Ian Swanson: Trials and triumphs ..but no more medals

Published on Thursday 2 July 2009 10:09

IT WAS billed as the birthday of a lifetime, the cake measured 3ft by 2ft and the Queen dropped in on the party. But MSPs had the good sense to make sure yesterday's celebrations for the tenth anniversary of the Scottish Parliament were not a beanfeast for politicians.

Instead, they invited all the Scottish children born on 1 July 1999, the day the parliament was officially opened, along with their parents and siblings, and let them enjoy a fun time at Holyrood.

The anniversary celebrations are deliberately being kept low-key. Ten years ago politicians found themselves under fire over commemorative brass medals to mark the parliament's opening, handed out to MSPs at a cost of 7,000.

The medals had been ordered by the Scottish Office long before the parliament was elected, but the row set the tone for the era of devolution in which any example of extravagance at public expense was likely to be seized on and held up for public disapproval.

The saga of the Holyrood building left MSPs particularly sensitive to accusations of lavish spending.

And they soon discovered their expense claims would routinely be pored over and exposed, with dire consequences for those found at fault.

They may have felt hard done by at the time but, ironically, the culture of scrutiny which has grown up around the Scottish Parliament has now allowed MSPs to appear as upstanding and honourable representatives compared with their counterparts at Westminster.

The scandal over MPs' expenses and the contrast with the far more transparent system in the Scottish Parliament has left Holyrood politicians at risk of looking smug.

But it is a genuine illustration of how politics can be improved. No-one can any longer pretend the ancient customs of Westminster are the last word on democracy.

The Scottish Parliament's tenth anniversary has inevitably been accompanied by opinion polls gauging people's views on the state of devolution.

An ICM survey for the BBC found 41 per cent believed devolution had been good and only nine per cent said it was bad – but 46 per cent thought it had made no difference.

Another poll by TNS-BMRB for STV asked how much the Scottish Parliament had achieved since 1999. Twenty per cent said "a lot", 53 per cent "a little" and 15 per cent "nothing at all" with the rest "don't knows". Voters are always reluctant to allow politicians too much credit.

There have been disappointments with devolution. Many would say the party whips still have too much influence over MSPs. First Minister's Questions is too much an imitation of Westminster's weekly bear pit for some people's tastes. And the "new politics" of consensus and co-operation has not blossomed in the way some optimists had predicted.

It seems clear, however, the parliament has quickly made a place for itself.

Before yesterday's party began, the Queen told MSPs the parliament had become "firmly embedded as an institution at the heart of Scottish life and culture".

She also said she had been struck by their spirit of "engagement and innovation".

In his address, Alex Salmond said people no longer thought of the parliament as "new".

"In fact, it has become so familiar that many now struggle to recall what it was like not to have a Scottish Parliament."

Of course, Mr Salmond would like to go further and see Scotland become an independent state. The Calman commission, set up by the opposition parties, has put forward plans for increased powers for Holyrood within the UK.

When the BBC poll offered people a range of scenarios for the future, it found only 28 per cent backing independence while 47 per cent wanted Scotland to remain in the UK with some control over taxes and spending.

Whatever the future holds, devolution has made a difference to Scotland.

It put a stop to what was an unsustainable situation – where Scotland was governed from Westminster by a party which had negligible support here.

Despite disappointments, the Scottish Parliament has shown politics can be made more accessible, decisions can be made closer to home and elected representatives can be made more accountable.

In another ten years, perhaps there will be further advances to celebrate. But if they're wise the MSPs will make sure there is still not a medal in sight.