The Role of MSPs Starter Task Name the elected representatives for your area (MPs, MSPs etc.) What is meant by the term “representative democracy”?

The Role of MSPs Answers MP – Margaret Curran (Glasgow East), MSPs – John Mason MSP, Paul Martin MSP, Patrick Harvie MSP, Ruth Davidson MSP etc. A democracy where citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf

Today we will… Outline the main roles of MSPs Identify some of the pressures on MSPs

Success Criteria I will

The Role of MSPs In basic terms, the main responsibility of MSPs is to represent the people that elected them Because Scotland is a representative democracy, citizens entrust MSPs with making decisions for them MSPs should try to respect the wishes of the majority of their constituents or they may not win re-election Jackie Baillie MSP, Dumbarton

How do MSPs represent us? MSPs can represent constituents in numerous ways and we can split these into two categories: In the constituency In the Parliament

In Constituency Surgeries - A Surgery is when people go along to talk to an MSP about problems they might have in the constituency. You could think of it as being like a doctors surgery, where you go along to tell the doctor your problem. In an MSP’s Surgery, people go along to tell the MSP about the problems in their constituency. Paul Martin MSP holds several surgeries every month in the Glasgow Provan constituency, one of which is at The Bridge Community Centre in Easterhouse. Answering phone-calls, letters and emails - Constituents can contact MSPs in many ways. One duty of an MSP is for them to respond to requests from constituents. For example, constituents may contact MSPs about various issues…e.g. knife crime, litter, pot holes etc.

In Constituency Attend local meetings - Your MSP may be asked by many different groups to attend a meeting. This could be to see how the MSP can help or just to let them know about the work that is going on in the community. For example, groups such as pressure groups and local community groups might invite an MSP along. An MSP may also meet with the local council to resolve an issue. For example, MSPs may attend meetings relating to a school closure in their constituency. Fact-finding Missions - When a constituent raises an issue, an MSP may have to visit somewhere to see first hand what the problem is. After, the MSP might arrange more meetings to resolve the problem or raise it as an issue in Parliament. For example, if there is a problem with graffiti in an area an MSP may visit the area to see the problem for themselves Mass media - An MSP may also work with the media to highlight an issue. This may be in the form of radio, TV or newspaper interviews. For example, the Glasgow MSP Humza Yousaf recently used the media to publicise a campaign raising awareness of homelessness, during which he sold the Big Issue in Glasgow City Centre. Gil Paterson Clydebank Post

In Parliament First Minister’s Question Time (FMQT) - Leaders of the other parties, and some ‘ordinary’ MSPs have the opportunity to question the First Minister at First Minister’s Question Time. This happens once per week on Thursdays normally starting at 12 noon and can last for around 30 minutes. Opposing parties can use this as an opportunity to expose the shortcomings of the governing party and scrutinise the work of the government. For example, in 2012, John Mason MSP asked the Scottish Government how many convictions had been secured using the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012. Debates - MSPs represent our views by taking part in debates in parliament. This can be debates about new legislation or about changes that MSPs want make to legislation. Debates take place in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish parliament, on Wednesday afternoons and Thursdays. For example, MSPs recently held a debate on the upcoming referendum for independence where MSPs had the chance to represent the views of their constituents. Voting - MSPs take part in ‘decision time’. This is when they must vote ‘for’ or ‘against’ new laws that have been proposed or amendments. Each MSP has an electronic keypad on their table in the debating chamber and they simply press a button to vote. The results are often gathered within minutes. Example: voting on issues such as free prescriptions, minimum pricing on alcohol, offensive behaviour at football. MSPs vote with the interests of their constituents in mind.

In Parliament Committees - Committees are sometimes referred to as the ‘powerhouse’ of Parliament. In other words, this is where much of parliament’s work is completed. Committees meet every Tuesday and Wednesday morning and normally have between 5 – 15 MSPs. Committees take time to scrutinise legislation being discussed in parliament. Committees can hear evidence from experts and ask Government ministers questions. Committees will have a particular subject that they focus on e.g. Health. For example, John Mason MSP is a member of the Finance committee. Members’ Bills - Each MSP is entitled to introduce 2 bills in each parliamentary year. Around 10% of bills passed are members’ bills. For example, in 2013 the now deceased independent MSP Margo McDonald introduced the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill in an attempt to legalise euthanasia in Scotland.

