Jamie Stone tells of dismay over ‘toxic politics’ as he calls for devolution debate
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Jamie Stone lamented the “toxic politics and tribal factions” of Holyrood as he called on the UK government to allow time for MPs to discuss the state of Scottish devolution.
He claimed the Scottish Parliament had become “dysfunctional”, with services being centralised and “all attention on the central belt”.
The Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross said: “It has been 25 years since Holyrood first sat. I was there.
“At the time, the Scottish Parliament was about camaraderie. It was about the shared understanding that Scotland needed its own united government so it could deliver the best for Scottish people.
“It was founded with cross-party consensus, all of us working together for a better future.
“Things are very different now. Divided by toxic politics and tribal factions, Holyrood has never been more dysfunctional.
“It is a shame to see it so far fallen, and a greater shame to see the consequences so terribly impacting the lives of ordinary people.
“I am a believer in devolution. As a Liberal, I will always support devolution of investment in order to allow local communities to make the best decisions for them.
“That is what was supposed to happen with Scotland. What I see now are services being centralised and all attention on the central belt.
“We have strayed too far from the original ideals of devolution. That is why I think it most important that MPs come together to discuss the topic, so that representatives from all over our country can put forward the views and experiences of their constituents.”
In the House of Commons, Mr Stone said: “As a founding member of the Scottish Constitutional Convention, and the only member of the present Commons whose signature is on Scotland’s Claim of Right [1989], I know one or two things about devolution. Indeed, it will very shortly be the 25th anniversary of the first sitting of the Scottish Parliament.
“I politely ask whether we might have a debate on how Scottish devolution came into being, the ideals that lay behind it, and how the present Scottish Government is undermining those first ideals.”
Leader of the House Penny Mordaunt called it a “very good suggestion”, adding: “Devolution was envisaged as four nations working together for the common good of their citizens, but we know that is not the SNP’s interpretation of that opportunity.”
