Karen Adam
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“That is the question that I come back to: who is this growth for? When I think about economic growth in Banffshire and Buchan Coast, I do not think first about a graph or a statistic; I think about the young folk in Buckie who wonder whether there will be a good job for them if they stay in their home town.”
“In my constituency, I see that potential everywhere. Fraserburgh harbour has a master plan that looks to future proof one of Scotland’s key fishing ports. Peterhead port, with links to fishing, energy and trade, is already a massive asset for Scotland.”
“I welcome the cabinet secretary to his new post. It is great to see him in the Parliament. When we talk about the economy, it can sometimes feel like we are talking about something that is quite abstract—something that is separate from people’s everyday lives.”
“It affects access to education, work, freight, business confidence and how quickly and cleanly produce from one of Europe’s most important fishing ports can reach the market.”
“Karen Adam: I thank the member for that intervention because it gives me the opportunity to say that I have already opened conversations and will discuss what next steps the campaign is asking for.”
“The range of amendments before us shows exactly why Scotland needs these powers to be in Scotland’s hands. While other parties pull the debate towards delay, denial, dependence or unrealistic simplicity, my constituents need a serious Scottish plan that is rooted in jobs, bills, climate responsibility and, importantly, a community benefit…”
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“We have seen a significant reduction in ASN teacher numbers relative to the number of pupils—in fact, there has been no increase in the number of ASN teachers in our schools, even in absolute terms. The Government made an effort a few years ago to promote ASN teaching through the lead teacher model, but I think that we are at the point at which we can all acknowledge that that did not work— indeed, there was no clear incentive for a teacher to take that course. We must give teachers the opportunity to move into ASN specialist teaching as a point of career progression, and the only way that we can encourage more teachers into ASN teaching is by making it a promoted post.”
“However, that decision masked the almost complete disappearance of dedicated ASN support staff from our schools. That is why, when my party was in Government, we worked together with the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to develop policy proposals for a system of accreditation and registration for ASN support staff—I pushed for that. By no means do I mean this as a sign of disrespect, but it is often the least qualified and least well-paid members of school staff who are expected to provide the most complex and, often, the most intimate personal support to pupils. That is wrong for both the pupil and the member of staff who is expected to do that for far too little pay and without adequate training and support. It is not only support staff.”
“That is worth exploring further, because it also connects to Richard Leonard’s point about the difficulties that Audit Scotland faced when it tried to accurately ascertain the state of play with ASN support in our schools. One of the issues in relation to support staff is that, starting in around 2019, Government statisticians could no longer distinguish between ASN support staff and classroom or general pupil support assistants. From that point onwards, they began to group those two categories together in the school staff census. When the Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee brought the statisticians in to explain that decision, they simply said that, at a local level, the lines had been blurred so much that there was no meaningful distinction.”
“I went to the school and wondered why it was so calm and peaceful— The Deputy Presiding Officer: Ms Adam, you are over your time. Karen Adam: My apologies, Presiding Officer. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Please bring your remarks to a close. Karen Adam: The academy does not have a school bell, which has made a massive impact. There is no jarring noise and no sudden movement, and it helps people to take responsibility— The Deputy Presiding Officer: Ms Adam— Karen Adam: —for their timekeeping—she said, ironically. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Ms Adam, your time is over. We move to closing speeches. I call Ross Greer to close on behalf of the Scottish Greens. You have up to four minutes. 16:14 Ross Greer: In opening, the minister mentioned staffing and, specifically, issues around the number of support staff in schools.”
“I have been there when the anxiety kicks in when the phone rings, and I have been unable to work in traditional ways for many years because I have had to go to the school to ask my child to climb down from the shed after he has emptied all the gym equipment out. I get it. However, too often, the relationship between parents and schools can become adversarial. We need to replace that tension with trust and with honest and open communication. We must stop the blame game for everyone and come up with constructive solutions to move forward and see what is best for everyone inside and outside the classroom. I will have to skip quite a bit of my speech, but I want to give a shout-out to Banff academy, which has an excellent example of a really small action making a big impact.”
