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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
STEPHEN DAISLEY: Douglas Ross wants to hold the powerful to account. No wonder the Holyrood clown car mob despise him...
For most people, quitting the leadership of the Scottish Conservative party would be a source of relief, if not unbridled joy. An opportunity to focus on constituency duties, improve your work-life balance, and dislodge some of the knives stuck in your back. A chance to be less political and less combative. For Douglas Ross, things haven't gone quite like that. No doubt he cherishes the extra time he's had to spend with his wife and their two boys over the past eight months. But instead of settling into snoozy, slipper-clad semi-retirement on the backbenches, Ross is like a bulldog finally off the leash. He has grown more political and more combative and is visibly frustrated with the Scottish Parliament, its tameness and mediocrity, its culture of failure and inadequacy, its rotten standards and grimy ethics. Ross spends his days brooding from the backbenches, seething at inept and dishonest ministers, and pouring scorn on their every policy and talking point. This got him into trouble at last week's FMQs when John Swinney tried, bizarrely but predictably, to lay the blame for Scotland's energy woes at the feet of Brexit. Ross started heckling him and the First Minister struggled to keep his train of thought. At which point, the Presiding Officer stepped in. Alison Johnstone reprimanded Ross for disregarding the standing orders, the rules which govern the conduct of MSPs. Rule 7.3 says members must always 'conduct themselves in an orderly manner' and that any who don't can be required by the Presiding Officer to remove themselves from the chamber. That's what Johnstone did, ordering Ross out and telling him not to return for the remainder of the day. Although this sanction is infrequently resorted to, it has been clear over the past few weeks that things were heading that way. Ross has become a thorn in the Presiding Officer's side with his repeated crowing at government ministers. So much so that Johnstone speaks with a special syntax. Every sentence contains a subject, an object, and 'Mr Ross!' Ordinarily I'm a stickler for the rules, but watching Ross gather up his things and traipse out on Thursday, I confess to feeling quite a bit of sympathy for him. If MSPs are scandalised by his impatience and his raised voice, they might want to avoid any future contact with the voters. Because Ross's exasperation is mild compared to the roiling contempt the public feels for Holyrood. The parliament is largely insulated from public opinion, shielded by an Iron Dome of advisors, quangos, third-sector outfits and compliant commentators who encircle Holyrood in left-liberal received wisdom and keep out any discordant voices, especially those of the electorate. It's this self-isolation of Scotland's parliament from the people it is supposed to represent that has left so many insiders shocked by the rise of Reform. As someone who forecast that rise a year ago, I can tell you that some otherwise bright, canny political operatives thought I was mad. The remoteness of the liberal elite from the people is hardly a phenomenon limited to Scotland. The American writer Pauline Kael famously declared after the 1972 presidential election: 'I live in a rather special world. I only know one person who voted for Nixon. Where they are I don't know.' Nixon had just won a 49-state landslide. In his post-leadership career, Douglas Ross has dedicated himself to penetrating Holyrood's atmosphere of smug certainty with the concerns and views of ordinary voters. His Right to Addiction Recovery Bill is an obvious example of that. Parliament wrings its hands over the worst drugs death rate in Europe, belated pouring money into support services while at the same time pressing ahead with de facto decriminalisation. Whatever the merits of those approaches, they neglect the importance of giving people a chance to get off drugs altogether. It's an unfashionable notion but one Ross's Bill forces them to confront. That's not the only awkward issue he's hammered the government on. He has interrogated them on the placement of trans-identifying men in women's prisons and the infiltration of gender ideology into the public sector more generally. He's pressed the case of Sandie Peggie, the nurse who is taking NHS Fife to an employment tribunal for allowing trans-identifying men to use the women's changing room. He's taken Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth to task over school violence and for skipping a parliamentary question on attacks against teachers to attend an SNP event in Glenrothes. He has persistently grilled ministers on their failure to keep their promise to complete dualling of the accident-blackspot A96. This is exactly what a backbench MSP ought to be doing: pursuing the government mercilessly on subjects they would rather not talk about. And so what if Ross lets his temper get the better of him sometimes? Many of these issues are emotive and it is only natural that their discussion would be impassioned. If the worst that can be said of Ross is that he fails to respect parliamentary niceties