Latest news with #PamDuncan-Glancy
Daily Record
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Cambuslang primary school enjoys visits from Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP
The Glasdow region representative was there for Learning at Work Week. Youngsters at James Aiton Primary School in Cambuslang enjoyed a visit from an MSP. Pam Duncan-Glancy, who represents Glasgow region, was there to talk about her role in Holyrood. As they are currently learning about parliament and elections, the pupils were keen to find out more about day-to-day politics, decision making and what happens behind the scenes as an MSP. On Learning at Work Week, Duncan-Glancy was quizzed on numerous aspects of her role by children who themselves taught her numerous things during her visit. The MSP noted that Learning at Work Week is a great opportunity to talk to pupils about career-related learning and to reflect on the importance of lifelong learning and personal development in the workplace. Commenting after the visit, Duncan-Glancy said: 'It was a pleasure to visit James Aiton Primary School this morning. 'It's great to see pupils so engaged as they learn about parliament and elections. 'I was certainly reminded that every day is a school day, with some great questions from the young people'.
Daily Record
18-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Disabled MSP 'regularly' told by strangers they'd rather be dead than live like her
SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: Pam Duncan-Glancy spoke about her experiences after MSPs voted in favour of Assisted Dying legislation. MSPs took a step closer to legalising assisted death in Scotland last week as a vote passed its first stage in Holyrood. For some campaigners the win has been hailed as a huge victory and the first step toward making the proposals a reality. Liam McArthur, the Liberal Democrat MSP who drafted the bill, said it was a 'landmark moment for Scotland' which could give terminally ill people a 'compassionate choice' to end their lives with medical assistance. Others say that such legislation could be the start of a slippery slope, arguing it devalues the lives of disabled people and those with chronic conditions and have raised concerns that people could be coerced into ending their lives prematurely. While at this first stage 70 MSPs voted in support of the plans, 55 voted against. It will now have to pass two more stages before it can become law in Scotland. Similar plans for England are in the process of going through Westminster with MPs debating dozens of amendments to Labour MP Kim Leadbetter's legislation for hours on Friday, eventually running out of time. In Holyrood parliamentarians gave similarly emotive speeches about why they felt so strongly in favour of, or against, allowing assisted dying in Scotland. Among them were Pam Duncan-Glancy, Labour MSP for Glasgow and George Adam, SNP MSP for Paisley who are both on opposite sides of the debate. Pam Duncan-Glancy Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy made history in May 2021 when she became the first wheelchair user to be elected to Holyrood. Her journey to get there wasn't easy. On the night of her election victory she faced a 45-minute rigmarole to get into the Glasgow counting facility with staff questioning her presence and disbelieving she was Labour's parliamentary candidate. Despite struggles, Duncan-Glancy said she values what life has to offer and is afraid that the Assisted Dying legislation could devalue the lives of disabled people. The MSP was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis at just 18 months old - a condition that has caused her joints to fuse and has seen her use a wheelchair since the age of five. Having such a visible disability has attracted comments which she said highlighted a perception of disabled lives being in some way lesser than those of non- disabled people's. She said: 'We get it on a daily basis, but I don't think society quite sees it - it's just bubbling under the surface. People do live like we do - in pain, suffering, in intolerable circumstances. But despite all of that, with support and family around us, we have good lives. 'I have had strangers come up to me and say 'You're such an inspiration. I just couldn't live like you. I couldn't live if I had to put up with all that. I couldn't be here anymore.' 'Their intention is always kind but there is the perception that I must have such a terrible life. 'The man who gave me my very first job was paralysed from the neck down. He drove a Mercedes van, worked all across the world and was a leading professional in his field.' The 43-year-old said that she fears that disabled people could feel pressure to end their lives prematurely if assisted dying was legalised in Scotland. She said: 'There's overt coercion, where a family member or someone could benefit from a person's death and that's probably the easiest to detect. 