“However, that is where understanding matters, and those qualities can actually be nurtured and become great transferable skills in the real world— she says, standing here with a strong sense of social justice. I warmly welcome the Scottish Government’s significant investment in ASL provision. I know that it has been listening and that it is working hard to find solutions, but money and policy alone are not enough. Those who are delivering the services on the ground must have an understanding of how neurodivergence presents and what these children need. I have had a child placed on a reduced timetable—I get it.”
“I was told that his was probably one of the strongest-presenting ADHD cases they had seen, so what was the issue? The issue was not that the waiting list was eight years long; the issue was that the people on the ground who could give my child access to that pathway did not understand how neurodivergence could present. I understand that it is not financially viable to offer one-to-one support to every single neurodivergent child, and I agree that trauma- informed practice is really important, but understanding is needed. Neurodivergent children have a strong sense of justice and fairness, and people can often add negative connotations to that and say that they come across as obstinate, which can be time consuming in some busy classrooms.”
“It is that understanding that I really want to focus on. Families need to be listened to and they need to be able to access support systems, which are there but are often gatekept by people who do not understand. I have been open about my lived experience. I could stand here and say that I have a child who waited about eight years for an ADHD diagnosis, but that time was not spent on a waiting list, and that is what we need to be specific about. It was eight years of me asking teachers to see what I saw in my child, but they did not, so that diagnostic pathway was blocked and gatekept several times. When they finally—after I begged them—got him on the diagnostic pathway, it took a matter of months and he was helped and supported.”
“I really welcome this debate, and I thank colleagues across the chamber for bringing attention to such an important issue. Additional support for learning and the implementation of mainstreaming are a vital issue that we should keep front and centre. I have had conversations with the Government, the cabinet secretary and the minister, and I believe that it is a conversation that they do not shy away from. I will speak specifically about neurodivergence. In my time as a councillor and, now, as an MSP, it has been the number 1 issue that constituents have raised with me. Week in, week out, families have contacted me, exhausted and frustrated and often feeling powerless. That is not just because of the day-to-day challenges of parenting neurodivergent children, but because they are constantly having to fight to be understood.”
“Not everyone will want it or use it but, for those who do—for those who face the certainty of death and the reality of suffering—it could mean peace. To me, that is what humanity and autonomy look like. I will vote for the bill today, because it is not about views but about rights. 18:30”
“I want to be absolutely clear that I also hear the views of those who oppose the bill. Whether their position is rooted in ethics, faith or caution, I hold space for them. Every voice matters, and every feeling expressed in this debate is real and deserving of respect. I recognise, too, that we are only at stage 1. If the bill proceeds to stage 2, there will be amendments and further scrutiny, as is right. We must take the time to get the proposed legislation absolutely right to ensure that the process is safe, clear and compassionate. If we pass a law that is careful, robust and rooted in humanity, we will give people something powerful: not a directive or an expectation, but choice. I respect the fact that, in this life, many people do not have choice. However, is that a reason to take choice from others?”
“We hear people express concerns about coercion, and I take those seriously. There must be strong safeguards. However, I ask this: is it not a form of coercion to force someone to endure pain that they do not want and to deny them peace when their death is already certain? My inbox has been filled with messages from constituents who have pleaded for the bill to be passed, and who have shared stories of parents, partners and siblings who died in a way that was not what they wanted. Some of their loved ones had begged for release, and many of those remaining have been left with guilt and trauma over their refusal to help. They have also shared their fears about what might lie ahead for them after those experiences. That is not to say that other people have no concerns.”
