John Christie: Poverty puts link to London in pole position

This was my second visit to a parliament. Last December I visited Westminster and I realised something I previously had not – that a devolved Scotland remains attached to the wider UK political arena.

I discussed areas of mutual concern during my three-day visit to Holyrood. There are two key pressure areas, the first being the economy, not least the rising inflation rates, reluctance to lend and low interest rates.

Poverty still blights areas of Scotland and childhood poverty is a particular blight that seems to have no quick cure. Whoever is running the country in May will face challenging questions. Where will they get the resources to lift children from poverty and what strategies will they use? It seems to me that the financial cake has to be re-sliced or money has to be found by increasing taxation – something that no one is presently mentioning though this is a matter coming on the agenda, or seems to be.

The second area is Scotland's relations with London. I mentioned visiting Westminster and my insight there was that we as Scots need to maintain and enhance our engagement there as areas such as work and pensions, welfare, defence and foreign policy are all reserved and we cannot ignore them.

I have read the Calman Commission on Scottish devolution. The Church of Scotland gave evidence to it and I am keen to discuss Scotland's constitutional future and the ways Scotland can have more fiscal autonomy without losing links to wider UK issues. That to me is fundamentally important.

There are difficult times ahead. I hope whoever is elected in Scotland is able to take the country forward with compassion, justice, integrity and wisdom. l The Right Rev John Christie is Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland