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The National
6 days ago
- Politics
- The National
If MSPs can't get good childcare, what hope is there for rest of us?
The Deputy First Minister's decision to quit Holyrood has uncovered a far bigger issue sitting in plain sight for many years. MSPs can't organise a nursery in a parliament. Their own workplace. Our own parliament. It's worse than not managing to organise a piss up in a brewery. It really matters. As a result, MSPs and staff have nowhere to care for their babies and children whilst working – and female parliamentarians including Gail Ross, Jenny Marra, Aileen Campbell, Ruth Davidson and now Kate Forbes have had to quit. READ MORE: John Swinney to consider imposing state boycott on Israel This should be outrageous. We should be ashamed. Yet the situation will likely just rumble on. Granted, individual decisions to stand down may involve many factors. But the absence of workplace childcare shouldn't be one of them. MSPs run the parliament. The majority are parents. Yet provision for parents and children is next to zero. Why? In a Holyrood Q&A this March, Claire Baker MSP from the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) told Kate Forbes that Holyrood had been designed only with 'a crèche for occasional use' and, 'unfortunately, it is not possible to convert that facility into a nursery that would meet the Care Inspectorate's requirements'. Presumably back in the 90s when London Labour was cooking up the Parliament, fancy notions about modern parenting were considered a bit 'out there'. But today? A Scottish Parliament spokesperson says: 'Extending provision to offer longer periods of childcare ... is not possible within the confines of the space available in the building.' Really? And is that where the quest ends? Strangely though, the Care Inspectorate says it's 'received no further request to register any additional service at the Parliament or vary the existing conditions of registration. Any application ... is considered on its merits and will be granted if it meets the conditions laid out in legislation ... set out by The Scottish Parliament.' So, has the SPCB not even applied for a nursery? Do they think there isn't the budget, space, need or priority? I presume MSPs are willing to pay for a bespoke service if it truly fitted their needs. So what's the problem? What hope is there for a country that cannot get this simple thing right and which cannot – or will not – act to stem the flow of talented female politicians from our Parliament? Kate Forbes has been signalling this problem and perhaps an intention to quit for some time. Several years ago she was the only Cabinet minister to back the Upstart Scotland campaign for the same school starting age as the rest of Europe (6/7 not 4/5) preceded by a properly funded kindergarten stage. Upstart Chair, Willie French (a former head teacher) paid tribute to Kate's support and said: 'It's incredible MSPs can't provide childcare for themselves. It's absolutely not a child-friendly parliament.' Writing in The National, Kate asked: 'Can you believe that in 2021, in our national Parliament, in a country that has long championed progressive causes, several female MSPs have resigned over [the impossibility of balancing childcare and political office.]' And tellingly, she concluded: 'Unless something changes in relation to the Scottish Parliament creche, I am gravely concerned even more women will step down in 2026, [because] of the impossibility of being a mother and a politician.' And so, it has turned out. Yet, the authorities seem to think they are doing ok. There was some satisfaction that the original Care Inspectorate-imposed limit of four hours per child per week was recently stretched to three hours a day from Tuesday to Thursday. Three hours. Whoop, whoop. As Kate Forbes observed: 'It almost taunts parents who know [the creche] exists, yet find themselves trying to entertain a small child in the corner of their office because there is no other facility. Local, mainstream nurseries don't cater for the weird and unique demands of political office – with erratic hours, far from home and isolated from our local support networks for use in emergencies.' Now I know some people will think MSPs are well paid and shouldn't get 'perks' absent elsewhere. But MPs and MSPs are elected by the public not technically employed, so they don't get statutory maternity or paternity leave, though they can sometimes employ proxy voting. Again, whoop, whoop. Meanwhile, the House of Commons does have a nursery but it's massively oversubscribed. Bluntly, if parliamentarians don't rate their own parental experience enough to fund a proper nursery in Holyrood and Westminster, childcare ain't going to creep up the political agenda for everyone else. So, Kate Forbes's departure could yet serve a purpose. It could prompt us all to see childcare as national infrastructure like roads, bridges or the internet ... a stage of development like primary, secondary and higher education ... a productivity-boosting investment like spaceports, shipyards and ferries ... and the quickest way to improve the health of the whole nation. Now Kate Forbes hasn't said that precisely. Like many overstretched mums, she is gamely owning the problem as her own to resolve. But that doesn't help. In fact, the biggest thing Kate can do is to make a fuss on behalf of MSPs and staff parents, and make universal Nordic-style kindergarten her sole political priority. Nicola Sturgeon did that back in 2013, but said this would take independence to fund properly. If so – make it an explicit part of the indy drive; try to resolve funding issues by persuading councils to borrow (yes, a very tough ask); suggest a penny for childcare in a new wealth tax (even though adult care will justifiably argue for the same). What we cannot do is muddle on. Without good affordable childcare, mums and dads limit working hours, feel constantly stressed, transfer that stress to grandparents and try not to let it reach the bairns. Alternatively, when state-funded childcare is in place, as it is in all the Nordic nations, people blossom. In Norway a fully funded place costs a maximum of £200 a month. It's as simple, clear cut, and black and white as that. I remember speaking to a group of Norwegian councillors and MPs 10 years ago in an Edinburgh hotel. They were here on a fact-finding mission. I asked how much they thought a full-time nursery place might be in Edinburgh. When I told them – roughly £1500 – there was silence while the group translated this into Norwegian kroner. Then more silence as they recalculated assuming an extra zero had crept in by mistake. Then total incredulity. 'How could a cleaner in this hotel afford to have a child in childcare?' asked one councillor. Using the living wage (£7.85 per hour in 2015) we calculated she would have to work for 191 hours. Taking the average working week of 37 hours, that meant working for 5.1 weeks to afford full time childcare for a month – and nothing else. They were absolutely speechless 'How on earth are you people managing to live?' It's a very good question our politics has never confronted. And unless Kate uses her profile to make a fuss on the way out, we never will.
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SuperCom to Report Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results on August 14, 2025
TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SuperCom (NASDAQ: SPCB), a global provider of secured solutions for the e-Government, IoT and Cybersecurity sectors, will hold a conference call on Thursday, August 14, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time (7:00 a.m. Pacific Time / 5:00 p.m. IL time) to discuss its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025. Financial results will be issued in a press release prior to the call. SuperCom management will host the conference call, followed by a question-and-answer period. Conference Call Dial-In Information: Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025Time: 10:00 a.m. Eastern time (7:00 a.m. Pacific time)U.S. toll-free: 877-545-0523Israel toll-free: 1-809-423-853International: 973-528-0016Access Code: SuperCom Link: Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. About SuperCom Since 1988, SuperCom has been a global provider of traditional and digital identity solutions, providing advanced safety, identification and security solutions to governments and organizations, both private and public, throughout the world. Through its proprietary e-government platforms and innovative solutions for traditional and biometrics enrollment, personalization, issuance and border control services, SuperCom has inspired governments and national agencies to design and issue secure Multi-ID documents and robust digital identity solutions to its citizens and visitors. SuperCom offers a unique all-in-one field-proven RFID & mobile technology and product suite, accompanied by advanced complementary services for various industries including healthcare and homecare, security and safety, community public safety, law enforcement, electronic monitoring, and domestic violence prevention. For more information, visit Logo: SuperCom IR Contact: ir@ View original content: SOURCE SuperCom
Glasgow Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Abusive social media posts directed at MSPs tripled in past year
It comes after the Scottish Parliament employed two members of staff – including a former police inspector – to trawl the social media accounts of 69 MSPs. The pair found 23,507 posts considered abusive between 2024 and 2025. However, the posts did not reach the required level to be considered criminal. Last year, the figure was 8,110. READ NEXT: Tesco tease plans to improve popular superstore In the most recent year, 257 posts were referred to Police Scotland – down from 461 the previous year – with one case proceeding to court. The SNP saw the highest level of abuse, with 15,749 posts directed towards its MSPs. Scottish Labour MSPs were next with 4,150, while the Conservatives were targeted in 1,888 posts. Scottish Green and Liberal Democrat MSPs faced 939 and 729 abusive posts respectively, while 52 messages targeted independent members. Male MSPs received vastly more abuse than their female colleagues, with 19,511 messages compared to 3,996. READ NEXT: American rock band to perform at Glasgow nightclub Lynsey Hamill, Holyrood's director of operations and digital, said: 'Whilst it is too early to draw any firm conclusions on trends and success of the scheme when comparing data from the pilot year and year one, we can see the scale of online abuse of MSPs is now readily apparent and growing. 'This chimes with feedback we have had from members for some time now.' A Scottish Parliament spokesperson added: 'The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) is acutely aware of the rising level of threat against elected representatives. 'Last year, the SPCB invested £125,000 to make permanent its online threat managing service. 'Under the service, potentially criminal threats are identified by the Parliament's security team and escalated to Police Scotland for its action.'