“I have heard them say words that no one should have to say—“I wouldn’t let my dog suffer like this”—while their loved ones looked on. Their helplessness was overwhelming. At its heart, the bill is not about telling anyone what they must do; it is about allowing a very small group of terminally ill adults the right to choose how their final chapter unfolds. In the same way that we speak of the right to live with dignity, we must now speak of the right to die with dignity. Much has been said about palliative care, and rightly so. It is a vital form of care that must be improved. However, assisted dying and palliative care are not mutually exclusive concepts. For some people, palliative care is not enough. For others, it is not what they want, and that choice should be theirs.”
“I do not for a second dismiss their views—I respect them. However, for me, this vote is not about views but about rights: the right to choose, and the right to have dignity and control over what happens to our own bodies at the very end of our lives. I thank everyone who has shared with me their experiences of loss. It is clear how profoundly the deaths of those we love shape us. I, too, have walked alongside friends and family in their final days. Some passed away peacefully. Their last moments were quiet, dignified and even beautiful, and they left behind memories that felt like tying a wee bow around a life that had been well lived. However, I have also witnessed moments that are hard to speak about. I have seen people’s anguish stretch out for months and have watched despair take hold of them as they writhed in agony.”
“I, too, commend Liam McArthur and members of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee for their work on the bill. This has not been an easy subject to debate, nor should it be. Today, we are speaking about death, a subject that is often unspoken and avoided, but which touches each and every one of us. We are facing it not in the abstract, which is the usual way, but with reality. As someone who was once of faith and who looked towards the next life with certainty and peace, I had no fear of what was to come. I saw death as a doorway. I accepted that, like birth, it might be painful, but that, ultimately, it was necessary and sacred. I share that not just as a personal reflection, but to make this point: I understand the views of people of faith who have contacted me to ask me to oppose the bill. I once stood where they stand.”
“We must remember how we got into that war in the first place and what it cost, but we must also remember how we came back from it. VE day should never have to be repeated. We should let it remain a celebration of hard-won peace and protect that with everything that we have. For the futures that ended too soon, and for those who never got to be, let us mark this 80th anniversary not only with words but with purpose, and let it be a thank you, but also a promise. 16:05”
“They sacrificed not just their lives but their future posterity. As we honour the efforts of Royal British Legion Scotland and Poppyscotland, which have beautifully marked this 80th anniversary with Scotland’s salute to VE day, it is important that we also acknowledge the deeper meaning behind those tributes. The concerts, the gatherings and the red poppies are not just about looking back with pride but about carrying forward a warning. Remembrance is not passive. It is a deep responsibility that rests on the shoulders of posterity, of those who survived. At a time when war once again rages in parts of Europe, when hatred is on the rise and democracy and peace feel very fragile, we must learn from the past. Those people fought for a world for us to build, not to destroy.”
“I still have the love letters that they exchanged, which are filled with words of longing and hope and with plenty of the word “darling”. They dreamed of being reunited and of their future together, and thanks to VE day, they got that chance. My dad and I are compiling those stories so that we do not lose them to time, but when I recall them now, with my adult mind, I can see the parts that my grandfather had omitted—the fear, the horror and those soldier pals who did not make it home. That is a reality that he chose to shield me from. We must mark VE day not just as a celebration but as a solemn reminder. We are here today because our relatives survived, but many never came home. From Scotland alone, 57,000 armed forces personnel lost their lives, and millions more lives were lost across the world.”
“He told me that, when the soldiers were lined up for religious observance, names were called out of particular religions—Catholic, Baptist, Church of England—but my Pa would be left standing, so he would be asked, “Well, what religion are you?” He would straighten his shoulders, with his chin up, and proudly exclaim, “Church of Scotland, sir”. That always made us giggle as a family when I was little, but as I have grown up, I can see that there was more to it than just a wee funny story. In that moment, he was telling us about a deep sense of identity—a sense of belonging—that mattered very much to him. He was there proudly fighting for his country and for his people back home in Scotland. When he was stationed in Italy, my gran was serving here at home as a firewoman, and their love story spanned war zones.”
