Can anyone truly say Holyrood been a great success? I can't
The noise about which union Scotland should be in crowds out any real assessment of whether all is well within Scotland itself.
The point of devolution was not to create a rival Government which could do what it liked but to create one with extensive powers over matters within Scotland which directly affect the daily lives of people here.
Read More:
Having a Parliament in Scotland whose job did not include things like energy policy, banking regulation, foreign policy and defence is not a weakness it is a strength. It enables the Parliament to concentrate, from a solely Scottish perspective, on things like health and education as well as dealing with issues which within a British context might not get the focus or priority they deserve such as ferries and roads.
The system for electing the Scottish Parliament was designed to prevent one party gaining control and encourage consensus through a need for co-operation between parties in order to pass legislation.
The Scottish Parliament was given no revising chamber but instead relied on Committees to make sure legislation proposed by the Executive was properly scrutinised and challenged.
You would be hard pushed, whatever your political persuasion and view on Scotland's place in the world, to say the Scottish Parliament has been a great success.
Economic growth, an essential foundation of a successful and cohesive society, has been lower in Scotland than the UK as a whole over the long term. Taxes are higher. Outcomes in health and education are poorer despite more money. Scotland specific issues such as transport links to the islands and the highlands have been - and still are - appallingly managed.
Too long a domination by the SNP has reduced questioning of the Scottish Government's performance. If you don't salute the Saltire you can kiss goodbye to funding from the Scottish Government or a chance to gain a senior position in public life.
Worse, we have turned in on ourselves. Scotland, which has a proud record of contribution to the world, now looks only at its own feet. Shakespeare bad, some second-rate Scottish poet good. Scottish history only. A complete unwillingness to learn anything new about the provision of public services if the source of innovation is England.
There are some specific and intertwined problems.
First, a misunderstanding of what democracy is. What it is not is the belief that if you get 50 per cent plus one on any vote you have a mandate do what you like. In a healthy democracy dissenting voices need to be heard, minority views respected and genuine consensus built. The SNP, especially under Nicola Sturgeon, understood none of those things.
Second, the system itself has not worked as intended.
Low grade people have ended up in our Parliament. Can you name any of your Region's List MSPs? How many outstanding MSP's are there? - one hand will be quite enough for the count.
The parties have far too great a grip. Want to get into Parliament as a List MSP? - better toe the party line or your place in the order will be too low to have any chance. Sitting on a Committee scrutinising misguided and poorly thought through legislation? - better not challenge things as you will be moved further down the List or de-selected and be out on your ear at the next election.
Occasionally there are individual heroes like Andy Wightman whose crucial vote meant the Committee investigating whether Nicola Sturgeon misled Parliament found she had, His reward? - to be hounded out of the Green Party. More recently Fergus Ewing, a delicious thorn in the side of loopy Government ministers and their daft legislation. He has left the SNP and will stand as an independent next time. Whatever your views on the Union vote for him if you can.
Reform is needed to improve the quality of debate and outcome in the Scottish Parliament.
The key problem - but also opportunity - is the hold parties have on their List MSP's. That control needs to be broken and two simple reforms could achieve this.
First, when you cast your List vote for a party in elections for the Scottish Parliament you should then be able to rank the candidates for the party you have chosen in the order you prefer. Voters not parties should determine a candidate's place on the List. That way when voters see a candidate of real calibre they can boost their chances of being elected. This would incentivise parties to put forward capable candidates rather than idiots.
Second, allow List MSP's to sit in Parliament for only one term. At a stroke the party control would be broken and List MSP's could put country before party when necessary. The more rapid turnover of people in the Parliament this would bring about would also be welcome. New people means fresh ideas.
Fixing the problems is not too hard but the first step would be an acknowledgement that the problems are there and they matter.
