Substitute
Deputy
Scottish National
House of Commons
GB - SW1A OAA - London
United Kingdom
Working language: English
28/01/2020 | 17:53:15 Thank you, Madam President. May I begin by congratulating and commending my friend and colleague Lord George FOULKES for a superlative report and say how much I agree with its recommendations. In particular, I agree with the central tenet running through this report, which is that a free press is an essential pillar for the functioning of a proper democratic system. I think there are three main roles that our free press has to play. The first is the provision of unbiased, impartial... 25/06/2019 | 18:18:44 Thank you Chair. Scotland is a relatively small country of just over 5 million people. But every week, in Scotland there are more than one thousand incidents of domestic abuse reported to the police. In more than 80% of these incidents, the victim is a woman. In more than 99% of those cases the perpetrator is a man. So what we have is a systemic, endemic, campaign of violence against women by men in our country. To a greater or lesser degree, that campaign is replicated in every other country... 23/01/2019 | 16:34:56 I fully agree that a free press is an essential prerequisite for a democratic society. By “free”, I mean it should be free to criticise and hold to account those in power and should have an obligation to provide the fullest information to citizens so that they can make informed choices. But what do we do when the press is free but nor fair? Let me illustrate through personal example. I represent the Scottish National Party, the largest party in Scotland. We are a left-of-centre organisation... 22/01/2019 | 11:32:03 In Scotland, over the last five years, we have had two referendums. One in 2014 on Scotland becoming an independent country, and one in 2016 when we voted, as part of the United Kingdom, on whether to leave the European Union. The differences between these two votes are striking, and we can learn a lot from them. In 2014, the referendum came about only after the election of a Scottish Parliament with a majority of members committed to Scottish independence. It became the policy of the...
04/02/2020 | Doc. 15071 | Motion for a resolution Prevention of abuse of mutual legal co-operation with respect to refugees and asylum seekers 31/01/2020 | Doc. 15065 | Written declaration Call for opinion on the Venice Commission regarding the situation of dismissed public servants in Turkey 31/01/2020 | Doc. 15061 | Written declaration Defend the rights of Julian Assange and the freedom of the press 31/01/2020 | Doc. 15062 | Written declaration Persecution of civil society in Kazakhstan: personal sanctions must be imposed and trade co-operation reviewed 31/01/2020 | Doc. 15060 | Written declaration Protecting the right to political representation in Catalonia
29/01/2020 | Doc. 15015, vote on the draft text for resolution The protection of freedom of religion or belief in the workplace 29/01/2020 | Doc. 15024, vote on the draft text for resolution Complementary joint procedure between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly in response to a serious violation by a member State of its statutory obligations 28/01/2020 | Doc. 15025, vote on the draft text for resolution The functioning of democratic institutions in Poland 28/01/2020 | Doc. 15021, vote on the draft text for resolution Threats to media freedom and journalists’ security in Europe 28/01/2020 | Doc. 15021, vote on the draft text for recommendation Threats to media freedom and journalists’ security in Europe