'There's also covert coercion. For some people they might think they are a burden. Their family is burnt out having to care for them, they are being pushed to the absolute limit. Nobody is saying they want them to die but they know them being there is making life difficult for their family. You can see in a situation where families are on the brink and the person relying on them feels terrible. How are you supposed to detect or identify that? How on earth is a GP picking that up in seven minutes, if you can get your GP in the first place?' Duncan-Glancy said she understands the emotional reaction from those in support of the legislation but believes 'no amount of amendments' would make the doubts she has about it disappear. George Adam SNP MSP George Adam said he and his wife Stacey have become the 'Posh and Becks' of Holyrood since his emotive speech on his support for the Assisted Dying Bill last week, with journalists and campaigners eager to speak to them in parliament. The couple have been married for 28 years and said they have always been in support of people having the choice to end their lives if they are facing a painful death but until recently haven't had much opportunity to publicly discuss it. Stacey, 52, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at the age of 16. Her condition, caused by lesions on the brain and which causes muscle weakness and mobility problems, means she relies on a wheelchair to get around. Stacey's diagnosis would not on its own make her eligible for an assisted death but due to her reduced immune system it could lead to secondary infections or conditions that would enable her to have medical assistance to end her life. Adams said he was supportive of the bill as he wanted people like Stacey the ability to choose how their lives end, if they were eligible, and said it was 'not about disability rights'. The 55-year-old MSP said: 'I see all these people discussing disability rights. 'That's not what this bill's about. I'm quite happy to join with them and campaign after this is done because I agree disabled people are a minority group that are not getting the rights they should be getting 'But this bill is not about that. Being a disabled person does not mean you are eligible. The criteria would be for a terminal illness which is not the same.' Stacey said: 'Disabled people are not terminal. Saying that this is coming after disabled people is just not true and it's scaremongering actually. 'Since I was young my family have always talked about death and dying, and I've always felt supportive of assisted dying.' Stacey said her mum stopped taking her medication at the end of her life, despite being an experienced nurse and knowing the importance of it. She was taken into hospital but died shortly afterwards. It is this situation the couple say is what they want to avoid people resorting to in future. Adams, 55, said: 'By the time she was in hospital her organs were swimming in fluid. She was effectively drowning. 'We still don't know exactly what was wrong, the doctor said she was not a well woman. 'With hindsight, we think she knew from her experience as a health professional that something was not right which is why she stopped her medication.' The Assisted Dying bill will now be scrutinised by a committee of MSPs and amendments made before any final vote takes place. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Scottish Sun
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Weapons seized from Scots school pupils EVERY DAY shock figures show
The data reveals a situation more than twice as bad as that laid out by Justice Secretary Angela Constance last month EVERY DAY'S A TOOL DAY Weapons seized from Scots school pupils EVERY DAY shock figures show Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WEAPONS are being seized every day in schools across Scotland, shocking police figures reveal. A record 248 'tools' such as knives were confiscated in 2024 — equating to at least one a day across the 190-day term. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Weapons are being seized every day in Scots schools Credit: Alamy It is nearly double the previous recorded high of 169 seizures in 2018. The details emerged after The Scottish Sun revealed cops are probing claims a P3 boy aged seven took a blade into school to attack a pupil at Heathfield Primary in Ayr. Police Scotland data shows weapons found last year included 137 knives or other blades, including 33 used in crimes beyond possession. A total of 111 other weapons were found, including 76 used to commit further crimes. The data reveals a situation more than twice as bad as that laid out by Justice Secretary Angela Constance last month. She only disclosed 109 weapons used in other criminal activity — omitting 139 seized before being wielded. Scottish Labour's education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy said: 'Teachers have been sounding the alarm for years that violence in schools is getting out of control but SNP ministers still aren't taking the crisis seriously.' Her Tory counterpart Miles Briggs hit out: 'There's an epidemic of classroom violence thanks to the SNP's repeated failure to tackle the issue. 'Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth must act now to stamp out weapons in schools instead of dithering and passing the buck to councils and police.' More than 1,200 weapons have been seized in schools since 2019, the police stats show. In 2024, Glasgow had the highest number of seizures, at 28. Aberdeenshire had 27 despite a far smaller population. Edinburgh had 22 and Aberdeen 20. Ms Gilruth was slated for skipping parly questions on school violence last month to campaign for the SNP in a council election. Her no-show came hours after an alleged knife attack on a 12-year-old girl at Aberdeen's Hazlehead Academy. The Scottish Government said: 'We are investing £6million to implement the Violence Prevention Framework to address youth violence, carrying of weapons and violence in schools."
