Why Scottish Parliament needs to formalise cross-party collaboration
Politicians from different parties need to work together to develop long-term strategies to build a better Scotland
Two weeks ago, the first-ever Scotland 2050 conference took place in Edinburgh. With more than 400 delegates at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, it was great to see so many people take part. For those who attended and sponsored the event, I want to say a big thank you for being a part of it and for your continued support.
The underpinning ethos of Scotland 2050 is to simply ask questions about where we want this country to be by 2050, how to tackle the issues that affect us all and how to secure new opportunities in the future. I want everyone to be part of a conversation about Scotland’s future, but to achieve this, we need to build a political consensus, underpinned by realpolitik and a desire to see a better and more prosperous Scotland.
To do that we need to have a long-term, strategic plan for Scotland. What was striking about the conference was the widespread support, buy-in and recognition of that from all across the party political spectrum and from members of the public. They were clear about the need for longer term thinking that transcends the theatrics of day-to-day politics.
Good intentions
It is understandable – and it’s also very easy – to be a cynic and argue that the interest from politicians is due to the fact that there is an election taking place in just over ten months’ time. But I would argue that just isn’t the case as there really is a shared desire to build a better Scotland from all political parties and leaders in Scotland.
And if that is the starting position as we begin this journey, then that’s good enough for me. However, a one-off conference won’t solve the issues that Scotland currently faces and my ambition is for Scotland 2050 to become an annual event.
And, as successful as this first conference was, we need to go beyond simple rhetoric about supporting a long-term strategic plan for the country and put in place vehicles to actually deliver it.
A new way of thinking
One way of doing this would be to create a cross-party committee at Holyrood which would be comprised of MSPs but also relevant people from key sectors like health, housing and the economy, to name but a few. It would then make recommendations to the Scottish Government about how we as a nation can tackle the issues affecting Scotland today for a better tomorrow.
What I’m suggesting here isn’t revolutionary and doesn’t require the re-invention of the wheel – it’s very much in keeping with how the Scottish Parliament currently works.
But creating a committee like this, whose overall remit is long-term strategy, not short-term political point-scoring, would help foster a new way of thinking. If done right, creating this new political model based on working in partnership would result in better decision-making and a brighter future for Scotland.
After a successful conference, we now need less talking and more action. It’s time to reimagine this country’s potential.
Barrie Cunning is the founder of Scotland 2050 and the managing director of Pentland Communications
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