“Eighty years ago, the world exhaled when the guns across Europe fell silent, because VE day marked not just victory but our survival—a freedom reclaimed and a future made possible. This day always brings me back to my grandfather—my Pa—who fought in the war. When I was a wee girl, he would tell me stories of his time as a soldier, although I realise now that the stories were very heavily filtered for my young mind. He was a great storyteller, and it seemed to me that war was his great adventure—racing from exploding bridges, laughing with his soldier pals and falling in love with my gran through letters passed across their worlds. For my young mind, he made it all into a Hollywood movie version. There is one particular story that he told that has stuck with me, and I have grown to understand and find deeper meaning in it.”
“Further, we will hold a data summit with all local authorities to support improved consistency of identification, support and reporting of children’s needs at local level. We know that inconsistent data gathering has caused a challenge to that historically, so it is important that there is national consistency in data gathering and in how the Government monitors and supports local authorities in relation to additional support for learning.”
“Can the cabinet secretary outline how the programme for government that the First Minister announced this week will support children and young people with ASN as they navigate an ever- changing school environment? Jenny Gilruth: I am clear that all children and young people are entitled to the support that they need to reach their full potential. We have committed £26 million of funding each year—£15 million for support assistance, plus £11 million to our grant-aided schools and in other grants—to support that aim. The programme for government commits an additional £29 million to support the recruitment, retention and training of our additional support needs workforce via local and national programmes.”
“Secondly, the additional capacity that is being created in GP services will ensure that a range of appointments is available to deal with core health conditions. Together, those two measures will help to address many of the challenges that we face in accessing local healthcare services, which I recognise to be of vital importance to everyone in”
“I welcome the expansion of specialist regional centres in order to deliver 150,000 additional appointments and procedures, which will reduce waiting times and waiting lists. I also welcome the 100,000 extra appointments in GP surgeries, which are focused on addressing the root causes of ill health. How will the programme for government build on the recent progress that we have seen and ensure that more people can see their GP and get the care that they need in their community? The First Minister: Two specific measures will help in that respect. One is the expansion of pharmacy first services, which will provide ever more access to healthcare interventions for members of the public.”
“Members cannot claim to be protecting the fishing industry in Parliament while stripping its support on the ground. As convener of the cross-party group on fisheries and coastal communities, I have worked with stakeholders across the board and I have invited members from all parties to contribute, because if we want support for our fishers, we need to act and not just speak. I am here to represent them and I want not just warm words but fair outcomes. I am willing to work across parties to make that happen for the benefit of the people in my constituency of Banffshire and Buchan Coast. Debates are good, but what we really need is real power in the hands of Scottish fishers. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I appreciate the emotion in the debate, but I give a gentle reminder about the language that is used. 17:06”
“We were told that Brexit was about taking back control, but that control did not come to Scotland— it stayed in London, which is as far away geographically as it is from understanding what the fishers of the north-east actually need. The motion focuses on what Labour might do, but it ignores what the Conservatives did. It was the Tories who negotiated that deal. Labour might be carrying the baton, but it was the Conservatives who handed it to them. Tim Eagle should perhaps have a word with his colleagues at Aberdeenshire Council, because local decisions matter, too. Conservative-led Aberdeenshire Council removed the night watchman service at Macduff harbour. It did not just cut a post; it put vessels, property and lives at risk.”
“Finlay Carson: It is all very well talking about the UK Government, but what is the Scottish Government doing to support inshore fisheries if it completely ignores the opportunities that we have with sea bass, cockles and extending lobster fishing? The marine directorate has done nothing in the past few years to assist the inshore fishers. Karen Adam: I will carry on with my speech, but if the member wants me to go into that, I am quite happy—I am sure that the minister will be, too—to talk to him about that after the debate. The UK Government looks set to negotiate a multiyear access deal with the EU. Again, Scotland risks being left out of the room, which follows a pattern set by both Labour and Conservative Governments in London. I understand that the UK Government is thinking about the UK as a whole, but that is the problem.”