Guy Stenhouse is a notable figure in the Scottish financial sector. He has held various positions, including being the Managing Director of Noble Grossart, an independent merchant bank based in Edinburgh, until 2017
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
42 minutes ago
- The Guardian
As a visibly physically disabled MP, my view on the welfare bill is clear: we need a reset and fast
In March 2020, when the Conservative government looked like an outlier in appearing to pursue a Covid strategy centring on herd immunity, for the first time in my life I felt raw, hot fear. Thinking of my toddler and what might happen if I caught coronavirus and was treated under the then Nice guidelines 'frailty' score was too much. I sobbed deeply. After 10 years of austerity, I knew then that disabled people would pay an enormous price for the pandemic thanks to the government's handling of it. Disabled people did: almost 60% of Covid-related deaths involved disabled people in that first wave. I vowed then that I would do all I could to use my skills and experiences of 20 years working in disability law and policy to deliver a country that treats disabled people with dignity and respect. Five years later, I am one of the only visibly physically disabled members of parliament. I was proud to be elected last year as the first person to have grown up in my constituency to go on to represent it in parliament for more than a century. I am proud, too, that Labour's manifesto committed to championing the rights of disabled people, and to the principle of working with disabled people to ensure our views and voices are at the heart of all we do. Consequently, since April, I have been engaging relentlessly with government, at the very highest level, to change its proposals as set out in the universal credit and personal independence payment bill. I made it clear from the start I could not support the proposals on personal independence payments (Pip). Pip is an in-work benefit, designed to ensure disabled people can live independently. There are 4 million disabled people in poverty in the UK. As a matter of conscience, I could not support measures that would push 250,000 disabled people, including 50,000 children, into poverty. Nor could I accept proposals that used a points system, under current descriptors, that would exclude eligibility for those who cannot put on their underwear, prosthetic limbs or shoes without support. The concessions now announced are significant, including that all recipients of Pip who currently receive it will continue to do so. I know this will be an enormous relief for many of my nearly 6,000 constituents in receipt of Pip and for disabled people across the country. However, I will continue working, as I have done from the beginning, to look at these concessions carefully against the evidence on the impact upon disabled people, including my constituents, and disabled people's organisations. Fundamentally, I will be looking for further reassurances that the detail will fulfil Labour's manifesto commitments to disabled people. The social model of disability must be central to this – removing barriers to our inclusion in society. Proposals must take a mission-led approach across all five missions to break down barriers to opportunity for disabled people. I hope to see three things from government, embedded in the text of the amendments, if the bill reaches the report stage. First, the review being led by Stephen Timms, the minister for social security and disability, must not be performative. The government must not make the same mistake twice. I strongly recommend bringing in a disabled expert on equality and employment law, such as Prof Anna Lawson at the University of Leeds, to support this work. Second, the government must consult disabled people over the summer to understand the impact of the proposed changes from November 2026 on future claimants. These must mitigate risks of discrimination for those current recipients with similar disabilities and against pushing new disabled claimants into poverty after November 2026. In doing so, it must produce an impact assessment that also reflects the impact of unmet need for future recipients on health and social care services, and clarifies the application of new criteria on those receiving Pip if they get reassessed. Third, growth must mean inclusive growth. In implementing the £1bn employment, health and skills support programme, there needs to be a clear target for closing the disability employment gap. Importantly, there needs to be a commitment to a sector-by-sector strategy on closing this gap and a skills training strategy for the employment support workers enabling disabled people into work. These approaches outperform cuts or sanctions in getting disabled people into sustainable employment. This matters. The Conservatives left us with a pitiful 29% employment gap and 17% pay gap for disabled people. The Labour government has an opportunity to bring in a new era of policymaking for disabled people that takes a laser focus in closing this gap. The disability sector believes that this can be reduced by 14%; generating £17.2bn for the exchequer. We must seize this moment to do things differently and move beyond the damaging rhetoric and disagreements of recent weeks. In line with the prime minister's statement that reform should be implemented with Labour values of fairness, a reset requires a shift of emphasis to enabling disabled people to fulfil their potential. I will continue to engage with government and disabled people's organisations, to fight for a country that treats disabled people with dignity and respect. Marie Tidball is Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on autism and co-chair of the disability parliamentary Labour party Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