What pressures do MSPs face? The short answer is…lots! Being an MSP is a high pressure job…although as you can see MSPs are well paid…MSPs usually get a wage rise in April of each year. It is difficult for MSPs to please everyone all the time and so the job is far from easy.

Who do MSPs have to answer to? Party Whips Constituents Groups MPs have to answer to Political Parties Themselves- personal views

Constituents The primary responsibility is to represent constituents They are after all the people who have elected the MSP If constituents are not happy with an MSP they may vote for someone else at the next election. Example – Bill Walker of the SNP resigned from Parliament in 2013 following conviction on domestic violence charges. His seat was won, in a by-election, by Cara Hilton of the Labour Party.

Own Party Most MSPs belong to a political party…e.g. Labour or SNP This means that their party selected them to be a candidate and so have backed them and funded them to help them gain election MSPs therefore have to keep their own party happy and are expected to vote along party lines

Party Whips The job of a party whip is to ensure that MSPs follow the party line. For example the Labour for Independence movement- against the party whip. This is so that MSPs from the same party vote together on issues Therefore, MSPs may be under pressure to vote with their party on an issue, even if they are going against the wishes of their constituents

Personal Views MSPs may have personal views or beliefs which influence how they vote MSPs should disregard their personal views and vote according to the best interests of their constituents This may be difficult for some MSPs who have strong religious, moral or political views which differ from their constituents or party E.g. John Mason MSP who is in the SNP Party went against his party (and probably most of his constituents) by voting against the legalisation of gay marriage in 2013 Also, two MSPs, John Finnie and Jean Urquhart, left the SNP because the party reversed its stance on Scottish membership of NATO http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-20041667

Constituency vs Regional MSPS Due to the Additional Member System (the voting system used to elect MSPs), the traditional links between voter and representative are more complex. Each citizen of Scotland is represented by 8 MSPs – one from their local constituency and 7 from their region. This can and does cause tension between MSPs. Constituency MSPs often claim to be “the people’s choice” representative as they have defeated other candidates in a straightforward contest within a specific area. For example, in May 2016 George Adam was elected to represent Paisley. However voters in Paisley are also represented by 7 other MSPS from the Central Scotland Region.

Constituency vs Regional MSPS Constituency MSPs often claim that Regional MSPs “cherry-pick” the issues they discuss/highlight in order to promote themselves to local residents. On numerous occasions, Regional MSPs have gone on to win Constituency seats in later elections. On the other hand, Regional MSPs claim that their Constituency counterparts treat them as “second-class politicians” and do not regard the work they do as important. It is significant that much of the criticism of Regional MSPs come from the SNP > the SNP tend to do particularly well in Constituencies than in the Regions.

Other Challenges… Media – MSPs have to ensure that they, their constituency and their party get positive media attention. Also must avoid scandal which could harm their or their party’s reputation. The recent expenses scandal harmed the reputations of several MSPs including the Glasgow MSP Ann McTaggart who spent £141 on books just a month after being elected in May 2011. The titles included “Public Speaking and Presentation for Dummies” and “The Scottish Parliament: An Introduction”. Pressure groups – decisions made by MSPs may be supported or opposed by influential pressure groups so MSPs must be wary. E.g. if MSPs make decisions which may have a negative environmental effect then they may face opposition from Greenpeace or other environmental groups. Work-life balance – MSPs have to commute regularly between their constituency and the Parliament in Edinburgh which can be challenging, particularly for MSPs in remote parts of Scotland such as the Highlands and Islands. MSPs with families may find the job difficult as a result. A 2014 report suggests that in reality MSPs work up to 69 hours per week.

Question Task Summarise the main tasks that MSPs undertake in the Parliament Summarise the main tasks the MSPs undertake in the constituency Explain the purpose of the Party Whip. Explain why party loyalty can sometimes be compromised. Explain why there may be tension between constituency and regional MSPs.

Exam Task Analyse the role of representatives in the decision making process – 12 marks