Meeting of the Parliament 16 June 2026 [Draft]
I, too, congratulate Jenny Young on bringing the debate to the chamber. I had not originally intended to speak in the debate; I wanted just to sit in and listen. However, I was deeply troubled by the report in The Herald at the weekend, about threats to and harassment of parliamentary colleagues, and in particular by the briefings that we have received on the vicious and misogynistic abuse that is aimed at women, especially online.
I was in the chamber on the day when Jo Cox was murdered, and I remember the feeling of collective horror that swept through as we became aware of what had happened. I also remember how we all committed to doing better, and to ensuring the greater respect that the motion calls for and conducting ourselves appropriately.
That is why I want to make two points about debate in the chamber, which build on Jenny Young’s excellent contribution. The first concerns how we speak to, and about, one another. Last Wednesday, there was an afternoon debate that I use simply as an example. The subject matter was always going to be difficult and uncomfortable for some in the chamber, which is as it should be. Politics should not be comfortable—we should always debate, and we should confront and speak about difficult topics. However, I sat through that debate and listened to the contributions, and afterwards I pulled up the Official Report, just to have a look and ensure that I was not misremembering what I had heard.
Several contributions went far beyond what could be called robust debate. Members know that I like robust debate, but that was not it. Given the very personal, targeted and choreographed nature of some of the contributions, I felt that they were wholly inappropriate. I have researched, and written extensively on, debating, and the abusive, ad hominem attack is widely recognised as presenting a logical fallacy. An argument’s truth or validity must stand on its own merits, regardless of who is making it, and it should be debated accordingly.
My point is that, even leaving aside the fact that such personal targeting represents weak debating, what we do and what we say about one another in the chamber matters—as Patricia Gibson reminded us in what I felt was a powerful contribution—because people are watching. If those on social media in particular see and hear us indulging in that sort of targeted personal abuse, I think that emboldens, empowers and encourages them to dish out exactly the sort of personal bile with which we are all too familiar, in particular directed at certain groups, with the consequences that Adam Harley highlighted in his excellent contribution.
My second point is a related one that builds on something raised by David Linden. We are sent here to debate difficult topics. In the previous session of Parliament we rightly confronted difficult and polarising issues, as I predict we will do in this one, too. Many of the propositions and debates will be uncomfortable, as they should be. Again, we must not forget that people out there are watching and that what we say has an impact.
We have a duty to speak not only honestly but accurately. As Michelle Campbell reminded us, the words that we use have meaning. When a topic is already polarised or has real consequences for how people think that it is appropriate to behave or speak, or on what lines to divide, it is more important than ever that we are as careful in our use of language as we are in addressing one another. It is vital that, in such debates—particularly those that are contentious—we ensure that the words that we use are accurate and precise and that they have the meaning that is intended.
I am casting stones, yet I am far from without sin. I have no doubt that there are people out there—perhaps even in this chamber—trolling my social media right now, looking for examples of situations where I have not met my own standards. Maybe they will find something—in which case, sure, I will be seen as a hypocrite, they will win and I will be subjected to derision online. However, as Jenny Young’s motion asks of me, I will try to do better. I will try to foster a more respectful political culture to achieve the standards that Jo Cox called for. I hope that all MSPs will join me in that aspiration.