Western Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
We will keep fighting, pledges MSP after assisted dying vote
Pam Duncan-Glancy – the Scottish Parliament's first MSP to use a wheelchair full time – voted against the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill at stage one on Tuesday and has campaigned fervently against it. Proposed by Scottish Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur, the legislation would allow terminally ill people to seek to end their lives and was passed by 70 votes to 56 with one abstention following a landmark debate. We'll continue and we will keep fighting Pam Duncan-Glancy But speaking to the PA news agency after the vote, Labour MSP Ms Duncan-Glancy pledged not to give up as she sought to persuade fellow members of the dangers posed by the proposals. 'We fight every day of our lives just to exist, and we never stop fighting,' she said. 'So we'll continue and we will keep fighting. 'And I fundamentally know that people will understand the serious concerns that we have. 'We will not be able to amend it out of this legislation.' Ms Duncan-Glancy said she had hoped fellow MSPs would heed the concerns she and other campaigners have expressed, but she seemed heartened by some MSPs pushing for changes to the Bill at stages two and three. The Bill was proposed by Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur (Andrew Milligan/PA) 'I had hoped that colleagues would see the risk in this legislation and the message that it could send to people across Scotland about the value they place on people's lives,' she said. 'But I also heard in the chamber that many people have concerns and some people openly saying that they couldn't support the Bill as it stands if this was the final Bill at stage three.' She added: 'I think that when they try to amend the legislation to get what they think are the safeguards, they will realise that there is no amendment that can provide the level of safeguard that they want, or indeed that we need as a nation in this legislation. 'So hopefully we will get to a point in stage three where colleagues feel that they are unable to continue to support that decision.' During the near-five hour long debate on the issue, Ms Duncan-Glancy delivered an impassioned speech where she urged fellow MSPs to 'legislate to assist people to live' as opposed to assisting them to die. She said: 'Today I've only scratched the surface of concerns, but for me it comes down to this: How can it be possible for people to make a free and equal choice to allow a system that oppresses them so much to also potentially assist them to take their own lives?' The vote, the third such attempt to advance similar proposals at Holyrood, was described as a 'landmark moment' by Mr McArthur. 'This Bill has been a long time coming but, at long last, it can offer that compassionate choice for the small number of terminally ill Scots who need it,' he added.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
We will keep fighting, pledges MSP after assisted dying vote
An MSP and disability campaigner has pledged to 'keep fighting' after assisted dying proposals were backed in an initial vote in Holyrood on Tuesday. Pam Duncan-Glancy – the Scottish Parliament's first MSP to use a wheelchair full time – voted against the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill at stage one on Tuesday and has campaigned fervently against it. Proposed by Scottish Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur, the legislation would allow terminally ill people to seek to end their lives and was passed by 70 votes to 56 with one abstention following a landmark debate. But speaking to the PA news agency after the vote, Labour MSP Ms Duncan-Glancy pledged not to give up as she sought to persuade fellow members of the dangers posed by the proposals. 'We fight every day of our lives just to exist, and we never stop fighting,' she said. 'So we'll continue and we will keep fighting. 'And I fundamentally know that people will understand the serious concerns that we have. 'We will not be able to amend it out of this legislation.' Ms Duncan-Glancy said she had hoped fellow MSPs would heed the concerns she and other campaigners have expressed, but she seemed heartened by some MSPs pushing for changes to the Bill at stages two and three. 'I had hoped that colleagues would see the risk in this legislation and the message that it could send to people across Scotland about the value they place on people's lives,' she said. 'But I also heard in the chamber that many people have concerns and some people openly saying that they couldn't support the Bill as it stands if this was the final Bill at stage three.' She added: 'I think that when they try to amend the legislation to get what they think are the safeguards, they will realise that there is no amendment that can provide the level of safeguard that they want, or indeed that we need as a nation in this legislation. 'So hopefully we will get to a point in stage three where colleagues feel that they are unable to continue to support that decision.' During the near-five hour long debate on the issue, Ms Duncan-Glancy delivered an impassioned speech where she urged fellow MSPs to 'legislate to assist people to live' as opposed to assisting them to die. She said: 'Today I've only scratched the surface of concerns, but for me it comes down to this: How can it be possible for people to make a free and equal choice to allow a system that oppresses them so much to also potentially assist them to take their own lives?' The vote, the third such attempt to advance similar proposals at Holyrood, was described as a 'landmark moment' by Mr McArthur. 'This Bill has been a long time coming but, at long last, it can offer that compassionate choice for the small number of terminally ill Scots who need it,' he added.
