John Finnie: ...conclude that “the potential for criminalising support efforts and organisations is particularly alarming.” Therefore, I am grateful for the amendments that the minister has lodged. They strike the right balance and the Greens will support them.
John Finnie: ...The engagement with the cabinet secretary and his colleagues was appreciated, and the bill is stronger as a result. The policy memorandum talks about a rapidly evolving area of work. It is right to strike a balance and to say that it offers “great potential in the detection, prevention and prosecution of crime”. We all see that. We know that, in the past 30 years, DNA testing has been...
John Finnie: ...Karabakh. There were also the Edinburgh conversations by small groups of academics and retired military personnel that took place in both Edinburgh and Moscow, which led to the maxim of “no first strike” in nuclear war strategy. That maxim formed the basis of the Reagan-Gorbachev summits that brought an end to the cold war. All involved in those discussions were human rights defenders....
John Finnie: ...that food will potentially be wasted as valuable produce rots in a car park in Kent, particularly given the industry that will have gone into delivering that produce. In my final minute, I want to strike a consensual note and talk about a fishery that has grown in importance. Scotland’s marine aquaculture industry currently purchases 1 million live wrasse each year for use as cleaner...
John Finnie: ...a commitment to application of the fair work principles across the Scottish Government and associated bodies. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers is in the process of taking strike action against Serco, as the operator of the Caledonian sleeper train, for reneging on pledges to address serious concerns about staff safety. Can the minister honestly tell Parliament...
John Finnie: Inverness airport has received a very poor environmental compliance rating from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for four years in a row. Air traffic controllers may be about to strike over pay and plans to centralise air traffic control operations. HIAL has repeatedly failed to consult remote, rural and island communities, which it is supposed to serve on ministers’ behalf, on...
John Finnie: ...to be given non-means-tested advice and assistance. Please can we extend that provision? The issue is the retention of biometric material. The legislative consent motion states that the bill will strike “a better balance”. That better balance was not evidenced at the Justice Committee by the cabinet secretary. We heard from an official that chief officers in England and Wales have gone...
John Finnie: ...returning from Srebrenica and wanting to put into practice for Police Scotland the lessons that he learned from his visit there. Earlier, in a question on the ministerial statement on the miners’ strike, I referred to John Scott QC, who said in a previous report that the police should be the front-line defenders of the public’s human rights. Of course, the primary purpose of policing...
John Finnie: ...that of the Scottish Green party, with constituents at the Scottish Association of Marine Science in Oban today and all members of the University and College Union across the country who are out on strike. I am sure that they will also welcome the support of the National Union of Students. The UCU has stated that changes to the pension scheme could see members lose up to £200,000. I...
John Finnie: ...accountable. Almost every mention of interaction at yesterday’s Justice Committee meeting was peppered with interjections about whether there had been a minute taken of the interaction. We must strike an appropriate balance. Language is terribly important, too. The term “operational” has been used by at least a couple of members. The Police and Fire Reform Scotland (Scotland) Act...
John Finnie: ...of rights such as the right to housing, food and employment ... viewed through this broader human rights lens, land should be seen as a national asset with key questions arising of how to strike the most appropriate balance between the legitimate rights of landowners and the wider public interest.” That is a topic that is challenged and on which there are different opinions in here....
John Finnie: ...many members, he wants to protect hard-fought-for workers’ rights and the right to peaceful protest, and, like many, he is concerned that the full force of the state was visited on the miners’ strike, with all the challenges that that brought. Nevertheless, I would like to qualify something that Mr Findlay said. He said that this is about the police, whereas I would say that this is...
John Finnie: ...the need for regular debate, and there certainly is a need for that. I will make passing mention of something that has not been mentioned in the debate so far, which is the reports of a hunger strike inside Dungavel. That is certainly alarming to me, and I hope that members will follow the Scottish Trades Union Congress and demand access to the centre to visit the detainees. That is of...
John Finnie: ...fact that one of the victims was a nine-year-old child. One of the first places that Claudia Beamish and I visited was the Al Dula family house, which had also been the target of a precision air strike. That precision strike had killed a large family, including women and children, who were gathering for wedding celebrations. Precision is important, and the Israeli authorities know...
John Finnie: ...superbly executed? That is highly unlikely. Neil Findlay asked in his questionnaire about fabricated, bogus or exaggerated charges, which are possible when emotions are high. I found targeting of strike leaders to be perhaps the most concerning aspect. When we hear of the pernicious influence of the UK security services—the people who decide who the goodies and the baddies are—and...
John Finnie: ...in the business motion, which we think are worthy of debate, but to oppose the parliamentary business that is scheduled for next Wednesday, when the Public and Commercial Services union is on strike and picketing this building. Presiding Officer, can you please advise me what opportunity exists for individual members who have not been chosen to speak against the business motion to put on...