Women from across Scotland are being invited to attend an event at the Scottish Parliament which aims to inspire them to get involved in politics.
Elect Her, in partnership with the Scottish Parliament, is organising a day to celebrate women in political power on Saturday 24 June and is calling on women from all ages and backgrounds from across Scotland to apply to be part of it.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Moray, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and South Ayrshire have some of the lowest rates of women participating in politics and women from these areas in particular are encouraged to join us.
Rt. Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament said: “The Parliament has made good progress on equal representation, but we can’t take anything for granted and there is still much more to do.
“We need women across Scotland to join us to learn from and inspire one another to become politically engaged and active.
“Only by inspiring and engaging those who would never have thought politics was for them will we create a more equal distribution of political power across all levels in Scotland.”
Hannah Stevens, Chief Executive of Elect Her said: “We are really excited to be returning to the Scottish Parliament on 24th June, following the success of our event in 2019. If we want our democracy to truly work for all people in Scotland, we need women in all of their diversity represented across every sphere of politics.
“We’re not short of women who care and are working for change in Scotland, and it’s these women we need in the corridors of power. We’re hoping you’ll join us at Scotland’s Women GatHER to explore your role in Scotland’s democracy, come together in celebration with fellow women to discover how we can lead the change in politics.”
The day will consist of a programme of free workshops and activities as well as hearing from stories of women already in elected office. For those unable to travel, there will also be regional hubs based across Scotland and online workshops to enable women from across the country to take part remotely.
The event comes on the back of the publication of the Gender Sensitive Audit which aims to increase representation and participation of women in the Scottish Parliament.
Campaign group Scotland Matters has erected another billboard calling for voters to vote tactically for Anas Sarwar and oust Nicola Sturgeon from her Glasgow Southside constituency.
The billboard is part of a wider tactical voting campaign backing Anas Sarwar in Ms Sturgeon’s seat. Thousands of voters in the Southside constituency have also been reached with paid-for social media posts.
The new image is entitled “Education not Separation” and focuses on the SNP’s ‘failed education policies’.
Scotland Matters, the Electoral Commission-registered campaign group, was also instrumental in the #ResignSturgeon billboards along with The Majority and UK Union Voice, and additional billboards in Inverclyde calling for the SNP to concentrate on “Vaccination and not Separation”.
Allan Sutherland, Scotland Matters Director and spokesman, said: “This is the second in a series of billboards we will be erecting across Scotland in support of pro-UK parties and their candidates.
“Scotland needs to focus on what matters: health, jobs, education, and housing; not separation and we urge people to vote tactically for the pro-UK candidates most likely to best the SNP/Green candidate and avoid splitting the vote.”
This is the first time in British history that two party political leaders have gone head-to-head in a constituency in a major election. Scotland Matters are working to encourage and help pro-UK parties to get the SNP/Greens out of Government in the 2021 Holyrood elections and are advocates of tactical voting to achieve this.
Scotland Matters believes that many ‘No’ voters will back Anas following a YouGov survey showing 550,000 voters across Scotland are considering voting tactically against the SNP. That is around 22% of the Scottish electorate.
According to research by the Electoral Commission, 24% of Scots tactically voted in the 2017 General Election resulting in 21 SNP MPs losing their seats.
Mr Sutherland added: “If we can persuade five percent of voters to vote tactically in the constituency part of the Holyrood Elections there is every chance many SNP constituency seats will fall. As our YouGov poll showed, there is a growing determination among pro-UK people to tactically vote against the SNP.”
It’s early days, but it does seem that this Holyrood election – just like the last – is being turned into one-issue Union vs Independence choice all over again …
Scottish Labour and the Liberal Democrats have rebuffed a Conservative invite to work together to defeat the independence movement.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1375542962029989892
The offer was launched in the wake of Friday’s announcement of the formation of the new Alba Party, to be led by fomer First Minister Alex Salmond.
The new party aims to deliver a ‘supermajority’ for independence in May’s Holyrood elections.
The Scottish Conservatives said: “Labour have refused our offer to work with pro-UK parties against the new threat of an independence super-majority. They’re in coalition with the SNP in six councils. They abstained in the vote against Nicola Sturgeon. They supported the SNP’s Hate Crime Bill.
“You can’t trust them to stand up to the nationalists anymore.”
Rejecting the Tory offer, Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “We deserve better than your desperate attempts to take us back to old arguments and the politics of the past.
“In case you hadn’t noticed Scotland is in the middle of a pandemic.
“This election is not some kind of game, it is about focussing on a national recovery.