when holding the powerful to account, then I reckon he's doing just fine and, more importantly, I suspect many voters would agree. It underscores just how little scrutiny SNP ministers face that a spot of light heckling would have the delicate little flowers wilting in horror. There is an irony in the SNP making such a fuss over Ross's multiple jobs, telling him to quit one or more and focus instead on his parliamentary responsibilities. After standing down as Tory leader, he has thrown himself into the number one parliamentary responsibility - holding the executive to account - and it turns out they don't like it. Now they have both Russell Findlay and his predecessor turning the screws on their hapless government. When Ross was kicked out of the chamber last Thursday, it was illustrative of the problem - well, one of the problems - with Holyrood. Mouthing off too much when trying to get answers out of the government gets you told to make yourself scarce, but rising from your seat only to pose a softball question or to regurgitate party talking points in a debate is considered the height of parliamentary decorum. There have been six Scottish Parliament elections so far. The seventh will take place next year. The calibre of MSP elected was hardly encouraging in 1999 but it has somehow gotten worse. Every devolutionist should be mortified by the gap between the Holyrood the public were sold and the Holyrood they got. The Scottish Parliament is a national embarrassment. A job creation scheme for party hacks, public sector jobsworths, and multi-lanyarded third sector nuisances. An in-gathering of the useless, the clueless, and the soulless. A clown car that can never seem to get the key in the ignition but still manages to crash into everything in sight. Douglas Ross offends them because he puts in the effort. The man has his flaws but laziness is not one of them. He does the work, tries to get answers, and puts the most powerful people in the country on the spot. You're not supposed to do that in the Scottish Parliament. Most ideological differences at Holyrood are superficial or irrelevant to the real battle, that of political insiders against the voters. That's why Ross doesn't fit it: he fights for the other side.
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Swinney says Presiding Officer ‘always acts impartially' after Ross ejected
First Minister defends Alison Johnstone against accusations of bias following row in Holyrood chamber Sign up to our Politics newsletter 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... John Swinney has backed Holyrood's Presiding Officer after the Scottish Conservatives accused her of bias for kicking their former leader Douglas Ross out of the debating chamber. Mr Swinney said she 'always acts impartially' and upholds the rules of the Scottish Parliament. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad During a fiery session of First Minister's Questions on Thursday, Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone took the rare move of ordering Mr Ross to leave the chamber and barring him for the rest of the day. Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone and Tory MSP Douglas Ross | Getty She said Mr Ross had 'persistently refused' to abide by Holyrood's standing orders, which make clear MSPs should treat each other courteously. Her intervention came as Tory MSPs heckled the First Minister as he clashed with Russell Findlay over the Scottish Government's net zero policies. But the decision to expel Mr Ross angered his Tory colleagues, who said Ms Johnstone was regularly treating them unfairly. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scottish Conservatives said they would be 'seeking discussions to reiterate that the Presiding Officer should not show blatant bias'. Ms Johnstone was elected as a Green MSP, but Holyrood's Presiding Officer is expected to be neutral and incumbents give up their party affiliation when taking on the role. The First Minister was asked about the Conservatives' claims as he visited a distillery near Glasgow on Friday. Impartial 'on all occasions' Mr Swinney said: 'The Presiding Officer has got to make very difficult decisions about the conduct of parliamentary business, and it's important that at all times – and this is what the presiding presiding officer does at all times – is to reflect the rules and the Standing Orders of parliament. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I'm absolutely certain that the Presiding Officer exercises that judgement impartially on all occasions.' Pressed on whether Ms Johnstone is biased in her role, Mr Swinney said: 'The Presiding Officer acts impartially on all occasions, and there is absolutely nothing that anybody could suggest otherwise. 'The Presiding Officer has a difficult job to do to make sure that Parliament operates to the rules that parliament itself has directed. 'And I think it's very clear from the conduct of the Presiding Officer on all occasions that she always acts impartially.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Presiding officer accused of 'blatant bias' after throwing Tory MSP out of debating chamber
