be his own grave under the watchful eyes of his captors – it should be a scene from history, not 2025. Horrifically, it is a video released by the depraved terrorists of Hamas. We should not forget this war started with mass murder and dozens of gang rapes at the Supernova music festival, the slaughter of hundreds of Jewish civilians in their own homes and the abduction of both the living and the dead. The UN's own figures say that over 80% of aid to Gaza is hijacked, mostly by Hamas. At the same time, the terrorists and their Western cheerleaders use the hunger resulting from the war to build support for their atrocious behaviour. Israel is a Western democracy with a wide diversity of opinion, some favouring return of the hostages and others the destruction of Hamas. While Israel isn't perfect it is vastly better than the evil sadists of Hamas and other terrorist groups. Otto Inglis, Fife. Read more Morality gone missing THE idea of ethical investments ('Spotify CEO is bankrolling high-tech military warfare', The Herald, August 3), reminds me of a client who instructed her stockbrokers not to invest in anything relating to armaments. Said stockbroker recommended shares in a company manufacturing underfelt for carpets. Later, it transpired that the underfelt was, to a large extent, sold to the MOD for use in submarines. Is there such a thing as ethical investment? David Miller, Milngavie. Humankind not so kind HOMO SAPIENS, wise human; that's us, apparently. Hard to believe we deserve the name when you look at our world: war in Ukraine, genocide in Gaza, famine in Sudan. And this week it's 80 years since the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ('Nuclear explosion survivors tell their story', The Herald, August 4.) Looking back through history, there's a long list of man-made catastrophes. In my lifetime alone there's been Biafra, Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Along the way, our species has unwisely trashed the environment of the planet. It's hard being optimistic when many of the world's leaders are oblivious to the lessons of the past. But I've always believed there are many more good people than there are bad. It's time their voices were heard, demanding real change in the way we treat each other and our planet. Until then, let's call ourselves what we really are: homo stultus, foolish human. Doug Maughan, Dunblane. Hydrogen storage just a pipe dream THE lead article in a recent edition ('Ministers snub talks that aim to pause green energy push', The Herald, August 6) demonstrate that selecting a Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh was a major mistake for providing a voice for rural Scots. The snub by the Scottish Government to attend talks to pause the Green Energy push, and the failure by the SNP to complete an assessment on ferry resilience, simply demonstrates that Holyrood is just a Parliament in Edinburgh that only serves Scots living in the Forth Valley. In addition, note that the Economic Secretary has yet to provide an estimate for the installation of 25,000MW on hydrogen fuelled gas turbine plants to keep the lights on under dunkelflaute weather conditions. There are also no details over the location of the 500 electrolyser plants or the hydrogen storage vessels. But it should be noted that they must be sited around Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh to minimise the pipe runs between production facilities and the generation plant to ensure minimum leakage of hydrogen. When will the SNP be transparent with rural Scots over the costs and physical impact of the plant on the central belt? Ian Moir, Castle Douglas CalMac have been beset by problems (Image: Image: Archive) Risky business WHAT a joke the Scottish Government's long-awaited Island Business Resilience Fund (IBRF) is turning out to be ('Row over island ferry resilience fund deepens', The Herald, August 6). As your report explained: "To qualify under the criteria used by the Scottish Government, islands had to have suffered more than 15% of service cancellations across three seasons — far above the 7% average across the CalMac network." Will they rely upon CalMac's own reliability figures which are calculated from revised timetables of reduced sailings excluding the vessels taken out of service? After all, how can CalMac achieve a 95% reliability of service when 20% of their over 80 metre length vessels are regularly out of service? The compensation fund of £4.4 million is derisory, it actually works out at £1.5 million per season when it is calculated over three seasons, and how many businesses will still be trading having suffered three season's losses? In reality it is not even enough to paint the windows or buy the door handles for the crew accommodation on one of their new-build behemoths. This illustrates just where the Scottish Government's priorities and attitude to the island communities lie. Peter Wright, West Kilbride.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: Bridge the attainment gap with pipe bands in schools
A reader supports calls for the formation of pipe bands in schools to boost academic performance Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Professor Roderick Paisley (Scotsman, 5 August) is correct in noting the remarkable benefits offered to schools and their communities by forming pipe bands – and, of course, by sourcing serious cash for their continuing development. There are big lessons to be learned from the successes of Preston Lodge High School in East Lothian over the last decade or so, whether in terms of musical or academic performance. What has been achieved through imaginative public/private partnership deserves to be known across Scotland and beyond, as Preston Lodge proves itself to be a school well worthy of the accolade 'comprehensive' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Through the building up of discipline, ability, community and huge good fun the young people of Preston Lodge's bands have proved themselves willing learners to their teachers, giving so much to their fine school while enhancing so very clearly their own life prospects. Research found teenagers at Preston Lodge High who learned a traditional Scottish instrument outperformed their classmates in exams (Pictures: Jeff) If the SNP government is remotely serious about closing Scotland's dismal attainment gap in the short to medium term, it should pack its education boffins onto the Waverley to Prestonpans train and take a ride. This would prove to be a short journey of considerable discovery. Rev Dr Robin Hill, Longniddry, East Lothian Learn lesson On 1 August, five days before the 80th anniversary of America dropping the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima (marked yesterday), in response to an ill-advised tweet by Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, President Trump ordered two ballistic nuclear submarines closer to Russia. A few days earlier the commander of the US Army in Europe, General Christopher Donoghue, boasted that he could 'take down' the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in a shock and awe operation. Then Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator for South Carolina urged Trump to 'kick Putin's ass'. Not to be outdone Zelensky said 'if we don't stand firm Putin will advance further than Ukraine'. The hotline between Moscow and Washington