“This election cannot be about an SNP psychodrama. It cannot be about Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond settling old scores. And it cannot be about your petty agenda of game playing.
This election must be about the people of Scotland, their families and a national recovery.
“As you have recognised yourself, one of the largest threats to the Union is the leader of your own party.
“Scotland has had enough of divisive politics which you and Nicola Sturgeon share. Both you and the SNP want to waste time and energy on the imagined conflicts that divide us.
“But in Scotland, child poverty has risen – and was rising before the pandemic hit.
“This is among countless issues where the blame lies at the feet of both your party in Westminster and the SNP at Holyrood.
“A heartbreaking example of how the obsession with past disagreements fails people today.
“Rather than entertain your latest desperate plea for attention, I am focusing our energy on what matters – guaranteeing a fairer recovery and a stronger Scotland.
“Scotland deserves a better government and – as your letter demonstrates – it deserves a better opposition.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat campaign chair Alistair Carmichael MP said: “Lib Dems will work with others to deliver a constructive and ambitious plan for recovery but Douglas Ross’s politics are far too dark and divisive.
“We will focus on winning seats and ensuring that the next government is focused on putting the recovery first, not independence.
“As a football referee Douglas Ross has a knack for uniting the fans of opposing teams. As a party leader he seems to do the exact opposite.”
TheScottish Government says lessons will be learned from the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints, following the publication yesterday of the parliamentary inquiry’s report.
Responding to the findings of the Committee on the Scottish Government’s Handling of Harassment Complaints (SGHHC), Deputy First Minister John Swinney said it was clear that the women who had raised complaints had been let down.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “I welcome the report of the Committee, which, alongside the independent report produced by James Hamilton and externally led review by Laura Dunlop QC, will assist the Scottish Government’s in learning lessons for the future.
“I also welcome the Committee’s acknowledgement that the Scottish Government was motivated by doing the right thing – creating a culture and procedure for investigating any claims of harassment.
“I agree with the Committee’s finding that James Hamilton’s report is the most appropriate place to address the question of whether or not the First Minister breached the Ministerial Code. He found there was no breach.
“The Scottish Government has acknowledged that it made mistakes and that these led to the Judicial Review being conceded, and I know that this had a real, and damaging, impact for the women who raised the complaints. We have apologised for this and we do so unreservedly again today.
“I remain absolutely determined that the Scottish Government should ensure this does not happen again and that together we create a culture where these behaviours do not arise.
“Given the timing of the report it is not possible to respond fully and in detail, not least because the three reports have overlapping areas of interest, and some recommendations are in conflict with those in other reports.
“Together, all three reports highlight a range of important issues and provide the basis for improvement work which now be taken forward in consultation with others including the Parliament, Trades Unions, and those with lived experience.
“The Scottish Government will carefully consider the recommendations from the Committee, alongside the other two review reports, in order to put improvements and an implementation plan in place.”
Mr Swinney chose not to address the committee’s contention that the First Minister mislead parliament, referring instead to Mr Hamilton’s findings.
But the Hamilton report clearly states: “It is for the Scottish Parliament to decide whether they were in fact misled”.
The committee DID decide … and found the First Minister guilty.
Mr Hamilton also expressed ‘deep frustration’ at redactions made to his report.
In a note accompanying the published report he stated: “A redacted report that effectively erases the role of any such individual in the matters investigated in the report cannot be understood by those reading it, and presents an incomplete and even at times misleading version of what happened.
“It is therefore impossible to give an accurate description of some of the relevant events dealth with in the report while at the same time complying with the court orders.
“I am deeply frustrated that applicable court orders will have the effect of preventing the full publication of a report which fulfils my remit and which I believe it would be in the public interest to publish.”
The Conservatives, the biggest opposition party at Holyrood, initiated a vote of No Confidence in the First Minister, but with the Greens supporting the government – and both Labour and the Lib Dems abstaining – the Tory motion was doomed to failure.
Nicola Sturgeon will face her final First Minister’s Questions session of this parliament later today; I wonder what the questions will be about!
Then, the next test comes in six weeks time when Scotland goes to the polls in the Holyrood elections.
Local candidate welcomes Scottish Government taking over Scotrail
Edinburgh Western SNP candidate Sarah Masson has welcomed the announcement that the SNP Scottish Government is taking over the running of the country’s rail franchise.
