1,000 days of 'passion and humility'

The parliament began sitting on 1 July 1999

By BBC Scotland political reporter John Knox

MSPs have gone off on their Easter holidays having celebrated 1,000 days in office.

The Scottish Parliament even made a short video about its achievements ... 30 bills passed, 1,212 committee meetings held - 28 of them outside Edinburgh - and 480 petitions received.

Members also voted to keep their present number at 129.

Strictly speaking, under the Devolution Act, the number should drop to 108 as the Boundary Commission reduces the number of Scottish MPs at Westminster from 72 to 59.

But the Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell is now under pressure to change the Act.

David McLetchie: "Self-serving consensus"

The only party against retaining 129 was the Conservatives.

Their leader David McLetchie said: "We are proud to stand alone against the self-serving consensus of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party which seeks to preserve the status quo."

The former First Minister Henry McLeish made one of his rare interventions during the debate: "This Parliament, despite some of the criticism around the 1,000 days, is working well."

Backbenchers

One of the astonishing facts to emerge during the 1,000 days celebrations was that there are very few backbenchers in the Scottish Parliament.

Only three members will be going forward into the elections next year having served their entire term as backbenchers ... Dennis Canavan, Paul Martin and Elaine Smith.

All the others hold, or have held, some sort of office.

There are three presiding officers, 20 ministers, 11 former ministers, four opposition party leaders, eight ministerial aides, 17 committee conveners and 17 deputies, and a whole list of party spokesmen.

John Swinney: "The numbers don't stack up"

The end of term question time was largely taken up with yaa-boo politics, and none the worse for that.

SNP leader John Swinney held up two reports which cast doubt on the Executive's claim that private prisons cost half as much as public ones.

Labour, he said, was unravelling the public services.

"In prisons, the numbers don't stack up. In the Post Office and the dockyards, workers are being thrown onto the dole for the sake of privatisation. In our hospitals NHS cleaners are getting the sack and hospital infections are rising.

"And on our railways, private shareholders get public money and the public don't even get their trains."

"Talking independence"

But First Minister Jack McConnell was ready with his own list of SNP shortcomings.

He had been studying the latest SNP campaign document "Talking Independence".

"It contains 47 mentions of the word tax. How many mentions of the word teachers? None.

"It contains 16 mentions of the word negotiations. How many mentions of the word nurses? None.

"How many mentions of the word passengers? None. But 46 mentions of the word constitution."

Local government reform

But there was also some serious business in the chamber this week.

A bill requiring councils to draw up plans to help disabled pupils through their schooling was given final approval.

There was a keynote debate on tourism. And the Conservatives staged Thursday morning debates on transport and the economy.

The Executive was busy too, publishing a white paper on local government reform and the long-awaited Criminal Justice Bill.

The White Paper gives the Liberal Democrats what they're wanting, proportional representation.

But it also gives Labour councillors what they're looking for, an assurance that the number of councillors will not be cut and their basic allowance will increase from £6,000 a year to £12,000.

However, the White Paper only marks the beginning of the battle on this whole issue.

Jim Wallace: Criminal Justice Bill

Most of the attention on the Criminal Justice Bill has focused on smacking.

The Conservatives have poured scorn on the idea that the state should intervene to prevent parents smacking children under the age of three.

But Justice Minister Jim Wallace has been stressing that the bill only removes a defence to the charge of assault.

The bill also deals with many other issues, including the protection of vulnerable witnesses, stalking, tagging, alternatives to prison, drug courts, sentencing and victim statements.

Scientific findings

The committees have also had an active final week of term.

On Monday, the Environment Committee met in Oban to hear evidence on the future of fish farming.

On Wednesday, it intervened in the row over genetically modified crop trials.

It gave the environment minister Ross Finnie just two weeks to respond to new scientific findings on the effects of such trials.

Asbestos dust

The Justice Committee heard important evidence from solicitor advocate Frank Maguire.

He has been pressing the case for compensation for the shipyard workers on the Clyde who are suffering the after-effects of asbestos dust.

He had a long list of suggestions about how the legal process in such cases could be speeded up.

The petitions committee heard directly from four sets of petitioners.

The community of Strathnairn near Inverness complained about the way an official Reporter had inquired into a planning application for a third quarry in their glen.

The campaign to save Auchincruive agriculture college in Ayrshire made their case.

The victims of the brain condition aphasia argued for more support.

And Paddy Hill, one of the Birmingham Six, came up from England to lend his distinctive voice to the campaign for a half-way house for those suddenly released from prison after an appeal.

Time for reflection

Finally, back to the chamber.

Leading the time for reflection this week was the Reverend Lloyd Ogilvie, chaplain to the US Senate.

He quoted the prophet Micah about "walking humbly with your god."

And Cathy Peattie, the Labour MSP for Falkirk East, chose as a member's debate, the life of the late poet and songwriter Hamish Henderson.

She sang his "Freedom Come All Ye" with real passion.

Passion and humility ... and all in the first 1,000 days !