Holyrood's Presiding Officer is facing claims of 'blatant bias' after former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross was thrown of out the chamber without a warning. Mr Ross said it was 'absolutely' clear that former Green MSP Alison Johnstone was favouring Nationalist politicians over Unionist ones. It followed a stormy First Minister's Questions in which several Tory MSPs demanded clear answers from John Swinney on his Government's Net Zero policies. Mr Ross, who has been ticked off for heckling on previous occasions, shouted 'Deflection from Swinney again' when Mr Swinney digressed onto Brexit. The part-time football referee was immediately given the red card. 'Mr Ross, you have persistently refused to abide by our standing orders,' Ms Johnstone said. 'I ask you to leave the chamber; you are excluded for the rest of the day.' Mr Ross appeared not to grasp what was happening and had to be asked to leave again. It was the first expulsion of an MSP from the chamber in five years. A Conservative spokesman said: 'The Presiding Officer has shown a consistent pattern to favour certain parties at the expense of others. 'We will be seeking discussions to reiterate that the Presiding Officer should not show blatant bias.' Mr Ross, a Highlands & Islands MSP, later said Ms Johnstone was having a 'controlling effect' on the chamber and there was a constitutional factor involved. He said: 'You've got to look at Alison Johnstone formerly being a Green Party member, saying that she would leave her party allegiances at the door, but taking very different approaches to Nationalist politicians who step out of line compared to Unionist politicians who step out of line.' He cited her letting Mr Swinney call the Tory party 'a disgusting organisation' earlier this month, a phrase Tory leader Russell Findlay was not allowed to repeat, and added: 'Since then she's done nothing to prove to me that she is going to be neutral.' Mr Ross stopped short of demanding an apology, but said Ms Johnstone should 'reflect' and 'regret her immediate kneejerk reaction' and the lack of warning. He said: I'm looking at all the options, but the ball is in the Presiding Officer's court'. A Parliament spokeswoman said: 'The Presiding Officer has warned Mr Ross on repeated occasions recently about his behaviour in the Chamber. 'Due to his persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament, the Member was asked to leave the Chamber.' Mr Swinney's spokesman said the FM did not think Ms Johnstone was biased. Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said Mr Ross had been 'provoking' the PO for weeks, hoping to get thrown out 'in a cynical bid for relevance', adding: 'She was quite right to eject him.'
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Holyrood's ‘Speaker' accused of anti-Unionist bias after throwing out Tories' former leader
The Scottish Parliament's presiding officer has been accused of 'blatant bias' against opponents of independence after she ejected a former leader of the Scottish Tories from the Holyrood chamber. Alison Johnstone ordered Douglas Ross to leave the chamber during First Minister's Questions on Thursday, and banned him for the rest of the day. Speaking outside the chamber, Mr Ross said 'many people' were questioning if the presiding officer, a former MSP for the pro-independence Scottish Greens, was 'truly neutral' following a series of clashes with Tory members. He accused Ms Johnstone of 'taking very different approaches to nationalist politicians who step out of line compared to Unionist politicians who step out of line'. The Scottish Tories also claimed Ms Johnstone had 'shown a consistent pattern to favour certain parties at the expense of others' and demanded talks to deal with the alleged 'bias'. The Scottish Parliament said the presiding officer, whose job is equivalent to that of the Speaker at Westminster, had taken action against Mr Ross as he was a repeat offender and because of his 'persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament'. But Tory insiders alleged Ms Johnstone had reprimanded other Conservatives for conduct that she permitted among MSPs from other parties. This included barracking political opponents from their seats in the chamber. They highlighted how she repeatedly chastised Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, during First Minister's Questions on May 1 for failing to treat John Swinney with 'courtesy and respect'. However, she failed to give the First Minister a reprimand when he accused his Conservative opponent of 'barefaced dishonesty.' Ross shouted at First Minister during Questions Ms Johnstone became a Green MSP for the Lothians region in 2011, but gave up her party affiliation when she was elected presiding officer after the 2021 Holyrood election. During Thursday's First Minister's Questions, Mr Ross could be heard shouting 'deflection' at Mr Swinney as he responded to questions from Mr Findlay about the Scottish Government's net zero targets. Ms Johnstone stopped proceedings and said: 'Mr Ross, you have persistently refused to abide by our standing orders. I ask you to leave the chamber; you are excluded for the rest of the day.' Her decision to immediately expel Mr Ross appeared to surprise him and other MSPs as she had previously dealt with those who shouted from their seats by issuing a warning. After he failed to move, she ordered him out a second time and he left. Ms Johnstone also warned two other Tory MSPs, Douglas Lumsden and Stephen Kerr, about 'shouting from your seat' during the session. Mr Ross said: 'I think Alison Johnstone has to seriously consider her neutral role because at the moment from the outside many people are questioning if she is truly neutral. After what she has just done, I struggled to accept that she has been neutral for all members. 