I declare the second session of the Scottish Parliament, from 2003 to 2007, duly constituted. The only item of business this morning is members' oaths and affirmations. I will call each member in turn, starting with the party leaders and continuing thereafter alphabetically. When a member is called, they should proceed to the well of the chamber, where they will either take the oath or make the affirmation.
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Mr Jack McConnell (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Lab)
On behalf of my colleagues, I reaffirm that the Scottish National Party's primary loyalty is to the people of Scotland, in the constitutional tradition of the sovereignty of the people.
The following members took the oath:
Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green)
On behalf of the Scottish Green Party, I affirm that our priority will be to serve the people of Scotland, who are sovereign in this land.
Before making the affirmation, I would like to state that I and my party colleagues were elected on a clear and honest commitment to an independent socialist Scotland—a socialist republic—and a Scotland of citizens, not a Scotland of subjects. We will continue to fight for such a society.
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP)
The following members took the oath:
Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con)
Before I make the affirmation, I would like to make a short statement that I do so under duress. I was elected by the people of the South of Scotland as their representative in the Scottish Parliament. I am a socialist. I believe in equality. We are all Jock Tamson's bairns—we are all equal and we should not need to take an oath. However, it is a means to an end: an independent socialist republic.
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP)
Before I call the next member, I remind people in the public gallery that no interruption of any kind can be made from the gallery. I am afraid that those who do so may be asked to leave.
I believe in the sovereignty of the people of Scotland rather than the sovereignty of any monarch. However, in order to represent the people who elected me, the law requires me to go through this ritual. I make the following affirmation under protest.
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West)
The following member took the oath:
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab)
Before I take the oath, I would like to say that my primary allegiance lies with the people of Scotland. I believe them to be sovereign.
The following member took the oath:
Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP)
Because I believe in the sovereignty of the people of Scotland, I make this affirmation under protest.
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP)
In a democracy I should not be forced, under protest, to take an oath of allegiance to an unelected monarch. I represent the people of the West of Scotland and I will continue to stand for an independent, socialist republic.
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Frances Curran (West of Scotland) (SSP)
The following members took the oath:
Ms Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab)
Before reading the affirmation, I wish to make a short statement. As a socialist, I make the affirmation to the Crown under protest. I would like to offer some words of the national poet, Robert Burns:
I am sorry, but there is no singing in Parliament—
I am sorry, but if you are not prepared to take the oath, you will have to wait until the end of the queue—
I am sorry—
You will have to go to the end of the queue. You cannot take up other people's time.
The following members took the oath:
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
The following member made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Gaelic:
Mr Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab)
I wish to make a statement that I make the affirmation under duress, believing as I do in the sovereignty of the Scottish people and the Scottish people alone.
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab)
At this point, we shall take a break from the oath taking.
Meeting suspended.
On resuming—
The following members took the oath:
Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP)
I take this oath under protest, as I believe that only the people are sovereign here.
The following members took the oath:
Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab)
Like my comrades before me, and like an ever-increasing number of MSPs, I take this oath under very strong protest. A Government that asks firefighters to modernise should really think about modernising itself.
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP)
The following member took the oath:
Mr Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab)
I would like to make a statement. Like all my comrades, I think that the Parliament should be accountable and loyal only to the people. I believe in an independent socialist republic, so I take the oath, which is to a woman who has inherited privilege, under strong protest. Apart from anything else, I do not even know the woman. I apologise to my mother, who is actually a great fan of hers, but that is not for me, thank you.
Will you proceed to the oath, please?
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP)
The following member took the oath:
Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab)
I reiterate my and my party's belief that sovereignty in Scotland lies with the people and with no one else.
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD)
I believe in the sovereignty of the people of Scotland and therefore make the affirmation under protest.
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab)
I believe in the sovereignty of the people of Scotland and therefore take the oath under protest.
The following members took the oath:
Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Mr Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
I would like to say that I was elected by the people of the West of Scotland, that the people of Scotland are sovereign and that I take the affirmation under protest.
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Gaelic:
Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
The following members took the oath:
Mr Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab)
Before performing this ritual, I would like to say that my loyalty and affirmation are to the people of Scotland and not to the British state or any of its institutions.
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
I will take Colin Fox now, provided that he is prepared to affirm without any further protest.
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP)
Meeting suspended.
On resuming—
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP)
The following members took the oath and repeated it in Gaelic:
Mr Alasdair Morrison (Western Isles) (Lab)
The following members took the oath:
Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab)
Before I make an affirmation, I restate my belief that it is the people of Scotland who are sovereign. [Interruption.]
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP)
I remind members of the public that, welcome though you are in the gallery, you must not make any interruption to the proceedings.
The following members took the oath:
Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire (LD)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
I would like to make a brief statement, which is that I intend to take the oath in Gaelic as well and that in a Scottish Parliament, a Gaelic oath should be sufficient of itself.
The following member made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Gaelic:
Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
The following members took the oath:
John Scott (Ayr) (Con)
I wish to state that I believe in the sovereignty of the people of Scotland and hold firmly that my allegiance should be first and foremost to them. However, I recognise the legal requirement that I must meet in order to serve my constituents in this Parliament and therefore I will take the oath.
The following members took the oath:
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD)
Before making the affirmation, I wish to declare my belief in the sovereignty of the Scottish people.
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP)
Before I make the affirmation, I would like to state that I believe in a free and independent Scotland in which the Scottish people would be independent citizens rather than subjects. Therefore, I make the affirmation under protest.
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab)
That concludes the oath-taking and affirmation process, which has been completed by every one of the elected members.
Meeting suspended until 14:30.
On resuming—
Next
Presiding Officer