I have walked amongst Scotland's largest gulls - they are a menace
They are big too. Very big, probably the biggest in Scotland, and with their size comes with equally large beaks, and that is where the problem lies. Have anything edible about your person at that time of the morning then you really are in trouble. For gulls, like some of us humans, seem to have forgotten all about their traditional diet of healthy fish discarded over the side of a trawler, and now prefer fast food – and more of it the better. And you can see their point in a way. Why would you want a measly fish straight out of the sea, when you can gorge on plump ones wrapped in batter and served with chips. However, it is not a laughing matter really, as there are increasing examples of people getting hurt by the hungry birds up and down the country. Now the problem (again) has been raised at Holyrood with former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross warning that Scots risk losing their lives over the 'growing problem' of 'dominating' gulls if action is not taken to stop them. That is quite the claim but at least had evidence to back it up. In the chamber, Mr Ross spoke of gull horror stories including one woman who fell outside her house as a result of a gull attack, broke her leg, went to hospital and then, upon her return, was attacked again. It is high time that irresponsible campervan users are taxed off the NC500 Alan Simpson: The new £144m electric rail line without enough trains Alan Simpson: Giving CalMac contract is right - now give them better ships Alan Simpson: Scotland's tourism sector needs to be heard before it's too late The debate was led by Mr Ross after he submitted a motion stating that the parliament should note concern around the reported changes to the approach taken for granting licences to control gulls in recent years by NatureScot. He argued that this has led to fewer licences being approved. A total of 2,041 licences were granted in 2023, however this figure fell to 505 in 2024. He told the chamber there is a 'clear conflict' in the Scottish Government body Nature Scot between conserving and preserving bird numbers and controlling the applications to regulate bird numbers. Mr Ross also criticised NatureScot and the Scottish Government for being on the side of seagulls and not humans during a sometimes heated debate at Holyrood. The Former Scottish Conservative leader said: 'Currently they are clearly conflicted between conserving and preserving bird numbers and also being the agency that looks at and deliberates on applications to control birds. 'It is not possible any more for Nature Scot to do those dual roles'. Mr Ross pointed that NatureScot keep a record of bird deaths or injury but not take any record of people injured. He said communities and businesses in his own constituency of Moray, Nairn and Inverness have had significant problems with gulls in recent years, but that many communities across Scotland also experience similar problems. He also said the gulls are causing 'mental health issues' as their constant screeching torments the general public. 'They are a menace,' he emphasised to parliament. Mr Ross said he is not ignoring that people are encouraging gulls by feeding them and he accepted that was 'part of the problem'. Gulls 'dominating areas' are also seeing a reduction of other smaller birds, he argued. Mr Ross called on more 'robust action' from the Scottish Government and NatureScot to protect humans and businesses from 'the menace of dangerous gulls'. It is hard to argue with Mr Ross on this one as we can all probably recall being menaced by seagulls at one point or another in recent times. His point about smaller birds being driven from some areas is also true, as I can vouch from my own garden, which can suddenly become full of gulls, particularly when people put bread out. Of course, this is always well intentioned as it put out for smaller birds who cannot get a look in as everything is hoovered up by the aggressive gulls. I live a good 30-odd miles from the coast too, proving that the problem with gulls is not confined to seaside communities. Residents and businesses in the former fishing port of Nairn on the Moray Firth believe gulls have become a serious problem. Alan Simpson: Build more houses for rural Scots, not tax second home owners Alan Simpson: NatureScot may be threatening a rare mussel it should be protecting Alan Simpson: Forcing landowners to sell to locals is not the best solution We thought the good times would last forever. We were wrong. What next for Aberdeen? A survey by Nairn Business Improvement District (Bid) last year received 85 reports of gull attacks. Manager Lucy Harding told the BBC: 'That was quite worrying. It is an issue I regularly get reports on, of people being attacked