Michelle Thomson
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“We cannot lose sight of the human stories behind that—there has been not just uncertainty but financial worry and a loss of confidence in what should be their safest space: their home.”
“Even though section 104 orders are commonplace, like others, I remain unconvinced by the UK Government’s reasoning. It is a sober reminder that power devolved is power retained. I caution those who believe that, should the bill pass, the choice that they hope for will be immediately and seamlessly available.”
“Willie Rennie: I understand some of the changes that have been made, and I welcome some of the ones that have been introduced, but the issue is still incredibly sensitive. We do not yet have the investment that the changes are designed to bring. That is why acting carefully must be the first priority.”
“To that end, I thank the minister for the Government’s acceptance of my amendment 15. First-time buyers already face significant barriers, and it would have been unfair for the levy to have created further obstacles. I am grateful to colleagues and the minister for ensuring that fairness is at the centre of the legislation.”
“On the other side, we are reminded by philosophers such as Marcus Düwell that “in the concept of human dignity questions about the role of humanity, the rights of individuals, and the structure of our normative social and political orders are interconnected.” In essence, we confront a profound fault line between two fundamental considerat…”
“I will start my short remarks by popping in the intervention that I hoped to make on Willie Rennie. I hope that he will join me in my calls for an adjustment to the fiscal framework to remove the ridiculous limits on the Scottish Government’s capital borrowing powers, because that is a fundamental aspect of being able to improve our infra…”
The complete record
Every one of 425 lines we hold for Michelle Thomson, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 9.
“There is significant evidence to suggest that our net zero ambitions are at serious risk unless we have a better focus on mobilising the commitment and talents of women in all areas of policy making, leadership and action. Research shows that women are more committed than men to recognising the need to reach net zero, despite being sidelined in many aspects of the work that is required. At the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP26—which was held in Scotland in 2021, climate change in relation to gender equality was one of the topics that were discussed. A coalition of women’s groups called for women to play a greater role, yet in 2025, we must still repeat those calls. Perhaps because of that, some positive actions are being taken in Scotland, such as those taken by Scottish Renewables.”
“To ask the Scottish Government how the additional £34 million allocated to culture and heritage in its draft budget will assist in the preservation of any small, yet key, Scottish heritage sites under threat of closure, such as Kinneil museum in the Falkirk East constituency. (S6O-04234)”
“Given the site’s strategic importance and the fact that it represents a totality that is bigger than any one body, pulling in its heritage significance, scale, potential, local socioeconomic benefit and community value requires a pooling of thoughts and minds. Traditionally, with buildings like Kinneil, we have seen that individual bodies—for example, the local council—do not have the necessary totality of sight. I am interested, therefore, in hearing the cabinet secretary’s reflections on my suggestion that the house may be an ideal candidate for the culture and heritage fund. 16:04”
“Once the seat of the Hamilton family, it has been saved from demolition, in particular in 1936, and is now under the care of Historic Environment Scotland. The grounds in which the house is located are a valuable asset for both locals and visitors, and the Kinneil museum, which is ably promoted by the Friends of Kinneil, serves as both a comfort station and a valuable resource for learning more about the cultural contribution of Kinneil house. That brings me to my main observation. It is vital that the site overall continues to be supported, which needs to involve a multitude of key stakeholders such as Historic Environment Scotland and Falkirk Council.”
“We have to recognise that the UK economy is deeply in trouble when we look at the issues around bond yields and Government gilts. It continues to be a very difficult environment for artists. I will highlight another area that is not mentioned in the motion, but which we need to keep alive to: the potential impact of generative artificial intelligence on musicians. That is a concern that I am hearing more and more; we see different legislatures around the world attempting to contain it but with very limited effect, given the scale of movement in the area. Finally, I will make some remarks in respect of my constituency of Falkirk East. Kinneil house is a magnificent, and truly historic, building located in Bo’ness.”
“At every meeting, and in every interaction, that I have with artists or organisations, they tell me about the on-going and sustained impact on their fundamental ability to take their excellence—the excellence that represents Scotland—to a global stage. UK Music’s annual economic report, “This Is Music 2024”, which was delivered just at the end of last year, said that “Brexit has been a catastrophe” for the sector, with artists still seeing “fewer invites to perform in the EU” and swathes of “red tape” when playing on the continent. A much more ambitious plan is needed to ensure that the UK keeps pace with the intensifying global competition. The current UK Government states that it is “going for growth”, but at the same time, it is continuing to fail to recognise the damage that is done by Brexit.”
“I also learned about sales, which—ironically—led me into a future career in business. I learned about self-discipline, and willingly gave up hours of every single day to practise, even through my teenage years when other areas—as members can imagine—held considerable appeal. Nevertheless, whatever I do, I remain fast to my love of music. At this point, I make another shameless plug to new members of our Scottish Parliament. I started a choir so that we could sing with a thousand voices, not just in debates, so if any member ever wants to join the choir, they can speak to me later. More seriously, the wider economic environment is critical to ensuring the success of the entire sector, and I make no apology for bringing up Brexit again.”
