Big Issue column - September 21st
Posted on September 28, 2006In what might turn out to be the last Bill my committee receives before the election, the Scottish Executive aims to lay down the law on school dinners. After the questionable pleasures of the Planning Bill this one is mercifully short. Following on from similar moves south of the border, motivated in part by Jamie Oliver’s campaigning on the subject, the new Bill will introduce minimum nutritional standards for school food. That seems like a Very Good Thing; children should be fed good quality healthy food. Obviously. But in south Yorkshire things haven’t turned out to be so simple, with parents handing burgers and chips through the fence to children who turn their noses up at the healthier nosh on offer. We’ve yet to take evidence on the issues, but it strikes me that if getting healthy food into children was as simple as setting out the rules, more parents would themselves have found a way to do it years ago. With basic food skills dying off and many schools physically unable to provide cooking facilities, I’ll be taking this apparently simple bill with a pinch of salt.
This week campaigners against nuclear weapons arrived at Holyrood after their ‘Long Walk for Peace’ which began at the Faslane base. People like Bruce Kent have walked far over the years in the name of disarmament, and they were joined along the route by fellow walkers old and young. Last week, Scotland’s First Minister went on the record about his conversion from unilateralism to his current position, that we should bargain away Trident to ensure disarmament by other nations.
That’s all very well, but the idea of multilateral disarmament has been out there for so long with little progress. More states possess nuclear weapons, and the danger of nuclear conflict has never gone away. There’s a decision now facing the UK Government, and the Parliament which purports to hold it to account, whether to replace Trident or simply decommission it at the end of its life. But multilateral disarmament still means disarmament. Replacing Trident would risk another round of multilateral re-armament, and it is simply unjustifiable, even from Mr McConnell’s position.
Also this week the Scottish Conservatives are attempting to follow their UK leader into the 21st century by leading a debate in the Chamber about ‘The Environment’. At the time of writing I have no further detail, and The Environment being rather a big place the motion for debate could be about almost anything. But my guess would be that Annabel Goldie’s team will boldly stake their claim to a handful of policies which almost every other party has already been promoting - microrenewables, energy efficiency… at a stretch perhaps a plastic bag tax. But until they move on from catchphrases about quality of life and start doing their bit to support windfarm proposals, road traffic reduction and so on, instead of nuclear power, road building and everlasting economic growth, I won’t hold my breath for the Green Tories.
GREENS CONDEMN FINGERPRINTING IN NURSERIES
Posted on September 22, 2006GREENS CONDEMN FINGERPRINTING IN NURSERIES - toddlers “being treated like criminals”
Greens today expressed grave concern that at least one Scottish council is using fingerprinting technology in nurseries. Green MSPs revealed last week that fingerprinting systems are operating in various schools across Scotland, and there are concerns that in some cases prior parental consent may not have been obtained. (1)
Falkirk Council is now rolling a fingerprinting system out to nurseries to check identity of children borrowing library books. It is apparently already operating in at least one council-run nursery. Greens argue that using such technology is an unnecessary expense, could potentially breach of human rights and teaches children to accept intrusive data collection from an early age.
Patrick Harvie MSP, Green speaker on justice, said, “To be fingerprinting at such a young age seems completely unnecessary, over-intrusive and really quite sinister. Rolling out this system also seems a vast waste of money. Why not just provide more books for children and concentrate on encouraging them to read rather than treating them like criminals? We should be teaching the next generation to understand and value their civil liberties, not to surrender them without question.”
Greens last week called for the practice of fingerprinting children to be investigated and have submitted a series of questions to demand answers from the Scottish Executive on the matter.
For further information call 0771 761 8771/0131 348 6360.
Notes
1. Motion submitted to parliament last week by Patrick Harvie:
S2M-04776 - Fingerprinting of Schoolchildren
That the Parliament is deeply concerned that children in some Scottish schools are required to submit to fingerprinting to access school libraries; notes that school libraries have somehow managed to function for generations without needing to treat schoolchildren like criminals; believes that children should be taught in an environment which respects their autonomy and privacy and, indeed, encourages them to hold their civil liberties in high regard, and urges Scottish schools to reject the use of fingerprint systems.
For further information about this issue go to:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/07/kiddyprinting_allowed/
Patrick welcomes local campaigners to Parliament
Posted on September 20, 2006LONG WALK FOR PEACE: GLASGOW MSP WELCOMES LOCAL CAMPAIGNERS TO PARLIAMENT
Renewing Trident will make the world a more dangerous place and maintain Scotland’s status as a terrorist target, Green Glasgow MSP Patrick Harvie said yesterday as he received ballot papers from a local peace group. (1) The Horts Women’s Peace Action Group, a non-violent direct action group largely based in Glasgow, canvassed passers-by in Glasgow city centre on two Saturday afternoons with the response overwhelmingly in favour of not replacing Trident (423 votes against replacement, 22 votes for).