The National
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Abusive social media posts targeting MSPs soar in one year to 23,500
An initiative by the Scottish Parliament has employed two members of staff – one a former police inspector – to trawl the social media accounts of 69 MSPs who signed up to the review. The pair found 23,507 posts considered abusive in 2024-25, but which did not reach the required level to be considered criminal. The previous year, the figure was 8110. READ MORE: Scottish Government removes WhatsApp from all official devices In the most recent year, 257 posts were referred to Police Scotland – down from 461 the previous year – with one case proceeding to court. The SNP – Holyrood's largest party and the party of Government – saw the highest level of abuse, with 15,749 posts directed towards its MSPs, but which were not deemed to reach the criminal threshold. Scottish Labour MSPs were next with 4150, while the Scottish Tories were targeted in 1888 posts. Scottish Green and Liberal Democrat MSPs faced 939 and 729 abusive posts respectively, while 52 messages targeted independent members. Male MSPs received vastly more abuse than their female colleagues, with 19,511 messages compared to 3996. The Scottish Parliament's monitoring software searches social media for threatening and abusive language and can refer the posts to police if required. A briefing sent to MSPs by Holyrood's director of operations and digital, Lynsey Hamill, said: 'Whilst it is too early to draw any firm conclusions on trends and success of the scheme when comparing data from the pilot year and year one, we can see the scale of online abuse of MSPs is now readily apparent and growing. 'This chimes with feedback we have had from members for some time now.' A Scottish Parliament spokesperson said: 'The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) is acutely aware of the rising level of threat against elected representatives. 'Last year, the SPCB invested £125,000 to make permanent its online threat managing service. 'Under the service, potentially criminal threats are identified by the Parliament's security team and escalated to Police Scotland for its action.'
Scotsman
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Holyrood body admits causing 'upset' amid calls to U-turn on its trans toilet policy
This comes as pressure grows for the Scottish Government to update its official guidance on single-sex spaces. 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... A Holyrood body admits people will be 'upset' and 'anxious' about its ban on trans women using the parliament's female toilets. Last month the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) ruled that single-sex spaces such as toilets and changing rooms must be interpreted by biological sex only, meaning trans people would not be allowed to use the facilities of their acquired gender. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This comes after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex. The Scottish Parliament. Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie has now called for the SPCB to rescind this decision. He said: 'In previous discussions in this chamber and in a letter to me, the SPCB says it remains committed to an inclusive environment and its intention is that everyone should feel welcome and included in Holyrood. 'But this demonstrates the opposite - this makes trans people feel significantly less welcome at parliament. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The decision is described as one that brings confidence and dignity to everyone, but it will exclude and segregate trans people in the heart of Scotland's democracy.' He added the toilet ban is already having a 'negative impact' on trans and gender non-conforming members of staff. Mr Harvie added: 'Surely it is time for the SPCB to think again and rescind this unclear, unfair position?' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jackson Carlaw MSP, who was speaking on behalf of the SPCB, said the body cannot debate the rights and wrongs of the Supreme Court judgement. He said: 'It is our job to ensure we are implementing the law as communicated to us. 'Let me acknowledge on behalf of the body that for some this has proved upsetting and has caused anxiety.' Mr Carlaw added: 'It is our responsibility as a service provider and employer to recognise the judgement had immediate legal effect. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We took urgent steps to review this for facilities in Holyrood in line with the Equality and Human Rights Commission statement on the Equality Act 2010 and our need to comply with it.' Jackson Carlaw MSP. Pam Gosal MSP warned the parliament would have risked using taxpayers' cash to foot expensive legal bills if it had not made this decision. She said: 'Let's be clear, we are talking about the UK Supreme Court. 'The law is the law, and nobody is above it.' The Scottish Government has come under increasing pressure to update its guidance to public bodies on single-sex spaces following the court judgement. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Earlier this week the campaign group Sex Matters sent a legal letter to Scottish ministers threatening to take them back to court if it does not update its guidance. The government says it is waiting for official guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission before updating its guidance. Earlier this week Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth also said she was not concerned about schools having to make their own decisions on single-sex spaces.