“The fishing industry is about more than boats and quotas; it includes processors, engineers, harbour staff, lorry drivers, environmental officers, night watchmen and many others, who all work hand in glove. We cannot talk about supporting the sector while ignoring infrastructure and the people who keep it going. I will support the Scottish Government’s amendment because it reflects something that the motion misses: decisions about Scotland’s waters are still being made without proper consultation with the Scottish Government. I was really sad to hear Tim Eagle say that he did not think that we would be competent enough to negotiate on our own. Finlay Carson: Will Karen Adam give way? Karen Adam: I will, although I have a lot to get through.”
“Jamie Halcro Johnston: When Karen Adam speaks to those fishermen—as we do, too—how many tell her that they want Scotland to go back into the CFP, as the SNP wants? Karen Adam: I will tell you what they say—you are welcome to join me in the discussions. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Please speak through the chair. Karen Adam: They say that that argument is wearing thin, that the mask has worn off and that they know that it was the UK Government that was representing them at the table in negotiations and making bum deals. Today’s debate matters, but we need more than debates to protect the industry—we need clear- eyed realism and workable solutions.”
“It is hard to talk about fishing and the industry as a whole without talking about Brexit, so I found it quite insulting that, at the beginning of the debate, it was said that SNP members might raise Brexit. Let me tell members: £100 million was lost in the first month of Brexit, people lost their livelihoods, families lost their incomes and coastal communities are struggling. All that such comments do is to invalidate that. Let us talk about the issues and find a solution, but let us stop the politicising. I represent one of Scotland’s most iconic fishing communities, so I know only too well the frustrations there. I talk to fishers, too. I represent Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Macduff and Buckie, and it is not just about economic activity.”
“We need the UK Government to confirm the track 2 status at the earliest opportunity and provide funding for the Acorn project, to end the uncertainty and give even more momentum to the opportunities in and around”
“This is another example of successive London-based Governments snubbing Scotland. The Acorn project at St Fergus in my constituency, which was delayed again and again, was key to Grangemouth, and now that project is in jeopardy. That is a disgrace. While billions of pounds are found for projects in England, Scotland is left behind. Does the cabinet secretary agree that, given the implications for industry and the just transition for both Grangemouth and the north- east, Acorn must be an immediate priority? Kate Forbes: There is absolutely no doubt that the development of Acorn is vital to support the decarbonisation of Scotland’s industry and the future of industries at Grangemouth and across Scotland. We urgently need clarity on the Acorn project; we have been waiting for that clarity for an awfully long time.”
“I welcome the fact that this year’s Scottish budget provides an increase of more than 7 per cent in funding for Aberdeenshire Council. Will the minister outline how that additional funding should help to alleviate financial pressures for the local authority and provide additional opportunities so that it can improve our communities as a result? Shona Robison: Councils and their employees play a vital role in communities across Scotland, which is why the Scottish Government has made available record funding this year. Although I recognise that significant challenges remain across the public sector, I expect that the additional funding will allow Aberdeenshire Council and other councils to invest in effective, efficient and sustainable local services. Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 3.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its strategy to further the case for Scottish independence, in light of recent reported polling indicating a majority in support. (S6O-04550)”
“better story about how to survive the hard times ahead without leaving anyone behind.” That is the challenge that really faces us if we want to address all the interconnected aspects of the international situation that we have debated today, both globally and here at home. 17:18”
“First, we help each other face the depth of the depravity that has gripped the hard right in all of our countries. To move forward with focus, we must ... understand this simple fact: we are up against an ideology that has given up not only on the premise and promise of liberal democracy but on the livability of our shared world—on its beauty, on its people, on our children, on other species. The forces we are up against have made peace with mass death. They are treasonous to this world and its human and non-human inhabitants.” They finish by saying: “we counter their apocalyptic narratives with a ...”
