Skip to main content

End of an Era 2016-2021

Written for Holyrood magazine's "The End of an era 2016-2021" published 07 April 2021.
  

Neil Findlay is the man who loves you to hate him. As he rises from his habitual place in a distant corner of the Parliamentary Chamber, a snarl as firmly attached to his face as he is disconnected to any symbol of middle-class values such as a tie, tension flows as he selects his target for the day.

Is it dapper John Scott? The record-holder for the shortest time between his being sworn in and making his first speech in Parliament; a mere twenty hours.

Does Willie Rennie attract his ire? Confession; we went to the same school. Almost anything liberal is bound to attract this Labour very-back-bencher’s contumely.

Greens rarely attract his attention but he should remember that John Finnie, another member of this year’s escape committee, can efficiently direct a canine arrest.

Now of course, I have sought to avoid any engagement with the fellow. I never, just never, even acknowledge that he wants the intervene in any speech I make.

But the time for speaking is over and like a rather large group of colleagues from across the Chamber, I stand in line for the exit door.

The election will add involuntary members to our club whose names we can only guess.

Session five has been a rather unusual Parliament. It’s one where, unless you are a whip – you can recognise them, they sit at the back either wringing their hands in despair or counting on their fingers – you could sometimes almost forget that we didn’t have a majority Government.

Session three was the first SNP Government and with 47 MSPs facing an opposition of 81, the excitement at almost every Decision Time was palpable. Not so now, mere ennui.

Opposition would say that is a long serving Government. For my part, it derives from that lack of innovation on any of the opposition benches.

So who will Parliament miss the most, apart from me of course?

Some of the younger blood represent the saddest losses and their future absence is a challenge to the whole political system. And it is particularly galling that we lose young females with so much to give.

Jenny Marra would be described as a nippy sweetie if that soubriquet had not already been claimed by Nicola Sturgeon 30 years ago. A clear speaker who avoided waffle and went straight for the jugular.

But without the skills that Conservative MSP Derek Brownlee deployed against Ministers in session three. He asked the shortest supplementary questions and they addressed a single topic. The recipient Minister was granted very little thinking time and no choice of which part of the question to answer and which to avoid. Difficult, very difficult.

Aileen Campbell could be underestimated from time to time. Her emollient style could be displaced by a beetle-browed focus on someone too careless to understand an argument put forward by her in her role as Cabinet Secretary. Driven by facts, energised by careless argument from other benches. A serious loss for session six.

Gail Ross has became a virtual prisoner in Caithness during lock-down. The one-hour flight from Wick to Edinburgh, albeit very infrequent, has become an eight or even ten hour train journey. Driving hardly better.

She ended her time with us as a very naughty girl. The occupant of the public gallery in Caithness was invited to contribute to her final speech. Now I know that number one son is the most precious thing in her life, rightly so. But should he be elected to Parliament in a couple of decades’ time, I suspect that the then Presiding Officer may require an apology on the record for his most serious breach of Parliamentary rules. Even though mum is the guilty one. She is fleeing from the reach of our rules.

More aged members depart before being subjected to the Dennis Skinner fate. Better to go with people asking why you leave so soon than stay and have people muttering, “why are you still here”? Not good losing your seat when 87.

David Stewart and Lewis Macdonald, widely respected and in their third decade as MSPs are offski. Their excellent political colleague Mary Fee follows.

From the Tory benches Adam Tomkins, never called a Professor while with us, a bit petty on our part as his manner, his approach, his analytical brain were a perfect fit for the title. Resumes the task of educating the next generation. Lucky students.

Mike Rumbles was ejected by the electorate previously but returning to deave the life out of us with his pernicketiness. Particularly irritating because he was mostly correct. He departs to continue his cursing of the online world in private. He may be the person least inclined to welcome our online Parliament.

Some colleagues who depart from the Government benches seemed too young from the lofty view from my mid-seventies. But actually have earned their reprieve through service and age.

Mike Russell has successfully wrapped his distaste for his opponents’ opinions in such saccharine expression, that you can hear the expectant grinding of teeth the moment the chair calls him to speak. The more polite his expression of disagreement with you, the more firmly he is rejecting everything that you say and think. The ultimate disagreement is prefaced by a gentle, resigned sigh.

But Bruce Crawford is all but unique in defying the laws of political gravity and building a very significant career as a Committee Convenor after demitting office as a Minister. There is no “ex” more “ex” than an ex-Minister.

One colleague who stays bears a record it will be hard to beat. Richard Lochhead has been elected to Parliament six times in our five sessions. Beat that if you can.

And talking of which, who did Neil Findlay end up beating up this time?

Himself. Departing. Disappointed.

2021. Not the end of a geological era as documented on the steps on Dynamic Earth. Merely the end of this Parliamentary lustrum.

Our eras last a mere five years.

The Ken Macintosh years are done.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Transportation

For the first time in several months, I was able to fit in an hour of family tree research. That came after my breakfast, porridge and local strawberries, reading the papers and now sitting down to write up my daily diary. The prompt for today's research was an email from one of the family tree databases to which I subscribe. Yesterday was even more exciting. A DNA match with the same name as one of my Parliamentary colleagues. While it would be a breach of privacy to be specific, the name only occurs twice in Scotland's birth records since modern records started in 1855. And in world-wide records only a further two. The person whose DNA I match has provided no information apart from their name so I shall need to see what response I get to my email. But back to this morning's research. That involved the main criminal in my family tree. You've always suspected ... ? Don't get too excited as I share no DNA with this person. Their family married into mine. Mind...

Signing

While I am pretty confident that we are far from being on a majority in our household, I am also sure that we are not unduly exceptional. We sit down to lunch each day at 1230 so that we can simultaneously masticate and educate. The first refuelling the body. The latter refuelling the intellect. And the source of brain food? The daily press conference on the pandemic from the Government. The traditional being from fridge and food cupboard. It's a bit like the family sitting around the radio 75 plus years ago to hear news of the battles against the nazis. Today is remarkably similar. Not a single front of battle but many. Not just fought by those on the front line, but supported by the actions of those on the home front. Even more than then, the home front is a critical part of the front line. Each citizen's actions, or inaction, directly contributing to or hindering our ability to eliminate COVID-19 from our country. For me, with an interest in DNA as a tool in my famil...

Welcome to helpful stress

They come to us to acquire skills, to gain academic credits for their degree. I made reference to one of my interns earlier this week. And I want to devote today's diary to thoughts about the many who have assisted me in our Parliament. For the most part, it is US students aged between eighteen and twenty-five who come to extend their knowledge and burnish their CV. Many will have been interns in their State legislatures. Some have made it to the Federal Senate or House of Representatives. Their tales of their time there show a very marked difference from our environment. Only rarely will they have even met their nominal boss. One spoke of a Senator's team being about seventy people. The dynamics of Holyrood where our allowances provide for us to employ three people to cover Parliament and Constituency is clearly very, very different. Having a big team of seventy is no excuse for its leader not meeting and listening to each and every one. When I ran big teams, much bigg...