Parliament has been a bust – time to fix it

As we rapidly approach the tipping point from only political anoraks caring about May’s election to the public paying attention, I find myself reflecting on the huge change to come.

By Holyrood’s count, 40 MSPs have said they are calling it quits. A further two, while they have not confirmed they won’t be standing, are unlikely to do so due to suspensions from their party. And a handful more are standing again but have not been given their party’s plum spots and so are likely to not be returned.

All in, that’s already more than the 43 MSPs who either retired or lost their seats in 2021. And that’s before taking into account the actual results which will see even more go.

And I have to say, I’m looking forward to it. On a personal level, it will be nice to have some new faces to get to know and speak to. But more than that, this huge refresh also comes with the opportunity to create a more thoughtful, more innovative and more collaborative parliament – something that has been missing these last few years.

The long-term impacts of the Covid pandemic are still being felt across society, and the same has been true for this parliament. A big cohort of session six's MSPs were elected in the middle of lockdown, meaning they missed out on the typical experiences of new MSPs. Specifically, it meant those early months were devoid of much interaction beyond their parties – and it shows.

This session of parliament has felt more combative and less productive than any previous parliament I’ve known. It has also seen people retreat into their party silos far more often, not questioning their whips and not approaching issues before them as lawmakers first, politicians second. The result has been a parliament that has achieved very little.

While many will be quick to blame the party of government for this (and they do carry their fair share), this is a problem that has not just affected the SNP. Opposition parties have also struggled to deliver much, despite the minority status of the government meaning there was room for dealmaking.

And it’s not even as though MSPs themselves are unaware of the problem. I’ve lost count of the conversations I’ve had with politicians of all parties who agree there has not been enough rigour in debates, that committees are struggling with their job of holding government to account, and the control of party leaderships has become so overbearing that it strangles thoughtful dissent. “Intellectually bereft” was how one MSP brutally described this session of parliament.

The high rate of turnover at this election provides a golden opportunity to reset. While yes, we will lose some institutional memory and experience of long-standing MSPs come dissolution, we will also lose some of the ingrained habits and the ‘this is how things are done’ attitude. Having new people who have no idea how politics “works” could be a boon, as will ensuring MSPs across party divides get to know each other beyond the caricatures painted on the campaign trail.

This won’t happen by chance. All parties need to collectively come together to deal with the problem and there should be an early focus in the new parliament to consider what reforms could help deliver the improvements the Scottish Parliament needs.

The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee has already made some recommendations for improving the committee system, including the election of conveners, better training, and a reduction in size to reduce “churn”.

There should also be consideration of how to make improvements to chamber business. Can we make debates more fruitful and considered, and less about delivering short speeches without interruption? What is the utility of ministerial question sessions, and do they deliver what they are meant to? Are three sitting days enough in 2026, when that timetable was originally designed for a parliament with fewer powers and fewer demands on its time?

Political parties must also consider their roles. MSPs serving under the same banner are of course there because they believe broadly in the principles of their party, but a lack of dissent is a sign of an unhealthy democracy. An MSP is elected first and foremost to serve their constituents and it should go without saying that the party line won’t always be best suited to that area. No rebellion at all is as bad for Scotland as the constant turmoil we saw at Westminster during the repeat rebellions of the Brexit years.

And since it’s the festive season, I’ll go even further with my wish list of changes. Serious thought ought to be given to increasing the number of elected representatives. That is no doubt an unpopular opinion. If our MSPs already aren’t delivering enough, why should the taxpayer waste even more money on more of them?

I would gently suggest that having more politicians would help many of the above problems. It would mean MSPs won’t have to hold multiple committee roles and can therefore specialise; it would reduce the power of party leadership; it would expand the life experience of parliament as a whole; and it would help to meet the demands placed on a parliament which is increasingly stretched for time. This could come from either increasing the size of the existing parliament or a second chamber.

Whether or not MSPs agree there is merit in any of these musings, one this is clear. Session seven of the Scottish Parliament cannot be a repeat of session six. Reform is absolutely vital if Holyrood is to deliver for the people it serves.