“The cabinet secretary described it as a foundational change, and I agree with him—it is really important. I declare more than an interest in the arts, in particular in music, as I arguably owe to my degree from what is now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland every single subsequent element of my career. Before the value of so-called meta skills became commonly appreciated, I was, even at that early stage, aware of the fact that I was learning so much more than just competence in my chosen instruments. I learned how to perform, which stands me in good stead in this place; I can see many other members in the chamber today who have learned the basic skills of drama. Making my living as a jobbing pianist brought the importance of running a small business to the fore—understanding cash flow and legal contracts, and my unique selling points.”
“I am pleased with the continued commitment from the Scottish Government and I am pleased that the will of the cabinet secretary has prevailed— despite, I am sure, many competing pressures. It has already been stated, but it is worth stating again that the Scottish Government is halfway to reaching its five-year commitment to that recurring £100 million increase. [Interruption.] Sorry, but facts need to be put on the table. The SNP Government’s draft budget is a clear statement of intent for Scotland’s arts and culture sector. There is £34 million of additional funding for culture, with £22 million of that for maintenance projects, uplifts for Screen Scotland, Sistema Scotland, the youth music initiative and the festivals expo, and the reinstatement of the culture collective.”
“I move amendment S6M-16092.2, to leave out from second “welcomes” to end and insert: “acknowledges the scale of the crisis that the culture sector has been suffering over a number of years; notes that the Scottish Government has not held a debate on support for the culture sector in the current parliamentary session until now; welcomes the intention to increase the culture budget by £34 million in 2025-26, following the record budget settlement of £47.7 billion to the Scottish Government from the UK Labour administration; notes the observation by the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee that the culture sector’s ‘confidence remains low due to the lack of clarity from the Scottish Government regarding its priorities for the additional investment’, and believes that Scotland’s cultural communities must be supported to continue to develop and innovate in exhibition, performance and participation in Scotland’s artistic life.” 15:26”
“People who care about Scotland’s culture sector should not have had to campaign so vociferously and fight to get the funding that was pledged to them, but they had to do that. When they do not have to do so, the Scottish Government can say that it values and supports Scotland’s culture sector.”
“Indeed, it has not just been two years—there have been 18 years of overpromising and underdelivering by the SNP. We have a culture sector that is in crisis: festivals have gone, theatres have shut their doors, nearly 100 libraries have closed, historic buildings such as the former territorial army building in Paisley are being demolished, and children and young people are not getting the opportunities that they deserve. To sum it all up, this week, just 11 days before Burns night, we were told by the Scottish Qualifications Authority that interest in our national bard, Robert Burns, is on the wane in our schools. The move to downgrade Burns from higher English is a slight on Scottish culture. This does not look like a Government that values culture.”
“The sector has faced a constant cycle of promises followed by cuts. Despite the planned funding increase, cultural organisations cannot be fully certain that they will receive it, because promised funding has failed to materialise promptly in previous financial years, including the current one. In December 2022, John Swinney announced a £6.6 million cut to Creative Scotland’s budget. In February 2023, after pressure, he reinstated it, but the very same cut was reimposed in September 2023. We heard more promises one month later, but in August 2024, Creative Scotland closed the open fund due to uncertainty over its funding from the Scottish Government. There were more than two years of the Scottish Government causing anxiety by doing the hokey cokey on culture funding, so no wonder that confidence remains low.”
“For example, the highly successful Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock, which raised 70 per cent of its own income, is just one organisation that is looking for clarity and says that an uplift in its funding will be “crucial to ensuring the survival of the Beacon for future generations and delivering their ambitions.” That includes creating new posts, expanding its programme and supporting the work of emerging artists. My colleagues Foysol Choudhury, Colin Smyth, Michael Marra and Paul Sweeney will all raise issues relating to their local areas in their speeches this afternoon. The Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee has recognised that “confidence remains low” in the sector because of that uncertainty, and trust still needs to be rebuilt because of the SNP Government’s actions.”
“As Murdo Fraser also highlighted, reassurances are needed regarding stronger safeguards after the scandal of public funds being wrongly awarded by Creative Scotland to the sexually explicit film project, Rein. In yesterday’s The Scotsman, an article by Brian Ferguson summarised significant concern that Creative Scotland “will be forced to spread the jam really thinly” when funding decisions are made, because the cabinet secretary has wished for “the maximum number of artistic organisations to receive the funding.” Clearly, everyone wants more organisations to be supported, but the Government and Creative Scotland need to provide clarity on how the additional budget will affect organisations that have been on standstill funding.”
“Keith Brown: Will the member take an intervention? Neil Bibby: I am sorry—I will not take one just now. The Musicians Union, in its briefing for today’s debate, rightly raised the issue of how money is allocated, saying that “Increased funding must also drive the delivery of fair work for the creative industries, with funding for the arts providing a key mechanism to achieve this through more robust funding conditionality.” Given the cabinet secretary’s earlier remarks, I hope that we make progress towards that point. As Murdo Fraser said, the Music Venue Trust has raised concerns about the lack of support for larger music venues, such as the Voodoo Rooms, which is in the cabinet secretary’s constituency.”