“Did he meet equality and human rights activists and workers, who face the same thing? Any one of those people or interest groups, knowing the threats that they currently face, would have been privileged to have a meeting with a visiting First Minister. I hope that, in the future, the Scottish Government will place emphasis on the point that, if our relationship with the US is important, that relationship is with its people, particularly those who are in the most vulnerable position in the face of the Trump regime. I will finish with the full version of a quote that I had to curtail in my opening speech. Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor finished their article, which I referred to, with a moment of hope. They ask: “How do we break this apocalyptic fever?”
“That comes in the context of utterly indefensible—morally and economically indefensible—cuts to investment in international aid and development by the UK and other countries. The First Minister said that, during his visit to the US, he did not take the time to meet climate scientists, who are on the receiving end of the Trump regime’s hostility and ideological purge. Did he meet migrant rights organisations? Those are the people who are standing up for those who are being disappeared on US streets and campuses and being deported—even those who have legal protection from deportation—to other countries and, in some cases, put into prison without a trial. Did he meet libraries, universities or independent media outlets, which are also on the receiving end of the ideological purge that is taking place in the US?”
“It is clear from several members’ comments that people understand the critical choice that the UK now faces. I wish that Scotland was able to make that choice for itself, but, at the moment, the UK is faced with making it. Is it going to repair, rebuild and restore its relationship with the European Union—our wider political family of nations? That is our best path forward. It is the best path that Scotland could take, and it is the best path that the UK could take. However, that is not compatible with the continued delusion that kowtowing to Trump can, in some way, serve the country well. Fawning to a bully never works; it will only embolden him. I was pleased that the First Minister drew attention to the Scottish Government’s continued support for international aid.”
“Emma Roddick took the opportunity, using the privilege of taking part in such debates, to introduce issues that no one else had raised. I think that she was the first speaker in the debate to talk about disinformation, misinformation, the growth of conspiracy theories and AI’s role in the creation and dissemination of such material. As we debated in Emma Roddick’s recent members’ business debate, AI has both positive and negative implications. However, the unregulated rush to the development of that technology and its unregulated, disruptive application is clearly operating in the interests of the few and seeking to sow division, as well as being projected to use an extraordinary amount of energy, which ties the issue back to the climate crisis.”
“I regret that, although this Parliament has never been restricted from debating reserved matters, and even local councils are not restricted from debating UK and global matters, some members of this Parliament seem to think that we should not be doing so. The opportunity to make contributions to debates on such matters is a privilege that everyone who serves in the Parliament has, but I fear that some Tory MSPs appear to treat that privilege with contempt. I started by mentioning Karen Adam’s speech, which drew attention to the impact of far-right propaganda that is beginning to take root in her community. I see the same happening in Glasgow—first online and then, beyond that, out in the real world. I have no doubt that it is growing in many other parts of the country.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: We now come to closing speeches. 17:11 Patrick Harvie: It is a pleasure to follow the closing speaker in the open debate, as she clearly understands the reason why we are having this debate. I am afraid that far too many members have questioned that and simply do not understand the relevance of the issue that has been brought to the chamber today. The First Minister said, in masterful understatement, that the debate would raise issues that have implications for our communities. It is clear that the implications of those issues are deep, widespread and extremely troubling. I find it easy to see justification for the debate.”
“Very often, the politics of division tells us to look at the wrong 1 per cent and to believe that someone else’s survival is the reason for our suffering. It is a lie, it is cruel, and we must always reject it. I end with a plea to my constituents. This is where it starts: not in government but in our communities. It starts in fear, in rumour and in blame. If you hear a rumour online, please come and talk to me. There is no such thing as a silly question, and you will not be judged. I can help you check the facts and get you sources. Let us be vigilant against those who seek to use the suffering of our most vulnerable for their own ends. It starts with fear, it starts with rumour, and it starts with blame. However, it can end with courage, it can end with truth, and it can end with compassion.”
