Meeting of the Parliament 25 March 2026 [Draft]
TheParliament is supposed to be about the lived experiences of Scots. Five years ago, Scots elected a Scottish Government on a clear promise to make this a Covid recovery Parliament. Let us not forget that John Swinney was the Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery. But we did not get recovery, did we? Instead, the SNP Government lost its way and took Scotland backwards. On almost every measure, things are now worse than they were five years ago. Waiting times are worse, homelessness numbers are worse, crime is up, police officer numbers are down and educational attainment is poorer. In 2021, John Swinney was the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and promised that we would have 3,500 extra teachers. Instead, we have 810 fewer teachers compared with 2021. John Swinney and the SNP have failed. After 20 years, more of the same will not cut it, will it?