The Scottish Parliament

'The Scottish Parliament's Presiding Officer possibly faces questions in the Chamber from members of the Scottish Parliament after MSPs expressed 'surprise and shock' at the extent to which he plays an active role as a Liberal Democrat in the Lords. His colleagues in the House of Lords pointed out that it was worth his while to 'pop into the Lords' for, as well as having his return air fare between Scotland and London paid, he would, like other members of the House of Lords, be entitled to claim daily expenses of £149.' Catherine Macleod in the Herald, 28 th January 2000.

About the Scottish Parliament

The first elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament were held on Thursday 6 th May 1999. Elections to the 32 mainland and island local authorities were held on the same day. The next elections to the Scottish Parliament will be held on the first Thursday of May 2003.

129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) were be elected.

• 73 of these were elected by the 'first past the post' method - one from each of the current Westminster constituencies, with Orkney & Shetland each electing a MSP.
  
• 56 MSPs were elected by a form of proportional representation called the additional member system - 7 additional MSPs were elected for each region. These regions are based on the 8 current European Parliamentary constituencies (which are due to be abolished in 1999 when Scotland will form a single 8 member constituency).

A freephone number 08000 274727 was made available for questions about about the new Scottish Parliament.

A study of how the new voting system might work was commissioned by ICM for Scotland on Sunday in May 1999.

The importance of the second vote and how it will work has been pointed out by Robbie Dinwoodie and Murray Ritchie of the Herald.

Donald Gorrie MP has pointed out the importance of Open Government in the new Scottish Parliament and Tanya Thomsom has discussed the future role, if any, of the monarchy.

Regrettably, the Scottish Parliament suffered from attacks by wreckers even before the first elections took place.

First amongst these wreckers is the London Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Antony Charles Lynton Blair, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service, who is insisting upon axing more than a score of members of the Scottish parliament.

The Holyrood members of Parliament are also to be paid considerably less than those who will swan about the corridors and bars of the Westminster parliament. This is despite the fact that due to the amount of devolved affairs Scottish MPs will have a considerably higher workload than their Westminster counterparts. It is thought that the lower salary for Scottish MPs has been proposed for two main reasons : Firstly to emphaise the fact that London Labour views the Westminster parliament as superiour. And secondly to encourage good candidates to stand for Westminster. It is believed that the government fears that Holyrood is currently siphoning off the best of Scottish political talent and that Westminster will be left with all the dross.

More serious is the planned massacre of Scottish MPs by Blair and the London Labour party. During the Great Debate, Doddie Robertson, the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland reaffirmed Labour's promise not to reduce the number of Scottish seats at Westminster and claimed that he would be 'honoured' to stand for the Scottish Parliament. Honoured indeed! Unsurprisingly, both promises have been broken. Doddie Robertson prefers to stay at Westminster, while as a fop to Tam Dalyell's West Lothian Question, the number of Scottish Westminster Parliamentary seats are to be reduced.

While reducing Scotland's overrepresentation at Westminister could be justified - an ideal number of MPs to send south might be zero - what possible logic can there be for reducing Scotland's representation in Scotland? Certainly, the Secretary of State for Scotland can see none.

However, Tony Blair has personally over-ruled an appeal from Donald Dewar to protect the number of MSPs who will sit at Holyrood. Instead, up to 21 MSPs could find themselves axed on the orders of someone who is as out of touch with the Scottish people as his great admirer Baroness Thatcher was before him.

The Liberal Democrats have once again been duped by Labour - Jim Wallace, believing that he had a deal with ministers, withdrew an amendment on MSP numbers after Scottish Devolution Minister Henry McLeish promised that the Government would consider changing the bill.

Labour's previous leader, the late John Smith could not have been more different from Tony Blair. He was highly respected both by his own party and his political opponents and went on record saying a Scottish Parliament was:

However, much has changed since the days of John Smith. Tony Blair has returned to the policies of Neil Kinnock, who when asked why he had not mentioned one word about Scottish devolution in his speech as party leader at a Scottish Labour Party conference, contemptiously replied:

The undemocratic, dictatorial and anti-Scottish actions of the present Labour Prime Minister are totally consistent with the Blair philosophy, which in comparison makes Margaret Thatcher look like Scotland's fairy godmother. The Claim of Right, confirming the sovereignty of the Scottish people, was signed in 1989 by every Scottish Labour MP with the exception of Tam Dalyell. Mr Blair has treated the Claim of Right with total contempt, asserting:

In notorious interviews when Mr Blair described Scottish political journalists as 'unreconstructed wankers' he also likened the Scottish Parliament to a 'Parish Council'.

Following a precedent in tobacco advertising, it is believed that the Prime Minister's decision to cut the number of MSPs could be reversed should a donor be found who is willing to provide £1,000,000 for Labour party funds.

Or then again, we could simply wait until May 1999.

And send him homewards, tae think again!