Meeting of the Parliament 18 January 2024
The Scottish rural and islands youth parliament serves to unite people. Unfortunately, however, the cross-party groups in the Scottish Parliament were not invited to meet the youth parliament. Nevertheless, I welcome its delegates to the chamber today, and I hope that they have enjoyed their day.
The youth parliament offers a platform for young people in Scotland to have their voices heard on the issues that matter most to them. That is important, because it stimulates discussion and debate and allows ideas and inspiration to take root and grow, which is what our rural communities—one of which I represent—need most. However, I believe that the Scottish National Party is more interested in sowing the seeds of division than in building the backbone of tomorrow’s rural Scotland. We have to double down on our engagement with the next generation. Too often, the voices of young people in rural and island communities are ignored and overlooked by the Scottish Government.
The youth parliament seeks action on several priorities that the cabinet secretary highlighted, such as transport, education and the environment. Many of those challenges are similar to those experienced across urban Scotland, but there is one difference: the Scottish Government is not delivering on those objectives for the people of rural Scotland.
Young people in rural areas are equally entitled to a good education, and a rural upbringing should not detract from their access to opportunities. Given the ferry issues, the Scottish Government is denying people in island communities the opportunity to travel.