ScotRail services will move into public sector control when the current franchise with Abellio expires – expected to happen in March 2022.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson announced that rail services will be run by an arm’s length company owned and controlled by the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Government’s decision to run our railways through what it known as the ‘Operator of Last Resort’ has been shaped by a number of factors, including faults with the current franchising system, uncertainty from a year-long delay in the UK Government’s rail review and the effects of the Covid pandemic.
Commenting on the announcement Sarah Masson, SNP candidate for Edinburgh Western, said: “This bold move by the SNP Scottish Government will bring welcome stability and certainty to those who use our railway for work and leisure, both in Edinburgh and across the country.
“And the news that current ScotRail staff will transfer to the new Scottish Government owned company, with their terms and conditions protected, will also provide much-needed security to those who rely on our railways for their livelihoods.
“The SNP have long argued that the future structure of Scottish railways should be in Scotland’s hands. It’s well beyond time that the Tory UK Government listened and devolved rail powers to Holyrood.
“However, this move is both bold and welcome and will ensure Scotland’s rail users are provided with the well-run, affordable and reliable service we rightly expect.”
Over 8,500 blind and partially sighted people and their supporters across Scotland have been urged to join a concerted drive to contact their local candidates for the Scottish Parliament election in May.
The move comes after a year of lockdowns which sight loss charity RNIB Scotland says has exacerbated the issues that have made life more difficult for those with a visual impairment
It is linking people on its database to an online system that will let them quickly find and email the election candidates standing in their area.
“Covid highlighted some serious gaps in our services last year, gaps that were troubling enough in normal times but very alarming during a period of crisis,” said director James Adams.
“Vital information that sometimes wasn’t available initially in formats like audio and braille, access to online shopping, confusion over social distancing and guiding – not priorities for most people, perhaps, but absolutely essential to those who are blind and partially sighted.
“We want to mobilise our members and supporters to push their concerns onto the political agenda.”
In its own manifesto for the election, RNIB Scotland is calling for sight loss issues to be given more priority – not least a commitment that voting itself will be made more accessible for blind and partially people.
Research by RNIB last year found that only 13 per cent of one blind voters across the UK, and less than half of partially sighted voters (44 per cent), said they were able to vote independently and in private in the last General Election. A legal ruling in 2019 criticised existing arrangements for voters with sight loss as ‘a parody of the electoral process’.
The RNIB Scotland manifesto also calls for emotional support for people first diagnosed with sight loss, more specialist teachers in schools, disability benefits that better recognise the needs of blind and partially sighted people, and support in finding employment.
The charity wants an assurance, too, that the new post-covid emphasis on ‘active travel’ – which could see the legalisation of rented e-scooters – doesn’t infringe on the rights of people with disabilities to go safely outdoors.
“After the shock that was covid in 2020 we need to make our society safer and more resilient,” said Mr Adams. “But let’s grab this opportunity to make it fairer, too. Covid gave us all a sense of what it’s like to feel more vulnerable and unsure, more dependent on each other.
“Scotland should plan for more than just a return to yesterday in 2021 but aim towards a better tomorrow. Let’s make sure that the society and structures that we do at last come back to are open and inclusive for everyone.”
* The RNIB Helpline can be called on 0303 123 9999. The RNIB Scotland website is at www.rnib.org.uk/scotland.
Yesterday The Majority, with the support of Scotland Matters, UK Union Voice and over 250 donors who contributed to a crowdfunding campaign, launched the #ResignSturgeon campaign, the first in a series of campaigns leading up to the Scottish Elections on May 6.
The campaign started with :
Three digital billboards
Glasgow – Clydeside Expressway (access near Lidl on Castlebank St)
Edinburgh – Slateford Road (next to Jewson)
Aberdeen – Market Street (at Union Square)
A #ResignSturgeon banner towed behind an aeroplane flying over:
The Scottish Parliament Building in Holyrood and Edinburgh City Centre
Glasgow City Centre and Finnieston Crane area
The campaign is a message to Nicola Sturgeon to ‘take responsibility for her Government’s catastrophic handling of the Alex Salmond Harassment Inquiry, which cost the taxpayer well over £500,000 in damages to Salmond plus hundreds of thousands of pounds more in Scottish Government legal fees, as well as the cost of the ongoing inquiry’.
The group says Nicola Sturgeon hasn’t taken responsibility: ‘She has not fired anyone. The whole of Scotland is talking about her collusion, corruption and cover-up, instead of health, education and jobs. She must resign so the country can move on.’
The campaign message — #ResignSturgeon— is part of an ongoing grassroots hashtag campaign on Twitter that has had hundreds of thousands of retweets and responses and regularly appears on Twitter’s ‘trending’ lists of the social network’s most popular hashtags.