The group were at the Parliament to join the concluding part of the Long Walk for Peace. The Walk saw campaigners including Greens, community groups and religious leaders, walk 85 miles from Faslane to the Parliament over the last few days.
Green Glasgow MSP Patrick Harvie, said,
“The use, the threat of use, the planned replacement of Trident are all illegal. We should take a lead in tackling the challenges of this century – poverty, injustice and environmental destruction - not spend £25bn on weapons of mass destruction aimed at slaughtering civilians. Greens, along with the majority of Scots, oppose Trident, oppose the renewal of Trident, and deplore the indiscriminate violence and carnage that nuclear weapons are designed to create.
“Nuclear weapons make us a terrorist target, create nuclear waste, are illegal and give this country a key role in maintaining one of the most immoral and brutal features of 21st century politics. A new weapons system would also drive a coach and horses through the international treaty agreements that the UK has signed up to.”
The Greens cite a legal opinion provided by Rabinder Singh QC and Professor Christine Chinkin of Cherie Booth’s firm Matrix Chambers, that ruled the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons to be illegal. (2)
Notes
1. See www.scotland4peace.org
Picture shows, from left, Agnes Walton, Patrick Harvie MSP, Margaret Bremner, Isabel Park.
2. See www.scottishgreens.org.uk for more detail.
LONG WALK FOR PEACE: GREEN MSP ADDRESSES GLASGOW RALLY
Posted on September 15, 2006Renewing Trident will make the world a more dangerous place and maintain Scotland’s status as a terrorist target, Green Glasgow MSP Patrick Harvie will say today when he addresses a rally for peace. (1) The event is part of the Long Walk for Peace, which will see campaigners including Greens, community groups and religious leaders, walk 85 miles from Faslane to the Scottish Parliament over the next few days.
Mr Harvie, who will join the walk from Anniesland to Byres Rd, said: “We want to send a strong and clear message that Scotland opposes Trident, opposes the renewal of Trident, and opposes the indiscriminate violence and carnage that nuclear weapons are designed to create. Nuclear weapons make us a terrorist target, create yet more nuclear waste, are illegal and give this country a key role in maintaining one of the most immoral and brutal features of 21st century politics. It would also drive a coach and horses through the international treaty agreements that the UK has signed up to.
“The use, the threat of use, the planned replacement of Trident is illegal. We should take a lead in fighting the wars of this century – against poverty, injustice and environmental destruction - not spend £25bn on weapons of mass destruction aimed at civilians.”
The Greens cite a legal opinion provided by Rabinder Singh QC and Professor Christine Chinkin of Cherie Booth’s firm Matrix Chambers, that ruled the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons to be illegal. (2)
Notes
1. See www.scotland4peace.org
The rally will take place today at corner of Byres Rd and University Ave, 5-7pm.
2. See www.scottishgreens.org.uk for more detail.
GREENS BACK ADOPTION BILL: HARVIE URGES MSPS TO VOTE FOR TOLERANCE
Posted on September 13, 2006GREENS BACK ADOPTION BILL: MSPs URGED TO VOTE FOR TOLERANCE - Harvie responds to Bishop Devine’s “prejudiced” letter
Greens today will back moves to allow same-sex couples to jointly adopt children, arguing that to do otherwise would compromise the welfare of children and fuel bigotry against homosexual people. Greens support the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Bill, to be debated today in Parliament, which will give same-sex parents/guardians and their children equal rights to those in families with heterosexual couples.
Recently, Bishop Devine wrote to all MSPs arguing against ending the exclusion of civil partners and cohabiting couples from adopting. The letter describes mixed sex parenting in terms such as “a more wholesome home environment”, and “a loving environment in the care and protection of mother and father” while describing same-sex relationships as “homosexual lifestyles”, refusing to even acknowledge their capacity for love and care. MSPs have been sent briefing material from other organisations seeking to promote bigotry.
Patrick Harvie MSP, Green speaker on Justice and Communities, has now written to Bishop Devine detailing the Green MSPs’ stance on the Bill and arguing that the primary focus of the Bill must be child welfare.
Mr Harvie said, “The best interests of children will be served by judging each couple on their suitability, not by excluding a group of people based on prejudice about their sexuality. I know that it angers many Christians, just as it angers me, when church leaders use their positions to promote prejudice. There are already many parents in same sex relationships - like other parents, they simply want to provide a caring and loving home for their children. For some couples, joint adoption will allow their children to enjoy the legal protection of both parents. For others, the idea of adoption may be new to them.
