Official Report 203KB pdf
Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection. Today, this will be led by Frank Strang, who is the founder of Scotland’s Four Words of Hope.
Presiding Officer, what a pleasure it is today to give the time for reflection. Thank you very much, Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, for putting me forward.
For 40 years, I gave ministers from five different parties little slips of paper with ideas about what they should say. I notice that no minister is reciprocating by returning the favour today. [Laughter.]
Seriously, it is a joy to be here, not least because I have before me the Parliament’s beautiful ceremonial mace and, to my left, Michael Lloyd, who made it. Scotland’s Four Words of Hope exists to promote wisdom, compassion, justice and integrity. These are the wonderful words inscribed on the mace by Michael: wisdom, compassion, justice and integrity. Michael describes, somewhat wistfully, how these words encapsulated a generation’s hopes for this place. They have the same charm and the same power today.
However, we do not promote these words out of nostalgia. We promote them to help to restore trust and hope. Our fellow citizens seem to be at risk of losing both. Election turnout is in decline. There has been a fall in the proportion of people who say that they trust this Parliament. I invite you today to reflect on how much this matters. The decline in trust is not just some dispiriting statistic that undermines the reputation of this place. Without trust, it becomes impossible to take the steps or implement the laws that will improve people’s lives day by day.
One local politician whom I spoke to about these words said, without hesitation, that their policies were clearly wise, just, compassionate and honest. Maybe that person might have reflected a bit first. I suspect that Michael inscribed the words not to help us to justify what we already think, but to prompt thoughtful interrogation. For example, how will these plans work out in five or 10 years? Have we explicitly addressed fairness? Is this based on an honest assessment of the facts? Finally, does this alleviate suffering not just for those whom I know and like?
I do not want to add to your burden with a lecture. One of our guiding principles is that, if we want our elected representatives to show compassion, they must be shown compassion. You are, above all, human beings, and we must bring greater humanity to our politics.
These words are not a stick with which to beat you, but an invitation to return, every time that you enter this chamber, to the reason why so many of you entered politics in the first place: to act with wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity to help to create a Scotland where all can thrive.
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