The campaign is funded in part by donations to a crowdfunder, run by The Majority, that has raised almost £6500 to date. https://donorbox.org/billboard-campaign
Mark Devlin of The Majority: “We represent the silent majority of people in Scotland, who are angry and frustrated by Nicola Sturgeon’s shenanigans bringing international shame on Scotland.
“The Scottish public deserve a Parliament and First Minister above reproach and want the Scottish Government to focus on health, education, jobs and the pandemic.
“Instead we have a First Minister misleading parliament, breaking the ministerial code and withholding information from an inquiry into her government’s unlawful, unfair and biased actions against Alex Salmond, all while totally neglecting her day job.”
Alan Sutherland from Scotland Matters: “We call on the First Minister to do the right thing for Scotland: resign and let us focus on recovery from the pandemic.
“She has done great damage to our country and Parliament’s reputation, here and abroad, by conducting an undignified, very public dispute with her former SNP colleague, while preventing the Salmond enquiry from seeing evidence that is crucial to a proper investigation.”
The Majority says it is Scotland’s leading anti-Nationalist media. Since its founding in June, 2020, it has grown to almost 50,000 social media followers.
It aims to unite Scotland’s anti-Nationalist majority; say NO to IndyRef2; Expose Nationalism as a toxic ideology; Support effective anti-Nationalist politicians; and criticise media appeasement.
COSLA is calling on all political parties to acknowledge the rightful role of Local Government in their manifestos ahead of this year’s Scottish Parliamentary elections.
The organisation, which represents all 32 Councils in Scotland, hopes parties will reference its recently launched Blueprint in their manifestos and make a commitment to its aspirations.
Commenting today, COSLA President Councillor Alison Evison said: “This last year has been like no other, the forthcoming elections to the Scottish Parliament will be like no other and Local Government is the sphere of Government at the heart of our communities like no other.
“The COSLA Blueprint provides a narrative around the kind of country we want, and about the changes that could make a real difference to communities across the country – the election this year offers the chance to make this a reality.
“The value of Local Government can be seen in our response to Covid-19, where Councils have taken decisive action to support communities, people, and businesses.
“For too long now Local Government has been given a poor diet – and that is why we developed the Local Government Blueprint, which is our menu for change that we want to see.
“The new Parliament provides the opportunity for us to reiterate our value – for too long Scottish Local Government has not had its rightful place at the top table.
“Our response during the pandemic has been remarkable, our Communities have appreciated what we have done on their behalf and realise that only Local Government comprises all of the various ingredients that can truly deliver for our communities
“Therefore we call on all parties to make a commitment to the COSLA Local Government Blueprint in their forthcoming Manifestos.”
Ahead of this year’s Scottish Parliament elections, we’ve launched our manifesto, Standing Up for Scotland’s Mental Health, calling for radical action in order to combat a growing mental health crisis in Scotland.
Informed by over 2,500 people across Scotland, many of whom have lived experience of mental health problems, our new manifesto sets out 38 actions to make mental health a national priority.
We want to see real change, as part of this we want to see redoubled efforts on suicide prevention, action now to support children and young people and rapid access to psychological wellbeing support for adults.
In the last twelve months, Scotland has seen its population’s mental health and the mental health systems designed to support it challenged like never before. With these pressures likely to continue well into the next parliamentary term, it makes the current picture on mental health even more concerning:
One in five children referred to specialist mental health services are still being turned away
A quarter of those referred for psychological therapies wait at least four months to be seen
Deaths by suicide have risen over the last two years.
It’s clear that mental health must become a real national priority following the May elections.
Billy Watson, Chief Executive at SAMH said: “Scotland’s mental health deserves better. A growing number of people across the country are facing mental health problems and are struggling to access help. There have been too many promises on mental health and not enough action. With the added pressure brought about by the pandemic, we need a radical new plan.
“We must now, more than ever, see political and government commitment to make mental health a priority. That’s why today SAMH is launching our manifesto, urging the next Scottish Government to put the mental health of the nation first. It’s time to listen to the hopes, fears and needs of people with mental health problems.
“The next Scottish Parliament will see many new MSPs, as well as experienced members returning for a further term. We hope we can rely on each and every one of them to Stand up for Scotland’s Mental Health.”
The Standing Up to Scotland’s Mental Health manifesto reflects the real life experiences of people across Scotland. Stephanie, 19, struggled to access the support she needed through CAMHS.
