Chamber and committees

Will the member take an intervention?

Daniel Johnson’s remarks were powerful, and he identified an issue that is sometimes uncomfortable and that we need to address. The country faces difficult issues, and we do ourselves no favours by ignoring those issues. Some of the points that Daniel Johnson made about immigration were right, and we need to discuss them. We should not be called racists just because we raise such issues—Daniel Johnson was right on the mark with that.

Equally, we have a responsibility to address questions, whoever they come from and whichever party they come from, with dignity and respect, but with that comes a responsibility for those who ask the questions. We have been in politics for long enough, so we know about loaded language and the use of particular words in particular ways. Again, Daniel Johnson highlighted that when he talked about comments on “fighting-age men”, “strangers” and “two-tier policing”. We know what those terms mean and what they are appealing to.

There is another one of those terms—“our own people”. Who are “our own people”? The carers I met at Balnacarron care home in St Andrews on Saturday, who had come from Nigeria, are wonderful people who do a fantastic job. If people come here and contribute, that is wonderful. Why use the term “our own people”? Let us ditch that language.

Not just now—I am trying to address Mr Offord’s point.

I do not disagree with the fundamental point that too many people are not economically active and are held back for a variety of reasons. However, rather than dividing those people from others, let us focus on what they need. Let us come up with the good solutions that can get them back to work.

Malcolm Offord is nodding away, so why do Reform members not ditch the crap? They should ditch the language that divides, which does not help us at all.

The good solutions—it is about goodness—are what we should strive for. I want good, warm homes. I want to ensure that we have good and decently paid jobs. I want to have good, sustainable energy sources that are affordable for people.

No, I will not take an intervention just now. I have taken several interventions.

Yes, I will take an intervention from Mr Charmer himself.

Rather than seek division, I want us to seek unity. We will not do that by dividing; we will only do it by uniting together to make a difference. Let us go for that. Let us achieve some goodness in this world.

I move amendment S7M-00446.4, to leave out from first “recognises” to end and insert:

“; further believes that Scottish Government policy should work for every region of Scotland, with adequate public transport links, infrastructure and housing to meet the needs of communities and both traditional and emerging sectors of the economy; recognises the need for a dynamic and skilled workforce, as well as significant and targeted investment in Scotland’s world-class colleges and universities; further recognises that skilled inward migration is vital to sustaining key sectors of the economy; understands that the crisis in the NHS will only be addressed when considered alongside the crisis in the social care sector, and that migration is a key aspect of addressing those challenges; believes that Scotland has a proud history of offering safe harbour to refugees from across the world, and resolves to strive for a Scotland that protects the rights and interests of all, regardless of who they are or where they come from.”

I do not want to speak for Mr Johnson, but I think that the Prime Minister corrected that and said that he regretted using that language. I just wish that Mr Kerr would reflect a bit more on the language that he uses, because it does him no favours. We all make mistakes—I have made plenty of mistakes in my life—but the important thing is that we understand when we get something wrong.

We need a society that is cohesive and that pulls together, because we can achieve the society that we want only by pulling together and by working together in partnership rather than by pitting one part of the community against another. We have some wonderful people in our country. No matter where they come from, who they are or who they identify as, they are wonderful people whom we should cherish and support.

Members will have heard me talk about my deep concern that so many people are economically inactive and that growing numbers of young people are unemployed and unable to find a job. I am concerned about the significant growth in issues around neurodivergence and mental health, and the fact that, in schools, more than 40 per cent of young people have an identified additional support need. That is a huge loss of talent and of good people, and we should look to provide the support that they deserve. That is not just good for them; it is good for us as well, because our greatest asset in our economy is our people. That is why companies come from all over the world to base themselves here—to access the talent that comes from our colleges and universities and from our excellent schools. All of that comes together, which is why companies come here.

Not just now.

I want good early intervention in education and mental health. I want a good, enlightened society that is internationalist, tolerant and open minded—good people who look for goodness in society. That might sound all gooey, but it is what our Parliament should strive for: the goodness in our society that brings out the best in our people.

To deliver some of that—

[Made a request to intervene.]