for food particularly.' Gulls, like other birds, are protected by law and Scotland's nature body, NatureScot, has strict rules around how they are controlled. A licence is needed for the removal of nests and eggs from the roofs of buildings in areas where gulls are deemed to be a nuisance. But Ms Harding said it was now harder to obtain the necessary paperwork. Nairn Bid has put in place other measures to discourage gulls from nesting in the town, including reflective devices designed to scare birds away from rooftops. Gulls are a coastal species, but they have been drawn into towns and cities due to the plentiful places to build nests, a lack of predators - and lots of opportunities to find food. In their natural habitats - the coast and farmland - the birds eat carrion, seeds, fruits, young birds, eggs, small mammals, insects and fish. NatureScot issued 2,633 nest removal licences across Scotland in 2023, and 1,601 in 2024. It said it understood gulls could sometimes cause problems in towns and cities, but at the same time populations of the birds were facing 'serious declines'. NatureScot said it would continue to issue licenses where gulls were causing a health and safety issue. RSPB Scotland say that people and gulls could coexist if the right action was taken. Numbers of herring gulls, a species people are most likely to encounter in urban areas, have fallen by 48% in Scotland since the 1980s, according to RSPB Scotland. Clearly the answer then is not just mass culling of gulls, but it is fair to say that more robust action needs to be taken before somebody does get seriously hurt. But the answer ultimately lies with all of us and the amount of food that we just casually throw away, which then attracts gulls. We all need to look at our own behaviour and stop blaming the gulls, however menacing they are, for everything. Ultimately, we are the problem and therefore we are the solution too.
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Government at risk of normalising rising homlesssness, says Sinn Féin TD
Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin says the Government are at risk of normalising rising numbers of homelessness. Mr Ó Broin made the comments as it was confirmed that homeless figures have once again risen to record levels, with 15,747 people now in emergency accommodation. Advertisement Of those people, 4,844 children were accessing emergency accommodation during the last week of May. Speaking to , Mr Ó Broin pointed out that the number of homeless people has increased every month under the current Government. "Every month since this Government has been in office, the numbers have increased. "The latest figures for May show increases across every level of homelessness. Adult homelessness, child homelessness, singles, children, families, and pensioners. Advertisement "The constant rise in child homelessness is deeply concerning, and a direct result of Government failure. "The policies they are pursuing are failing, and in particular, they are failing children. What we need is a radical change in direction. Without that, my concern is we will continue to see record highs every month. "They are in denial about the scale of the emergency we are in. They are in denial of how their policies have caused this crisis, and they are spending far too much time blaming everybody else, for an emergency of their making." The Sinn Féin TD says the Government are now at risk of normalising homelessness, and is not taking into account the effect homelessness has on people. Advertisement "I think the Government is at risk of normalising ever rising levels of homelessness, but also the enormous impact of staying in emergency accommodation has on adults, and particularly children. "Every time I hear a Government minister or the Taoiseach say housing the homeless is the number one priority, the problem is you can't keep saying that when month on month, your actions and inactions are leading to an ever greater number of people being homeless. "Ultimately, the solution to this is accelerating the delivery of social and affordable homes, and also the kind of homes in the right place." Mr Ó Broin also voiced his concern over changes to the Rent Pressure Zones which were recently confirmed by the Government. Advertisement New tenancies created from March 1st, 2026 onwards will be set at market value and offer six-year minimum rolling tenancies. At the end of the six-year tenancy, the rent can be reset and 'put back to the market', meaning the first series of rent resets under the reforms will take place in 2032. Mr Ó Broin says he fears rents will increase to a point which people will not be able to afford under the new changes. "One of the big concerns about the Rent Pressure Zones from March next year, when the rules come in, we are going to see over a period of time, rents right across the private rental sector reset to market rents, and that is something renters will not be able to afford. "It is important to remember the reason rent regulations were introduced in the first place in 2016 is because rents in the private rental sector were increasing 20 per cent plus a year. "Families were unable to afford those rents, falling into rental arrears and then emergency accommodation. "The idea that dismantling that is the solution, is utter madness."