'I think we have got to look at her actions against Conservatives in general, and how she has responded to comments from SNP ministers. For example, the First Minister is apparently allowed to call the Conservatives 'a disgusting party' with no sanction.' A Scottish Tory spokesman said: 'The presiding officer has shown a consistent pattern to favour certain parties at the expense of others. We will be seeking discussions to reiterate that the presiding officer should not show blatant bias.' Mr Kerr said: 'The presiding officer should be a stout defender of the rights of MSPs to hold ministers to account. Instead, we have one who appears more concerned with shielding ministers from scrutiny than standing up for the Parliament.' 'Repeated refusals' to respect rules But a Scottish Parliament spokesman said: 'The presiding officer has warned Mr Ross on repeated occasions recently about his behaviour in the chamber. Due to his persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament, the member was asked to leave the chamber. ' Holyrood insiders said Ms Johnstone had warned Mr Ross about his conduct on April 3 and twice on April 22, when she asked him to 'refrain from shouting from your seat' and challenged him over whether he wanted to leave the chamber. They added that she issued a further warning on May 8. Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said: 'Anyone watching First Minister's Questions will know that for weeks and week Douglas Ross has been provoking the presiding officer in the hope that he would get thrown out, in a cynical bid for relevance. 'The presiding officer was quite right to eject him and my party has full confidence in her impartiality.'
STV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- STV News
Douglas Ross accuses Presiding Officer of bias after expulsion from chamber
Former Tory leader Douglas Ross has accused Holyrood's Presiding Officer of bias after he was expelled from the parliament chamber on Thursday. Ross could be heard shouting from his seat in the chamber after John Swinney raised the impact of Brexit on farmers during FMQs. Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone said Ross had 'persistently refused to abide by standing orders', and he was asked to leave immediately for the rest of the day. Speaking after his expulsion, Ross said he was feeling 'very frustrated' and said the incident had raised 'serious questions' about Johnstone's neutrality. 'I was urging [John Swinney] to answer the question [from Russell Findlay], and then out of no where and without any warning Alison Johnstone decided to eject me from the chamber,' the former Tory leader said. 'For a member to be expelled from the chamber with no warning at all, I think may be unprecedented.' He added: 'I think she has to answer why she will refuse to give some members a warning. Yet we saw later on in the session, I am told, that other members were warned about their behaviour and allowed to remain in the chamber. That does raise serious questions about her neutrality.' It's not the first time Johnstone has admonished Ross for his conduct and behaviour in the Scottish Parliament chamber. In recent weeks, Ross has been warned multiple times by the Presiding Officer to stop heckling his colleagues from the side-lines. However, Ross emphasised that other MSPs – including the First Minister and other Government Ministers – have also been given warnings about shouting from their seats during questions and debates. Immediately after he was asked to leave the chamber, Ross said he asked to meet with Johnstone and with the chief executive to discuss the incident. 'There are genuine questions about where we go from here and how Alison Johnstone is going to treat Conservative members in particular,' Ross said. 'There have been concerns raised outwith this building about how she treats conservative MSPs compared to Government Ministers and Green MSPs, for example. And since this happened at lunchtime, I've had senior members from other parties saying that Alison Johnstone risks losing support within the chamber for her actions.' The Presiding Officer refused to comment on her decision to exclude Ross when approached by journalists as she left the chamber on Thursday. A Scottish Parliament spokesperson said Johnstone has 'warned Mr Ross on repeated occasions recently about his behaviour in the chamber'. They said this occurred most recently on May 21, and also on May 8 – when the Presiding Officer told Ross 'if I hear you once more, you will leave this chamber' – and on both April 22 and April 3. The spokesperson said: 'Due to his persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament, the member was asked to leave the chamber. This suspension is for the remainder of the day.' 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