is no longer in use, the Doomsday Clock is 89 seconds to midnight, and the Hiroshima bomb which killed hundreds of thousands is a pin-prick compared with the monstrous nuclear arsenals of Russia and America. We are in danger of sleepwalking into Armageddon. William Loneskie, Lauder, Scottish Borders Holocaust denial Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The egregious situation unfolding in Gaza is endangering global knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust. As a long-time, proactive supporter of the rights of Palestinians to self-determination and as grandmother to two Jewish boys, I fear that Holocaust denial is likely to gather hideous momentum due to the actions of the Israeli government. The asymmetric barrage of death inflicted on Gaza – alongside our present climate of 'fake news' and binary stances invoked by social media – is on course to re-shape our understanding of history in all its diabolic manifestations. Susie Macleod, Ceres, Fife Flawed tax Replacements for the much-derided council tax seem to have been touted forever. A spokesman from the Jimmy Reid Foundation, put it well: 'We've had consultations, commissions and countless commitments, but little has changed.' (Scotsman, 6 August) Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And meanwhile, cash-strapped councils continue to struggle to provide much needed services, not least libraries and education. Taxation based on outdated property bands is clumsy and unfair. The trouble is that no system seems foolproof. My own view is that a tax system based on land valuation is the least flawed option. Land is something we all share, however infinitesimally and releases our taxes from a base in either property or income. We can only hope that after decades of consultations, commissions and countless commitments, everything will have changed, for the better. Ian Petrie, Edinburgh Forbes' exit The valedictory praise heaped on Kate Forbes could not have been greater had politicians and journalists been writing obituaries. Certainly, Ms Forbes is a good communicator and made encouraging noises about Scotland needing to nurture private business, which generates the wealth that the financially incontinent SNP regime spends at will. However, two queries need to be addressed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad First, what did Ms Forbes actually achieve in government, beyond making soothing comments about intent? There is nothing visible to the naked eye. Second, her words that are sensible in comparison with pretty much anything any other SNP politician says were vitiated by her clear attachment to the falsehoods that underpin what passes for SNP policy. As an example, when, a couple of years ago, Ian Blackford revived the SNP lie that HM Treasury would continue to fund pensions in an independent Scotland, Ms Forbes said that she would not presume to disagree with him. Further, she may or may not have agreed with the SNP leadership's espousal of scientifically illiterate 'gender' theory, but we shall probably never know. She managed to absent herself from public discussion of that. Perhaps that is evidence of her political astuteness, but ordinary voters can scarcely find it a credible stance for an allegedly principled politician. Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh New deputy With Kate Forbes out of the picture, John Swinney will need to have someone else for the position of deputy leader ahead of the upcoming Holyrood election. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This person needs to have a solid track record of success. Enter Jenny Gilruth, the Education Secretary? She has decreased the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils, Nicola Sturgeon's dream. In true SNP style, this was only by a rather meagre 0.1 per cent but in SNP circles this qualifies as a huge success. Don't forget all talk of Kate Forbes being leadership material was originally only based upon her short-notice speech when she replaced Derek McKay after his enforced resignation. This sums the SNP up in one word: lightweight. Gerald Edwards, Glasgow Darien II Council chiefs in Edinburgh and Glasgow have no chance of meeting net zero targets by 2030 (Scotsman, 6 August), just as the SNP at Holyrood will fail to meet the 2045 goals. It appears not a single MSP is aware that the cost to decarbonise Scottish homes increased from the Green Party estimate of £31 billion to £130bn once Humza Yousaf dispensed with the services of Patrick Harvie as a minister. That debt is about a cost of over £50,000 for every Scottish household! Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In addition, the total cost of meeting Scottish net zero goals will be around £1 trillion, which indicates Holyrood plans to inflict a Darien Scheme Mk2 on every Scottish taxpayer. Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway Bin day blunder On Sunday night, the UK was under an amber alert due to Storm Floris, with authorities urging the public to avoid unnecessary travel as train services were expected to be disrupted. Yet, come Monday morning – bin collection day – households were faced with a dilemma. With strong winds forecast for the afternoon, many were unsure whether to put their bins out or risk them becoming airborne hazard. Paper waste, collected only once a month, meant most households didn't want to miss the opportunity. Unfortunately, as predicted, the stormy winds arrived and paper bins began tipping over, sending cardboard and paper flying across streets and gardens. While such incidents aren't frequent, they're not unheard of either – especially in a country with decades-old waste collection practices and unpredictable weather. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What's truly surprising is the lack of any clear guidance or contingency plans from the responsible authorities. In an age where weather alerts are timely and accurate, surely it's time for our waste collection services to adapt and communicate better with the public during adverse conditions. Imran M Khan, Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire Sign here In the 2024 general election, I stood as an independent candidate in the new constituency of Dunfermline and Dollar. I secured 323 votes. In good faith, I campaigned for a better Britain. In the event, Labour was gifted a parliamentary majority of 165, a totally demoralised and fragmented opposition, a lame and tame Speaker and considerable public goodwill. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Despite such favourable political circumstances, Labour has squandered a unique opportunity. They promised so much, but have delivered little. Britain is considerably worse off at every level. Labour now stands accused of a massive electoral fraud. They must be brought to book. I owe it to 323 voters in Fife therefor to fully support the Parliamentary Petition to demand a general election now. Inevitably Starmer will remind his MP's that there are good reasons for them to protect him. He will lean on the gullible Speaker and he will brush off any petition of modest numbers. However if the petition reaches one million signatures, even Starmer, with little or no integrity, will have to acknowledge the inevitable. I urge every Scot to sign the petition, without hesitation. Graham Hadley, Dunfermline, Fife Write to The Scotsman
