12th December 2022: A Week in Parliament

Devolution

Westminster often claims that Holyrood is the most powerful devolved parliament in the world. However, this is a claim which is completely fabricated and not even close to being true. For a start, we are not even the most powerful of the devolved nations! Powers such as energy, except for nuclear, pensions and even the Union are devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Therefore, the people of Northern Ireland have the right to hold a referendum on the future, yet the people of Scotland are not granted that privilege. For some time I have made the case for this and I raised it last week at Business Questions. Unsurprisingly, instead of answering the question and explaining why Scotland does not have these specific powers, the Leader of the House (Penny Mordaunt) went on a rant attacking the SNP Scottish Government. One thing is for sure, Westminster standing in the way of democracy is actually gathering more support for the YES movement, as can be seen with the most recent poll conveying support for Scottish independence at 56%.

Open Doors for All

It was great to drop into the Guide Dogs event at Westminster. I was able to hear first-hand issues owners faced and was staggering to learn that 81% have experienced an access refusal in the past and that 73% had experienced this in the last 12 months. I have supported their campaigns in the past and certainly support their calls for making guide dogs welcome and accessible wherever possible.

New Westminster Leader

Last week Stephen Flynn was elected as the new SNP Leader at Westminster. I feel this is a very good appointment and I have no doubts that Stephen is the right man to take the party forward in our pursuit of independence for Scotland. He is young and very enthusiastic, I believe these qualities and fresh approach are exactly what the party needs and will build on the fantastic work Ian has done over the past five-and-a-half years. With Mhairi Black as deputy leader then it really is a fresh young leadership team.