Patrick Harvie: I assumed that we would hear from Bruce Crawford in the stage 3 debate on the budget but, if that was his last contribution as the convener of the Finance and Constitution Committee, I thank him for his work in that role. I think that those thanks will be echoed by members of all parties, including everyone who has served on the committee. The Green approach to budgets has always focused on...
Patrick Harvie: The current session of the Parliament has seen the only substantial tax reform since devolution, with a new, five-band system of income tax that is closely modelled on what the Scottish Greens proposed at the previous election. It is worth recalling, as some other speakers have done, what the other parties proposed at that point. Labour and the Lib Dems wanted to raise income tax at the basic...
Patrick Harvie: For every problem that is complex and difficult, there is a solution that is simple, easy and wrong. That is what the Conservatives have to offer today. The topic is an important one, because the system of local government finance that we have in this country is fundamentally broken. Every year since the SNP lost its majority, the Greens have made the issue a priority. The impact of...
Patrick Harvie: Every one of us wants this to be over. We would all like nothing better than to get our lives back to normal and for us to begin tackling the deep harm that has been caused by the dreadful year that we have come through. However, the Prime Minister’s decision to present specific dates for the lifting of all public health measures four months in advance, and to describe those moves as...
Patrick Harvie: 6. To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to prevent legislation in devolved areas being passed that is contrary to a resolution on a legislative consent motion by the Scottish Parliament. (S5O-05038)
Patrick Harvie: Since the beginning of devolution, the courts have had the ability to strike down legislation from the Scottish Parliament if it strays beyond legislative competence, and I suspect that voters who endorsed that devolution settlement never imagined that a UK Government would be so willing to routinely pass major legislation in devolved areas. Does the cabinet secretary agree that legislation...
Patrick Harvie: Politics is not supposed to be a spectator sport; it is supposed to be about broadening participation and bringing more perspectives to bear in our political life. That is hugely important. One or two of the opening speakers have spoken about the level of trust in politics at the moment, about the need for us all to recognise that trust is not at the level at which it should be and about...
Patrick Harvie: I am pleased to have had the chance to take part in the debate and that, broadly, it has been consensual. Several members have referred to the fact that, in the inception of the citizens assembly, there was a bit of a danger that it would get caught up in big, binary constitutional debates in which we all already have our entrenched positions. Other than one or two slightly grumpy comments...
Patrick Harvie: 3. We have all seen the pictures of hundreds of people queueing in the snow for emergency food in Glasgow’s George Square last week. That people are experiencing that level of desperation in the city that the First Minister and I represent is an indictment of the failure to tackle poverty and hunger in Scotland. The charities that feed people in Glasgow have warned that funding is not...
Patrick Harvie: The First Minister does not need to wait until May to commit to the policy of extending eligibility for free school meals; it could be built into the budget that the Parliament will vote on later this month. The First Minister has made it clear that, as we build a recovery from the pandemic, returning schools to normal will rightly be the first priority but, if we are to do that, we need...
Patrick Harvie: I am grateful for advance sight of the cabinet secretary’s statement. In particular, I welcome the additional funding for energy efficiency, which will ensure that a green recovery can be carried out in a way that will save people money in their household budgets. However, there is a need to go further on achieving such savings much sooner—especially given that there have been fewer than...
Patrick Harvie: 4. As the First Minister knows, throughout the pandemic the Scottish Greens have made the case for greater protections for people who rent their homes. It was pressure from the Greens that led to the introduction and extension of the winter evictions ban and the introduction of the tenant hardship loan fund. It was a Green amendment to emergency legislation that gave students the right to...
Patrick Harvie: I give the Government credit when it listens and acts, but that has not happened on the issue of rent controls. High rent is just one of the factors that are keeping many households in poverty. As we look forward to recovery from the pandemic, there are stark warnings about the future increases in poverty that our country might see. The Scottish Government has eye-catching targets on child...
Patrick Harvie: I share the irritation that was in Graham Simpson’s voice at the fact that this issue has had to come back to the chamber. Some interesting points have been made about the longer-term trends in relation to newspapers, and Ivan McKee made some interesting and insightful points that were entirely irrelevant to the motion that we are debating. The motion deals with an issue that the Parliament...
Patrick Harvie: I thank the minister for the statement. Personally, I am glad that it was announced to the Parliament first, rather than going to vested interests before the Parliament was informed. I welcome the moves that are being made to introduce additional measures for the immediate period ahead, but the statement did not say very much about the longer term. Will the cabinet secretary rule out the...
Patrick Harvie: 3. We all know how important it is that we prioritise the needs of children and young people but do so as safely as possible for them, school staff and the wider community. Yesterday’s announcement posed significant challenges for school staff. Yesterday, the First Minister said of senior pupils who will be physically present in schools to complete coursework: “Initially ... it is...
Patrick Harvie: I think that we all recognise the difficulty of making decisions in this area, but teaching unions continued to urge caution yesterday in reaction to the First Minister’s announcements. Teachers will face workload challenges because of dealing with a mix of pupils in school and pupils staying at home, with unpredictable numbers needing to self-isolate—as well as teachers’ additional...
Patrick Harvie: Other members have begun with thanks, and I echo one line in the Government amendment and thank those who have done the right thing by self-isolating as necessary. However, I am certain that I am not the only member in the chamber who has, since the very beginning of the pandemic, heard from constituents who are self-isolating despite their severe anxieties about the consequences for...
Patrick Harvie: I am sure that the cabinet secretary recognises that people face threats of consequences, and coercion, from employers, and have fears of such. Surely, as hospitality and retail reopen and as the vaccine rolls out, we need more than just information for employees; we need a way of ensuring a high level of good practice by employers. We need the stick, not just the carrot.
Patrick Harvie: This is a story that goes back a long way. In previous chapters, we saw two successive First Ministers—Jack McConnell and Alex Salmond—actively courting the business interest of Donald Trump, despite already knowing what kind of character he was. We saw the Scottish planning system being overturned for him. We also saw the highest level of environmental protection that any land in...