“Bishop Devine and other religious figures should concentrate on the great moral issues of our age - environmental degradation of our planet, vicious treatment of asylum seekers; poverty at home and abroad, and war. If they focused on these instead of making ill-informed judgements about other people’s private lives, I would be the first to welcome their contribution to those debates.”
ENDS
For further information call the Green MSPs’ press office on 0771 761 8771.
NEWS RELEASE - “Kiddyprinting”
Posted on September 12, 2006FINGERPRINTING KIDS IN SCOTTISH SCHOOLS REVEALED
- Greens probe Executive and call for investigation
It has been revealed following an alert from concerned parents to Green MSPs, that the practice of fingerprinting schoolchildren as young as 5 years old, in some cases without parental consent, is being introduced to a number of Scottish schools as part of a high tech biometric ID system to access school libraries. Greens have called for the practice to be investigated and have submitted a series of questions to demand answers from the Scottish Executive on the matter. (1)
Greens, who have led political campaigning in the Parliament on civil liberties and the use of biometric data on individuals, say that children should be taught the importance of civil liberties, and fear that practices such as this could be ‘teaching the next generation to surrender them without question’.
Patrick Harvie MSP, Green Speaker on Justice and Communities, said: “I think many parents will be deeply shocked to learn that their children are being fingerprinted - apparently without their knowledge or consent in some cases - for something as simple as a library system. I cannot imagine any justification for such intrusive use of technology in schools - how many books would a library need to lose each year to even make this system save money?
“We should be encouraging children to understand and value their civil liberties, but instead there is a danger that we will be teaching the next generation to surrender them without question. At the very minimum I would want an assurance that no school will go ahead with this system without a full and open debate with parents about the implications of fingerprinting, and no child should be fingerprinted without their parents’ or guardians’ consent.”
Chris Ballance, Green MSP for South Scotland region, who was alerted to the issue by concerned parents in the region said: “I have been contacted by local parents and I share their outrage at this mass finger-printing of children without proper public and political debate. Quite apart from anything else it is difficult to see how you can justify such a huge expenditure for the sake of a few school library books.”
For more information contact 0131 348 6360 or 0790 99 33 074
Notes to editors
1. Motion submitted to parliament:
S2M-04776 - Fingerprinting of Schoolchildren
That the Parliament is deeply concerned that children in some Scottish schools are required to submit to fingerprinting to access school libraries; notes that school libraries have somehow managed to function for generations without needing to treat schoolchildren like criminals; believes that children should be taught in an environment which respects their autonomy and privacy and, indeed, encourages them to hold their civil liberties in high regard, and urges Scottish schools to reject the use of fingerprint systems.
2. For further information about this issue go to: www.theregister.co.uk
3. Patrick Harvie MSP has submitted the following questions to the Scottish Executive:
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a policy of supporting the installation of fingerprinting systems in Scottish schools, and if so what the objective of this policy is?
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it provides funding for the installation of fingerprinting systems in Scottish schools, and if so how much has been spent on this in the last three financial years?
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that parental consent is required before schools take the fingerprints of pupils?
To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence it has had with Scottish schools and local authorities regarding fingerprinting systems in schools?
To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence it has had with the UK Government and the UK Information Commissioner regarding fingerprinting systems in schools?
Bus services in Glasgow
Posted on September 6, 2006Pauline McNeil MSP led a debate this evening on public transport, with a focus on bus services in Glasgow. You can read the motion below, and this link will take you to my speech in the deabte.
S2M-4577# Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab) : Passengers Before Profits - Greater Accountability in Public Transport
That the Parliament reiterates its strong view that decent local bus services are vital to all Scotland’s communities and its belief that such services are integral to cutting road congestion and safeguarding the environment; welcomes the significant investment in bus infrastructure, including better terminuses, priority bus lanes and fast track traffic management systems which have received Scottish Executive support throughout Scotland; expresses significant concern that withdrawal of services is continuing resulting in, for example, a much poorer after-hours service in Glasgow, undermining investment and attempts to deliver more integrated and accessible health care and other public services, as well as leaving many areas of both urban and rural Scotland without adequate services, and believes that the Executive and Transport Scotland, in return for the increased investment, should ensure greater accountability of the bus industry for services across Scotland, should undertake speedily a review of how quality bus partnerships are operating and should consider seriously all possible options which could prevent the loss or absence of vital services, including new and greater forms of regulation such as franchise agreements or allowing the new Regional Transport Partnerships the power to determine routes and timetables, so as to guarantee all Scottish communities the bus links which they need and deserve.
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