Hansard

I thank Christine Grahame for lodging the motion and securing the debate; it is a privilege to be able to speak in it. Yes, it is about animal welfare, but is also about marking the extraordinary contribution of Christine Grahame to this place. I know that I am not alone in saying that Parliament will feel very different without her.

The motion in front of us is one that I whole-heartedly support. I strongly agree with the statement that animal cruelty causes serious harm to animals and to society. How we treat those who are helpless in themselves, such as our animals, is a reflection of the kind of society that we are. We know that, as the motion points out, sentencing is inconsistent and often feels insufficient—particularly when cases are handled, as they are, under summary procedure, with limited penalties. We desperately need clearer sentencing guidelines, better use of the existing powers that we have, stronger monitoring of disqualification orders, and serious consideration of a national animal offenders register, because we know that animal cruelty often does not stop there—it moves into other forms of cruelty, too. If we take animal welfare seriously, as the motion pleads with us to do, sentencing must reflect the severity of harm caused. The motion is about justice, it is about prevention and it is about public protection.

I want to speak, too, of Christine Grahame’s legacy on animal welfare, as others have already done. Christine has been relentless in her advocacy for improving animal welfare. She has delivered changes in the law through the legislation on which she has led in Parliament. She has been a tireless campaigner and a convener of the cross-party group on animal welfare, as Rona Mackay and others have mentioned. The CPG has brought together so many different voices and has focused on so many different topics over the time that I have been a member of that group, and I thank Christine for her tireless charting of such a strong and coherent course as convener. It has been a great group to be part of and to learn from, and it has been great to take part in those discussions.

Christine does not just speak about animal welfare and change the law. Everything that she has done has raised standards, shifted attitudes and made Scotland a leader in that area. The debate and the motion are a continuation of that legacy.

Before I move on to some personal reflections of my five years with Christine, I pay tribute to Rona Mackay for her principled and measured contributions to so many debates in this place—some of which were quite heated. She has always brought calm and clarity in her contributions. I have learned a lot from her, and I am very grateful to have served in this place with her. I thank her very much.

I have personal reflections of Christine Grahame as not only a colleague but, I hope, a friend. Eleanor Scott, a former Green MSP, said that, when a lot of people retired at the end of the last session, people asked how Christine would get on, as a lot of her friends had retired. A mutual friend said to Eleanor, “Well, it’s fine—Maggie’s there.” Of course—why would I not be friends with somebody who is as remarkable as Christine and who is so passionate about animal welfare? I share that passion.

Jackson Carlaw mentioned Christine’s membership of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, which is where I got to know her and where she was always sharp, determined, principled, chaotic, warm, funny and utterly herself. My personal memories will include not only helping her with her information technology and the campaign that we both ran—and lost—for a Parliament cat, but primarily, in one of my finest moments in this place, getting a security pass for Christine’s horse. When the low-emission zone was due to come in, Christine was not sure whether her car would be admissible to the parliamentary car park, and she talked about coming in on horseback, so we got her a pass for her horse. That is a perfect example of what Christine’s wit and humour could elicit in us all.

Presiding Officer, I know that I have gone over my time. Christine Grahame means so much to this place, as a founding figure of the Parliament and a character in the best sense—independent, principled and never afraid to speak her mind. She has helped to shape this place in not only legislation but culture, and it is right that we reflect on that in today’s debate. Christine, I thank you for everything that you have given to this Parliament and for everything that you have done for those who are unable to speak for themselves.

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