Can anyone truly say Holyrood been a great success? I can't

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

The noise about which union Scotland should be in crowds out any real assessment of whether all is well within Scotland itself.
The point of devolution was not to create a rival Government which could do what it liked but to create one with extensive powers over matters within Scotland which directly affect the daily lives of people here.
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Having a Parliament in Scotland whose job did not include things like energy policy, banking regulation, foreign policy and defence is not a weakness it is a strength. It enables the Parliament to concentrate, from a solely Scottish perspective, on things like health and education as well as dealing with issues which within a British context might not get the focus or priority they deserve such as ferries and roads.
The system for electing the Scottish Parliament was designed to prevent one party gaining control and encourage consensus through a need for co-operation between parties in order to pass legislation.
The Scottish Parliament was given no revising chamber but instead relied on Committees to make sure legislation proposed by the Executive was properly scrutinised and challenged.
You would be hard pushed, whatever your political persuasion and view on Scotland's place in the world, to say the Scottish Parliament has been a great success.
Economic growth, an essential foundation of a successful and cohesive society, has been lower in Scotland than the UK as a whole over the long term. Taxes are higher. Outcomes in health and education are poorer despite more money. Scotland specific issues such as transport links to the islands and the highlands have been - and still are - appallingly managed.
Too long a domination by the SNP has reduced questioning of the Scottish Government's performance. If you don't salute the Saltire you can kiss goodbye to funding from the Scottish Government or a chance to gain a senior position in public life.
Worse, we have turned in on ourselves. Scotland, which has a proud record of contribution to the world, now looks only at its own feet. Shakespeare bad, some second-rate Scottish poet good. Scottish history only. A complete unwillingness to learn anything new about the provision of public services if the source of innovation is England.
There are some specific and intertwined problems.
First, a misunderstanding of what democracy is. What it is not is the belief that if you get 50 per cent plus one on any vote you have a mandate do what you like. In a healthy democracy dissenting voices need to be heard, minority views respected and genuine consensus built. The SNP, especially under Nicola Sturgeon, understood none of those things.
Second, the system itself has not worked as intended.
Low grade people have ended up in our Parliament. Can you name any of your Region's List MSPs? How many outstanding MSP's are there? - one hand will be quite enough for the count.
The parties have far too great a grip. Want to get into Parliament as a List MSP? - better toe the party line or your place in the order will be too low to have any chance. Sitting on a Committee scrutinising misguided and poorly thought through legislation? - better not challenge things as you will be moved further down the List or de-selected and be out on your ear at the next election.
Occasionally there are individual heroes like Andy Wightman whose crucial vote meant the Committee investigating whether Nicola Sturgeon misled Parliament found she had, His reward? - to be hounded out of the Green Party. More recently Fergus Ewing, a delicious thorn in the side of loopy Government ministers and their daft legislation. He has left the SNP and will stand as an independent next time. Whatever your views on the Union vote for him if you can.
Reform is needed to improve the quality of debate and outcome in the Scottish Parliament.
The key problem - but also opportunity - is the hold parties have on their List MSP's. That control needs to be broken and two simple reforms could achieve this.
First, when you cast your List vote for a party in elections for the Scottish Parliament you should then be able to rank the candidates for the party you have chosen in the order you prefer. Voters not parties should determine a candidate's place on the List. That way when voters see a candidate of real calibre they can boost their chances of being elected. This would incentivise parties to put forward capable candidates rather than idiots.
Second, allow List MSP's to sit in Parliament for only one term. At a stroke the party control would be broken and List MSP's could put country before party when necessary. The more rapid turnover of people in the Parliament this would bring about would also be welcome. New people means fresh ideas.
Fixing the problems is not too hard but the first step would be an acknowledgement that the problems are there and they matter.
Guy Stenhouse is a notable figure in the Scottish financial sector. He has held various positions, including being the Managing Director of Noble Grossart, an independent merchant bank based in Edinburgh, until 2017