Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 15 June 2021
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and welcome to your new role. My congratulations go to Maree Todd, too.
It is the privilege and honour of my life to be standing in Scotland’s Parliament making my first speech. I only wish that my parents had lived to see this day. I have no qualms about saying that I come from a very poor background and have lived through periods of homelessness and living hand to mouth. The experience of growing up on a council estate in the Thatcher years shaped my views on social justice and led to a 25-year career in housing and building homes for people in need, before I was elected as a councillor.
I was once told by a friend that I should never go into politics, because I care too much. Well, I believe that all the best politicians care too much. This is why I was elected: to speak up for the most vulnerable people, to help people and to be a voice for women.
Although, on average, women enjoy longer lives, more of our lives are spent in ill health. For too long, women—our mothers, daughters, sisters and carers—have not been adequately supported. I am so proud that an SNP Government has so clearly improved women’s lives.
For example, Scotland was the first country in the world to have free period products. That shows what can be done when we all work in the chamber together. We have the fantastic baby box, which provides mothers with the essential items that they need for their new baby, and we have more general practitioners per head of population than any other UK country. However, there is still so much more to do.
Many health issues in the past have been described as “women’s problems”, whether the problem is endometriosis or the menopause—both of which I have experienced. I have endured endometriosis all my adult life. It has resulted in chronic pain and, at times, misery. The pain was dismissed as period pain and it took until I was in my late 30s, when I collapsed at work, for me to finally get some support. I do not want any other woman to go through what I went through. There is no cure and—as we have heard today—most women wait more than eight years for diagnosis, which is simply not good enough. I am delighted that the SNP Government has committed to reducing the diagnosis time to 12 months by the end of this session of Parliament.
It is also fantastic that we now talk openly about menopause—a process that will affect more than half of our population. The SNP will ensure that women have improved access to advice and support on diagnosis and management of menopause.
Let us work together across the chamber to improve services and reduce health inequalities for women and girls. Let us become a global leader in the field. I believe that independence and having the full fiscal powers to make our own decisions will, ultimately, help us to tackle all inequalities and ensure that all our citizens have equal access to food, housing and healthcare.
As I draw to a close, allow me to offer my heartfelt thanks to the people who made my being here today possible. They are my brilliant husband, Ahsan, who is my rock and the love of my life; my daughter, Emily, who is a force of nature and a campaigner extraordinaire; our family and friends; my fantastic campaign team; my predecessor, Bruce Crawford; my modern studies teachers at school, for my fierce love of politics; and David Shearer, my long-time friend and mentor, to whom I say, “Your advice paid off.”
I thank everyone in the wonderful Stirling constituency who voted; I commit to listen to you, to be guided by you and to work for you.