“It did not begin with violence; it began with division, mistrust and disinformation. We must be alert when seeing such posts and hearing such rumours. Who is pitting one vulnerable group against another, and for what purpose? It is a disgrace, it is disgusting and it must be called out for what it is. I support the Scottish Government’s clear stance against the international rise of the far right. We are right to stand up for peace, democracy and international law; we are right to invest in humanitarian aid; and we are right to speak out for those without a voice in Gaza and Ukraine— wherever the rise of hate rears its head. History will judge us, not just on how we responded to global crises, but on whether we defended democracy in our own communities and whether we stood up for human rights here in Scotland.”
“The individuals who are affected by that, and their families, are terrified about what may happen to them. People are left confused, anxious and afraid. Rumours have started as a result of unscrupulous people stating, “They are taking the housing,” with “they” being asylum seekers. The blame is not laid on those cutting the services; it lands on the most marginalised. One vulnerable group is pitted against another—it is a vile tactic. It starts with fear; it starts with rumour; and it starts with blame. We have seen where that leads. In the 1930s, Jewish people were portrayed as greedy and getting more than their fair share. It was a manipulation of public perception. The lies were repeated for long enough until people believed them, and we know where that ended.”
“I am deeply concerned about what I am beginning to see trying to take root in my constituency of Banffshire and Buchan Coast. I have witnessed a growing wave of intentionally planted hostility online, but it is bleeding into conversations offline and working its way into my surgeries. That hostility is being directed at people who are already marginalised. I have noticed that the noise is getting louder, more confident and more organised—it is strategic and deliberate. When people are hurting and when services are stripped away, fear rushes in and opportunists pour their poison. It starts with fear; it starts with rumour; and it starts with blame. In my constituency, the council proposes to close day centres for people with learning disabilities and is discussing shutting down sheltered housing.”
“Slavoj Žižek, the Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic, once said: “The task today is to link struggles which appear separate and local, to show how they are part of the same global process.” He said that in the context of rising global inequality and political unrest, arguing that, if we fail to see the connection between what is happening across the world and what is happening in our communities, we risk misunderstanding both. That quote is very powerful because, when we talk about the international situation, we often speak in far-off terms about wars in other lands, authoritarian regimes and political instability, but we must recognise that those crises do not only happen somewhere else; they reach us and echo throughout our society, and they are repeated and replicated right here at home, in our communities and on our doorsteps.”
“Stephen Kerr: I think that that means that I will sit down. The Deputy Presiding Officer: That is one way to do it. Thank you, Mr Kerr. 16:07”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: Mr Kerr, you need to bring your remarks to a close, please. Stephen Kerr: As of 2024, only 11 miles had been dualled. Let me talk about the international situation. The Deputy Presiding Officer: In concluding your remarks, Mr Kerr. Stephen Kerr: No one is calling Bute house for advice. The idea that foreign leaders are queuing up to learn from the SNP Government is pure delusion. If they are calling it at all, it is to ask how it all went so wrong. The answer is this—a Government that is obsessed with image over substance, a Parliament that is distracted from its purpose and a politics that values posture over performance. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Mr Kerr, please conclude your remarks. I have been generous, but please conclude now, otherwise we will move directly to the next speaker.”
“On that metric—domestic business investment— Scotland ranks 34th out of 35 OECD countries. That is second from the bottom. Only Cyprus fares worse. Scotland’s employment rate sits at 73.5 per cent, which is below the UK average of 75 per cent. We now rank below Portugal, Spain and Poland. Ministers talk about attracting investors, but they will not talk about the growing number of businesses that struggle to start or survive. Productivity remains low, confidence remains flat and child poverty persists. When it comes to transport, few scandals match the ferry fiasco. The Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa ferries, which were ordered in 2015 for £97 million, are expected to cost more than £300 million. Let us consider the A9. In 2007, the SNP promised to dual the road by 2025, but not a single new mile was delivered between 2017 and 2022.”