Meeting of the Parliament 29 January 2020
The role of the Presiding Officer in reading the mood of parliamentarians across the chamber is key.
The Scottish Government has always accepted that the corporate body’s decision to change the policy was made with the aim of being non-political. However, and I say this with the greatest of respect to the members of the corporate body who reached that decision, I do not believe that their decision reflects the views of the Parliament as a whole. Nor do I believe that the decision could be non-political, whatever outcome had been reached. On that basis, I believe that it is appropriate for all of the Parliament to be given the opportunity to express its views, just as it did on the Calman review set-up.
I stress that, to avoid this situation, the Government sought to find a compromise; unfortunately, that was unrealised.
Parliament should send a clear and symbolic signal that, even after Friday, we want to maintain strong bonds with our European friends and neighbours; to continue to share the same fundamental values; and to show what their citizens—our constituents, who live in Scotland and who will continue to be valued and respected—mean to us.
I move,
That the Parliament notes that the European flag has been flown at Holyrood since 2004 as a symbol of membership of the family of European nations; recognises that Scotland and the UK will continue to be represented within the Council of Europe, and that the UK’s exit from the European Union will not change this; notes that the European flag was originally the flag of the Council of Europe and affirms Scotland’s commitment to the aims of the Council of Europe to build peace and prosperity together, while respecting common values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and diversity; recognises the importance of continuing to fly the European flag as a sign of support and solidarity with those EU nationals who have made Scotland their home, and directs the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to ensure that the European flag continues to fly daily at the Parliament building.