Former SSP MSP for West of Scotland
The Scottish Socialist Party very much welcomes and supports the bill. Politics is about power: who has it and how they use it. Although I am part of the consensus in the Parliament on the bill, I think that we should acknowledge that the bill is a small measure against a huge injustice. Those who have suffered that injustice have mainly been working-class men—there have been some...
Some people in the gallery wanted to know where MSPs were running in from for the votes. There is a room next door to the chamber, where we can have free tea and coffee, free fruit and free shortbread. After that, we can go downstairs to have a dinner in the canteen, which is subsidised to the tune of £600,000 every 18 months. Patrick Harvie mentioned targeting. It is interesting that MSPs...
Will the minister give way?
Will the minister take an intervention?
When we ask parents what they want for their children, one or two will say, "I want wee Kenny to play for Scotland", or, "I'd like Kylie to win 'The X Factor'", but most parents say, "I want them to be happy and healthy." Given the recent United Nations Children's Fund report, which showed that our children are the unhappiest in the developed world, we, including us in the Parliament, stand...
I am a believer in honesty in politics, so I would not pretend that the Scottish Socialist Party's manifesto has been drawn up with the interests of small businesses at heart. Nevertheless, Parliament may be surprised to learn—as I was surprised to learn—that a number of the Scottish Socialist Party's policies chime with those that have been put forward by the Federation of Small...
I thank Scott Barrie for bringing the debate to the chamber. I remember the time way back, when, under the Thatcher Government, we were debating the privatisation of the gas and electricity companies. At the time, the mantra was, "The market is more efficient. The market will make things cheaper. The market will bring cheap prices for everybody." The system, which has been in place now for...
Yes she can.
