Contents
- Oaths and Affirmations
- Presiding Officer
Oaths and Affirmations
Good morning, colleagues. I declare this sixth session of the Scottish Parliament, 2021 to 2026, duly constituted. The item of business this morning is members’ oaths and affirmations.
I remind everyone that, unfortunately, physical distancing is still in place across the chamber and the Parliament campus. I ask members to take care in observing those measures, including when entering and leaving the chamber.
To ensure that physical distancing requirements can be safely observed, there are four groups of members. After each group has concluded, members will be invited to exit the chamber, to allow cleaning to take place before the next group arrives.
I will call each member in turn, and invite them to take an oath of allegiance or to make a solemn affirmation. Members should stand, if they are able to, when I call their name. They should then repeat the oath or affirmation after the clerk.
[As directed by rule 1.2.5 of the standing orders of the Scottish Parliament, the text of the oath of allegiance, in accordance with section 2 of the Promissory Oaths Act 1868, is as follows:
I, [name of Member], do swear that I will be faithful and bear true Allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Her heirs and successors, according to Law, so help me God.
The text of the solemn affirmation, in accordance with section 6(1) of the Oaths Act 1978, is as follows:
I, [name of Member], do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Her heirs and successors, according to Law.]
The Scottish National Party pledges loyalty to the people of Scotland, in line with the Scottish constitutional tradition of the sovereignty of the people.
The member then made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
Bismillah-hir-Rahman-nir-Raheem.
The member then took the oath.
On behalf of the Scottish Green Party, I would like to reassert that our allegiance lies with the people of Scotland, who elected this Parliament and who are sovereign, and that we look forward to the day when they can choose their own elected head of state.
The member then made a solemn affirmation.
I believe the Scottish people to be sovereign.
The member then made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in British Sign Language.
took the oath and repeated it in Scots.
took the oath and repeated it in Gaelic.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
Before making a solemn affirmation, I state that I believe that the people of Scotland are sovereign.
The member then made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Gaelic.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath and repeated it in Gaelic.
took the oath.
Before making a solemn affirmation under protest, I affirm the sovereignty of the people in Scotland and hereby declare and pledge that, in all my actions and deliberations, their interests shall be paramount.
The member then made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Shona.
Before making the affirmation, I state that the people of this country should be citizens, not subjects, and my first allegiance is to them.
The member then made a solemn affirmation
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
took the oath.
I apologise to those members whose names I slightly mangled. I hope that my successor was listening closely to how you pronounced your names.
09:26 Meeting suspended.10:09 On resuming—
I welcome members to the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament, 2021 to 2026. Proceedings on members’ oaths and affirmations are now resumed.
I remind members again that we are still observing physical distancing measures and that you should take care when entering and leaving the chamber in particular. I ask all members to leave by the exit on my right when the meeting is suspended, to allow cleaning to take place.
I will call each member in turn and invite you to take the oath or make an affirmation. If you are able to, you should stand when I call your name and repeat the oath or affirmation after the clerks.
made a solemn affirmation.
That was flawless, Mr Dornan. I encourage the other members to wait until the clerk has read out the oath or affirmation and to repeat it. However, there is no need if every member is as good as Mr Dornan.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Doric.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
We just paused for effect to give Mr Ewing a big, dramatic build-up.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath and repeated it in Gaelic.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh.
The member then took the oath.
Ik onkar, satnam, karta purakh, nirbhau,
Nirvair, akal murat, ajooni saibhang,
Gur prasad. Jap.
Ad sach jugad sach,
Hai bhi sach nanak hosi bhi sach.
Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath and repeated it in Gaelic.
made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Orcadian.
took the oath.
My oath is to the sovereign people.
The member then took the oath.
took the oath.
took the oath.
took the oath and repeated it in Welsh.
made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Scots.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
That concludes this part of the meeting. I congratulate all those who took part on becoming Scotland’s MSPs for this session. I suspend the meeting and ask you all to go and sign the register.
10:31 Meeting suspended.11:15 On resuming—
Welcome to the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament, 2021 to 2026. Proceedings on members’ oaths and affirmations are now resumed.
I remind members that we are still following Covid restrictions and, therefore, they should be careful about following the social distancing measures, particularly when leaving the chamber.
I will call each member in turn and invite them to take the oath or to make an affirmation. If they are able to, they should stand when I call their name, and then repeat the oath or affirmation after the clerk.
We begin with Sandesh Gulhane. Mr Gulhane is a member for Glasgow, and will take the oath.
took the oath.
Thank you, Dr Gulhane. I have one job, which is to know people’s names, and I got that wrong right from the start—good one.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Scots.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Doric.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath and repeated it in Gaelic.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Doric.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
Thank you very much, colleagues, and congratulations on your oath taking. I suspend the meeting for half an hour. I urge members to be careful when leaving the chamber.
11:36 Meeting suspended.12:17 On resuming—
I thank members for their patience as we resume proceedings on members’ oaths and affirmations in the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament, 2021 to 2026.
I remind members that we are observing social distancing rules. After we finish proceedings, you should be careful when holding conversations and, when leaving the chamber, you should follow the measures that are in place around the campus.
I will call each member in turn and invite them to take the oath or to make an affirmation. If you are able to, you should stand when I call your name and repeat the oath or affirmation after the clerks.
We begin with Edward Mountain, who joins us remotely.
took the oath.
I believe that the people of this country should be citizens, not subjects. My first allegiance is to them.
The member then made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in German.
made a solemn affirmation.
I make this affirmation under protest in order to sit in the Parliament, where my allegiance will be to the people.
The member then made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Gaelic.
took the oath.
In my heart, my allegiance is to the people of Scotland.
The member then made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath and repeated it in Doric.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Gaelic.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
As a socialist and a republican, my true allegiance will always be to the people and not the Crown. However, in order to serve the people, I will make the affirmation.
The member then made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath.
took the oath.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Canadian French.
took the oath.
made a solemn affirmation.
took the oath and repeated it in Urdu.
made a solemn affirmation.
That concludes members’ oaths and affirmations and I congratulate each and every one of you.
We will move shortly to the election of a new Presiding Officer. I inform members that nominations for the position of Presiding Officer will open at 12.45 pm. The period for nominating will last an hour, so nominations should be submitted by email to the parliamentary business team and completed nomination forms should be received by the team no later than 1.45 pm this afternoon.
Nomination forms will be valid only if they detail the name of the candidate, the member nominating the candidate and the member seconding that nomination. Candidates will also be given the opportunity to provide the name of a member who will act as a scrutineer on their behalf during the election process.
Parliament will resume at 2.15 pm, 30 minutes after the nomination period has closed.
12:42 Meeting suspended.14:15 On resuming—
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Presiding Officer