“Anne Lyden, who is the director general of National Galleries of Scotland, warned Parliament last week that “it is very welcome that additional funding is coming to culture, but it is quite simply too little, too late. That is why we still find ourselves in a state of precarity.” We often hear that the crisis facing the sector is a result of the pandemic. Ms Lyden was also right when she said: “I do not think that we are still recovering from Covid; we are recovering from before Covid. Year on year, adequate funding has not been coming in.”—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 9 January 2025; c 8.] There is no need for the Scottish Government or the cabinet secretary to pat themselves on the back and say, “Everything is hunky-dory.” Those are not the only concerns that exist—there are many more.”
“I, too, celebrate the increase in funding from the Scottish Government. Will Neil Bibby reflect on the continued, sustained and disproportionate impact of Brexit across our entire arts and culture sector? As I hear time and again in my capacity as convener of the cross-party group on music, it is really hurting. Is Neil Bibby prepared to come out in favour of arts organisations, given the damage of Brexit? The Deputy Presiding Officer: I will give you the time back, Mr Bibby. Neil Bibby: I was not going to mention Brexit in this speech, but Ms Thomson has raised it, and there are issues relating to Brexit that the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee is considering in trying to improve the Brexit deal that we have—ensuring that there are more visas for touring artists, for example. I return to the budget.”
“I am not proposing some new massive data-gathering industry, but I think that a move to utilising more open Government data would provide the basis for rapid acceleration of improvements, particularly when linked with artificial intelligence and technology. That is vital. I note that the proposals for an updated NPF has “Equality and Human Rights” as one of its national outcomes. That seems to me to be inviting potential conflict, given that equality is a collective, society-wide outcome and could be set against individual-based human rights. As Professor Rowan Cruft observed in his time for reflection, human rights matter because they mean that “the individual must not be sacrificed for the sake of society.”—[Official Report, 17 September 2024; c 1.] That is another area that it would be beneficial to bear in mind. 16:17”
“If the NPF is to enable effective policy decisions, it must be underpinned by effective data collection—I think that the cabinet secretary already knows that that is an interest of mine. An issue for the Scottish Government is that it neither holds nor controls all the data that it needs for proper policy development. Indeed, we need look only to our recent discussions about the two-child cap to see that. The committee report also highlights concerns about the lack of disaggregated data from the equality impact assessment to enable a more gendered NPF and to interrogate the complexities of an intersectional approach.”
“I also point out that, based on his recent research with Carnegie UK, Dr Max French noted in his submission to the joint committee consultation that “We could not find a single case where the National Outcomes and Indicators were actively used (not just passively referenced/aligned to) in the design, appraisal or evaluation of a Scottish Government national policy or strategy.” I would therefore like to ask the Government two questions. First, how is the NPF used to inform discussions in Cabinet and elsewhere in Government? Secondly, how will the Government ensure that the NPF is always taken into account in policy decisions? It is only through the use of the NPF in informing decision making that its potential value might be realised, otherwise there is no point to it.”
“In its submission, the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland highlighted that the proposed national outcomes and the wider NPF do not include any references to the values of democracy and participation beyond the value of acting in an open and transparent way. It described that as a “major omission”. Arguably, even a few months ago, we could not have imagined that we might need to make space, perhaps following the statement of purpose, to include wording along the lines of “At all times, we shall act to protect the values of democracy, such as free speech and the right of assembly, and ensure that our laws and justice system provide robust guarantees for a democratic society”, but perhaps that is where we are.”
“Michelle Thomson: Of course I accept that, but I have tried to explain that we cannot give up at the first hurdle and simply say that we will just reduce it, because, frankly, that does not encapsulate boldness and ambition. We are setting not only the Government’s agenda but the country’s agenda. That is why I would happily keep us aligned with the UN SDGs and be ambitious. I hope that that answers the member’s question. I want to make a few comments about the importance of democracy. We are looking with increased concern at proxy actors in our geopolitics and, closer to home, at attempts to influence our politics by unelected billionaires.”
“I also share the concerns about the language and ambition around poverty. Making reducing poverty an objective might well be politically pragmatic, but it stops well short of the ambition that I believe that we should be showing—as encapsulated by the First Minister—to eradicate poverty. We have heard a huge range of the committee’s views in the debate thus far, so I will limit my remarks to some points that intrigued me and which are, I hope, different from those that have already been made. John Mason: In an ideal world, we would all like to completely eradicate poverty, but does the member accept that, frankly, it is impossible to do so?”
“First, let me put on the record how much I value the potential of a national performance framework. If done right, it should be a bold, audacious, visionary and ambitious document, to which all our efforts aspire, even though we should be in the full knowledge that perfection can never be attained. However, it is fair to say that that is not where we are. The convener and others have talked about purpose. The proposed wording has moved from including “sustainable and inclusive economic growth” to the somewhat bland “To improve the wellbeing of people living in Scotland now and in the future”. If we were to put that wording to the test with a multitude of stakeholders, we would get a multitude of answers. There is perhaps merit in being all things to all people, but it does not exactly fill me with confidence.”