Stephanie said: “After being put on the waiting list for CAMHS, it was many months before I was contacted and learnt that I’d have to go through a whole process to actually be seen.
“Eventually I ended up being rejected as I was on holiday when the letter came in about arranging my first appointment. There was a deadline that you had to get in contact by to arrange this but because I was away I ended up missing it. I got in touch but the only support and advice they could give was for me to go through the full ordeal again.
“I felt helpless and had no idea what I was supposed to do. I was reaching out which is what they said to do, but I was still being shut down. I was terrified and I didn’t know what was going on. I was thinking, ‘What if I don’t get the help, what will happen to me? Will things get worse?’ – It felt like a really big ball of emotions. The whole referral process just felt exhausting. It took a further toll on my mental health and how I dealt with it in the future, and I became closed off once again.”
The research and experiences which lie at the heart of our new manifesto shows that when people are given the support they need quickly, they can flourish.
After a suicide attempt, Robert, 39, reached out for support. This led him to ‘The Changing Room’, a SAMH project which uses the power of football to get men in their middle years talking about mental health.
Robert said: “Early on I remember thinking I’m worth my place in this group, not only is it helping me feel better but I’m going to be part of making other people in this group feel better. I felt like I was worth a lot, and for a long time I didn’t feel like I was worth much.
“Local community support is so important because shared experiences help, having someone you can relate to from a similar background makes it much more organic.”
“Many people feel isolated when they are having suicidal thoughts, I had family all around me, but I still felt isolated, because no one knew what was going on, so then being around people who understand what you’re going through can really make a big difference.”
To find out more about Standing Up for Scotland’s Mental Health, to read our full manifesto and find out how you can help drive real change for mental health, visit samh.org.uk/standup
“the pandemic has pulled families even deeper into poverty, while many more have been swept into poverty for the first time. A rising tide of child poverty now threatens to overwhelm many in our communities.”
John Dickie, Child Poverty Action Group Scotland
All political parties in Scotland should commit to at least doubling the value of the new Scottish Child Payment to stem the rising tide of child poverty, a coalition of anti-poverty groups, children’s charities and women’s organisations have urged today.
The End Child Poverty coalition in Scotland made the call in A Manifesto for Ending Child Poverty: Our Priorities for the 2021 Scottish Parliament Election, launched today, in which it set out its key asks ahead of the Holyrood elections in May.
While warmly welcoming the new £10 per week per child benefit for low income families – due to begin its roll out for under 6s next month – the manifesto warns that it will not go far enough in helping to meet Scotland’s child poverty reduction targets. By increasing the payment to £20 per week, the coalition say, at least another 20,000 children could be lifted out of poverty.
As well as doubling the Scottish Child Payment, the coalition are also calling for all parties to commit to:
• Bolstering other support for low income families, including by increasing the value of School Clothing Grants and Best Start Grants;
• Ensuring crisis support is adequate and accessible, including by investing in the Scottish Welfare Fund;
• Guaranteeing holistic whole family support to all families needing help;
• Supporting migrant children and caregivers, including increasing financial support to families with No Recourse to Public Funds;
• Setting out a child poverty-focused labour market policy, including action to tackle the gender pay gap.
Launching the manifesto, John Dickie (Director, CPAG in Scotland) said: “Even before Covid-19, almost one in four children in Scotland were growing up in the grip of poverty.
“Now, the pandemic has pulled families even deeper into poverty, while many more have been swept into poverty for the first time. A rising tide of child poverty now threatens to overwhelm many in our communities.
“That’s why we have set out this range of measures that would help to stem that tide, by putting much-needed cash into the pockets of families who are struggling to stay afloat. We urge all political parties to commit to the action we’ve set out, and to use the next Scottish Parliament to loosen the grip of poverty on the lives of Scotland’s children.”
Anna Ritchie Allan (Executive Director, Close the Gap), said: ““The existing inequalities women face in the labour market means they’ve been hardest hit by COVID-19 job disruption.
“The pandemic has starkly illuminated the link between women’s in-work poverty and child poverty. Women who were already struggling are now under enormous financial pressure as they and their families are pushed into further and deeper poverty.
“The End Child Poverty Coalition manifesto calls on Scotland’s political parties to commit to bold action to reduce child poverty. Close the Gap welcomes the focus on substantive action to address women’s inequality in the labour market including tackling women’s low pay and boosting the provision of funded childcare.
“Ensuring economic recovery policymaking prioritises measures to build a labour market that works for women is a necessary step in tackling the growing child poverty crisis.”
The manifesto – along with a summary version – can be found here.
