Meeting of the Parliament 30 October 2025 [Draft]
Like Bob Doris, I was not going to speak in the debate. I assumed that it would go straight to a vote; I did not realise that there would be a discussion such as this. I was wondering why there was such a delay for the cabinet secretary to come, but it is clear that people want to put their views on record.
I pressed my button only after Rona Mackay spoke, and I will come to her point in a minute. We have to accept that we are not dealing with a normal piece of legislation—it is a very emotive one. It has been expertly taken through Parliament to this stage by Liam McArthur, for whom I have a great deal of respect. I listened carefully to the stage 1 debate, and I took a different position from him. It is a member’s bill and has a Government financial resolution. It also, very rarely for us in the chamber, has a free vote. That is why we have a slight difference from when those of us who might oppose a Government bill would still support a financial resolution because we respect that the Government has a majority to take through its legislation. I believe that this situation is slightly different.
There are impassioned views on both sides of the debate, and I remember the speech that Rona Mackay gave at stage 1 in support of the bill. However, I respectfully disagree with Ms Mackay, and I have to correct her: I will not support the financial resolution not because I want to circumvent the will of Parliament at stage 1, and not because I want to use parliamentary procedures to stop it; I just want to be consistent in the way that I vote on the bill. I did not support it at stage 1, I do not believe that it is correct, and I therefore think that it would be hypocritical of me to vote to put money behind a bill that I do not support.
I simply say to Rona Mackay—I will give way if she would like to come in—that I am not doing this to use politics to circumvent the will of Parliament. I am taking a consistent approach to my opposition to the bill, which I have had for a long time, although I have listened to both views. It would be inconsistent to vote one way at stage 1 and a different way today on the financial resolution.