Meeting of the Parliament 05 November 2014
I will come to that precise point.
In 2011, that act was railroaded through by the SNP majority Government in the face of opposition from Scottish Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, who all voted against it. Those Opposition parties were not alone in their criticisms of the 2012 act. In 2013, Sheriff Richard Davidson said that it was
“horribly drafted”
and that
“Somehow the word mince comes to mind.”
His voice is only one of those in the legal profession who have spoken out against it.
Where clarity was sought, the act introduced vague, catch-all offences that some argue are very much at odds with civil liberties. In other words, the SNP response to the deeply complex issue was to introduce legislation that has served only to create confusion. Consequently—to answer Mr Mason’s point—that legislation should be repealed now in view of the fact that existing laws that do not vilify certain sections of society could easily be used to greater effect. For that reason, the Scottish Conservatives will vote for the motion and against the amendment.
The legislation, which was the SNP’s top-down response, is self-evidently not the answer to the problem. If Scotland’s sectarianism is to be eliminated, the root causes must be tackled.
The Morrow report confirms the inherent complexities of sectarianism where it exists in Scotland. It also stresses that the impact of sectarianism varies from community to community and that it is not a one-size-fits-all issue. In particular, it highlights the importance of community-led activity as the way to overcome sectarianism.
I very much welcome that approach, having been fortunate enough to see at first hand when I visited the Machan Trust’s project in Larkhall how such activity can make a transformative difference in the lives of young people. That project, which seeks to tackle sectarianism, ran successfully in bringing children and young adults of all religions and none together to participate in collaborative activities. Furthermore, YouthLink Scotland has seen proven success by addressing the issue through youth work with its action on sectarianism web portal.
Those initiatives endeavour to work with a local community where sectarian issues exist in order to educate rather than punish. As such, they are surely an example of the best way to overcome the sectarian divide.