Hansard

It was a year ago to the day that China reported its first death from coronavirus. No one knew then how quickly the virus would spread and become a global pandemic—or, of course, the tragic effect that it would have on so many people’s lives. Today is a solemn reminder of just how many lives—something that should surely unite us, even if only briefly.

It has not been easy for anyone, and the response, not only in Scotland but globally, has evolved as our knowledge of the virus has grown. I sincerely believe that all have done their best to combat and tackle a threat of unimaginable proportions that no one could have foreseen. I pay particular tribute to those on the front line of the battle against Covid-19.

I believe that the Scottish Government has always tried to follow the evidence, such as the decision to follow the JCVI priority list for the first phase of the vaccination programme. That list has been drawn up by independent experts to provide the greatest possible protection against preventable mortality as a result of Covid-19 by vaccinating residents and staff in care homes first. The percentage of that group who have received vaccinations is now standing at more than 95 per cent and we are on track to deliver the first vaccination to all those aged over 80 by 5 February. That is surely to be welcomed.

Donald Cameron talked about the importance of GPs’ views but then conveniently forgot to mention—because it does not suit the narrative—the comments of Dr Andrew Buist, chair of the BMA GP committee, who said:

“I believe our plan is good ... Covid19 vaccination is not a sprint, it’s a long-distance race”.

Dr Buist is right.

Will mistakes have been made? Undoubtedly, and I am sure that we will learn from them, but to listen to the Opposition, people would think that every single thing that the Scottish Government has done has been a disaster. There is never any praise for the successes—not once—which is not lost on our hard-working health and social care staff. The Scottish Government has quite rightly committed to a public inquiry to learn lessons from the pandemic and to ensure that we are better prepared for any future public health crisis.

I turn to the motion that is before us. Frankly, it is difficult to know where to start—the words “confused”, “muddled” and “simply undemocratic” spring to mind. The motion is also terribly hypocritical. It appears to confuse the setting up of a task force to explore and promote independence by a political party so that it can present that to voters ahead of a democratically scheduled election with the actions of a Government. At the same time, the Tories presumably believe that it is okay for the UK Government to set up a special union committee, chaired by Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, in addition to a union unit at No 10. The Tories are setting up a committee at the heart of a Government to fight against Scotland’s right to choose independence. There is no mention in the Tory motion of that being a distraction for the UK Government in fighting the pandemic.

The motion says that there should be no discussion about independence during the pandemic, despite the Scottish Government pausing all work on independence during the pandemic, while, at the same time—as others have pointed out—the UK Government has persisted with its damaging Brexit obsession without any delay.

For the Tories, political discussion about independence is described as “reckless and damaging”, but apparently that is not so much the case for Brexit. It appears that democracy is “reckless and damaging” only when it applies to Scotland’s future.

The true impact of Brexit is now beginning to be felt, adding further pressure and challenges to our economy, which has already been impacted by the pandemic. In 2014, the Tories told us that the only way to protect Scotland’s place in Europe was to vote no; in 2016, Scotland voted to remain in the EU, yet our voice was ignored.

Those broken promises and the material changes have led to renewed calls for a referendum on independence. The Tories seem to believe that it is only the SNP that is calling for the referendum, but poll after poll show that the Scottish people want to have a choice about their own future, and the Scottish people deserve the right to choose their future. Their voices must and will be heard, and the SNP has been clear that, at the next election, there will be a commitment to hold a legal referendum after the pandemic—that is democracy.

The Scottish Government’s focus has been completely on dealing with the pandemic and, in truth, the Opposition knows that to be the case. Today’s motion seeks to deny Scots the right to self-determination and the right to debate the merits or otherwise of independence, as they see it. That is simply undemocratic and unsustainable.

Having the full powers of independence in this Parliament is not some abstract concept. In recovering from the pandemic, it will be fundamental to have control over the economy and things such as welfare to ensure that our recovery is fair and socially just. I urge members to support the Scottish Government amendment.