Chamber and committees

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce reported bed pressures at Dumfries and Galloway royal infirmary. (S6O-05701)

The reality on the ground remains grim. In my final parliamentary contribution, I highlight the case of a constituent in her 80s who recently spent the first night of her hospital stay confused, alone and scared in a corridor. On the second night, her family was relieved to hear that she was moving to a room, only to find out that it was a temporary bed in a day unit. The woman was left with a broken doorbell in place of a buzzer and was unable to rest due to excessive noise.

I understand that our hospitals are under pressure, but does the cabinet secretary agree that we should still be able to do better for our most vulnerable patients?

Before I start with some final thoughts, I want to make it clear, up front, that my comments are not personally aimed at the cabinet secretary, who I respect and with whom I enjoy working, as everybody across the chamber does. I have never felt the need to compare her to a chlorinated chicken, unlike her predecessor. Instead, Mairi Gougeon deserves recognition, not least for her decision to pull the plug on the Galloway national park, which is a rare example of Scottish Government ministers listening to the views of rural Scotland. I know how seriously she takes the health and wellbeing of all Scotland’s rural workers, which is to her credit.

In leaving, I am saddened not at the thought of going, but at the knowledge that the Parliament that I leave behind is not a true friend to rural Scotland. I share the frustrations of my constituents that Holyrood is dominated by urban, central-belt thinking and is obsessed with telling people who live in rural Scotland how to live.

When the Scottish Government is not busy banning things, it is busy imposing them. Our precious uplands are being carpeted with trees and turbines, often displacing people and changing the character of our communities for ever. Along with supporting the many community events and projects that make my Dumfriesshire constituency so special, the proudest moments I have had while in elected office have been those when I have stood alongside communities in David versus Goliath battles to see off the worst attempts to industrialise our countryside. The playing field is far from level. It often feels as if money talks, with hillsides being sold to the highest bidder without any thought about the social consequences or about how future generations will put food on the table.

Meanwhile, here in our national Parliament, tokenism too often prevails over substance. That might mean flying the European Union flag outside the building, long after we have left the EU; serving what is still labelled as “oat milk” despite court clarification that that is unlawful; or banning greyhound racing long after the last track in Scotland has already been shut. By doing those things, we do a disservice to and go out of our way to diminish the great democratic prize that others fought for. Indeed, much of the debate in this chamber seems a far cry from the genuine excitement that I witnessed as a child when I first watched Donald Dewar address the Parliament in 1999. Most institutions grow in stature as they age, but Holyrood seems to be stuck in reverse.

That fuels the growing disconnect between the Scottish Parliament and many of the people whom it is supposed to represent—decent hard-working people, who get their hands dirty and pay their taxes, just like anyone else. My sincere hope is that future sessions of the Parliament will be different and that other members will be more successful than those of us here, including me, in shifting the dial.

Instead of attacking rural Scotland, we should celebrate and back it. We must be willing to recognise that delivering rural services costs more in a country such as ours. Rural Scotland, not least Dumfriesshire, holds real potential. The answers to many of our most pressing challenges can be found in our rural and remote communities, but they must be given the freedom to flourish. Our communities need politicians who will listen to those on the ground, who really do know best. Endless legislation and policy are not substitutes for substance or real-world experience. Politicians, however green they claim to be, must understand their limitations and remember those who elected them.

14:02

I associate myself with comments from colleagues across the chamber about the Deputy First Minister.

I am concerned that the Scottish National Party-led Dumfries and Galloway Council is undoing all that hard work by continuing with its obsession with wasting £70 million of taxpayers’ money on the deeply unpopular Whitesands flood scheme, which will see vital town centre parking being removed and the setting of the River Nith diminished. Surely the money could be better spent on maintaining vital local services and improving the upkeep of the town centre?

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support Dumfries town centre. (S6O-05653)

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would have voted no.

But saying, “where we can do that” is not the same as saying that you do do that.

So you cannot do that in every instance.

It is like a token apology.

It does not recognise the gravity of what this means for individuals. That is why they are frustrated.