FERGUS EWING: It’s time perhaps to review and reform devolution
Holyrood celebrates its 25th birthday, and at the end of June, there will be an event to mark that anniversary. It’s time perhaps to review and reform devolution.
Having served as your MSP over the whole of the last quarter of a century, here are my suggestions.
The current voting system is divided between constituency and list MSPs but it is the political parties that pick the list of candidates and, crucially, the order on the list of preference. Number one on lists tend to get elected. They are picked by parties not people.
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The single transferable voting system, used for example in Ireland, allows and empowers the people to make the choice. They can choose which member for each party they wish. They can and do also choose those of no party.
Second, I would like to see the committees be far more robust in challenging the government. That can be done by electing convenors.
MSPs know who the strongest and most experienced people are. I believe the MSPs should elect convenors and by secret ballot. That, again, takes power away from party leadership and puts it back in the hands of the people elected directly by single transferable voting.
Speed up A9 dualling
I was pleased to “catch the eye” of our Presiding Officer and be called to quiz our new First Minister at his first outing at First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood last Thursday.
I had spoken beforehand with other MSPs in Tory, Lib Dem, Labour and Alba beforehand. They all agreed with my proposal: That the new FM meet us all as a cross-party group all supporting the dualling of the A9.
In particular, I asked that the FM should speed up the dualling programme, and remove the “caveat” that next year the whole programme will be subject to a review of market conditions.
The only party who do not support the dualling is the Greens. It is sad, especially since so many people have lost their lives in incidents on the road. Each loss of life is a human tragedy.
I’m pleased to report that the FM agreed to meet us and I shall report of course to Courier readers as to the upshot of that meeting.
Post Office scandal
I am pleased to say that legislation is now being introduced to exonerate the victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal.
These people saw their lives and livelihoods destroyed. Some committed suicide. Others were wrongly imprisoned.
Over the next weeks I hope to play a part in the law-making process, to make sure that our Scots law is effective, and thus paves the way for the payment of compensation to those victims of the most widespread miscarriage of justice.
