Meeting of the Parliament 25 March 2026 [Draft]
I associate myself with those words. In asking what is potentially my final question, I wish all members across the chamber the very best in the future.
The reality is that, in recent times, we have seen a rise in antisemitic abuse and far-right protests. There are people who aspire to become members of the Scottish Parliament who are spouting Islamophobic bile on social media and cracking jokes at the expense of gay people.
When I joined this place a decade ago, there was genuine desire to find common ground on some difficult societal issues on Gypsy Travellers, migrants, refugees and transgender people—people who are our friends, our neighbours and our fellow Scots.
Ten years on, I am utterly saddened to hear politicians use language that reduces people to adjectives such as “dangerous”, “unwanted” and “unwelcome”. I challenge not just the First Minister but the leaders of all the political parties that hope to return members to this place to commit their parties in the next parliamentary session to using their privilege of platform wisely, to debating with decency and to remembering that the language that is used in here affects people out there. I hope that we can do politics better, and that we can all agree that hatred will never, ever have a place in this Parliament.