Bush causes a stir at Holyrood

George Bush makes a surprise appearance in the public gallery

George Bush made an appearance in the public gallery at Holyrood this week and caused quite a stir.

Beneath the mask and the American flag however it turned out to be Kevin Williamson, a member of the Scottish Socialist Party.

His comrades on the floor of the chamber applauded his demonstration against the Bush visit to Britain and landed themselves in trouble.

They were warned by the Presiding Officer George Reid that if they encouraged further demonstrations they would be thrown out.

Passions had been rising all morning on Thursday as the Socialists led a debate on world peace.

"George Bush has blood on his hands," said Frances Curran.

Boycotted the debate

"George Bush and Tony Blair should be put on trial at the International Court of Justice for war crimes," said Tommy Sheridan.

"Their war in Iraq was illegal and unjustified and over 10,000 innocent Iraqis have been killed."

Ministers boycotted the debate and Labour backbenchers like John Home Robertson were left to argue the government's case.

"War is hell, " he said. "I know. I've seen it.

"Yes, it would be infinitely better if we had an effective United Nations to deal with these matters. And yes, it's a deplorable fact that it's not possible to tackle each and every rogue state immediately.

"But it would be a counsel of abject despair to use that as an excuse for a refusal to intervene against any tyrant anywhere."

George Bush was honest about the basis for war - regime change - and that was something we could back. Phil Gallie

The SNP and the Liberal Democrats argued that the war in Iraq was wrong.

The Conservative Phil Gallie said Tony Blair had misled the country over the existence of weapons of mass destruction.

"By contrast, George Bush was honest about the basis for war - regime change - and that was something we could back."

At First Minister's Question Time, the SNP leader John Swinney asked Jack McConnell if he regretted "misleading" parliament over the existence of weapons of mass destruction.

"There have been some pretty stupid questions in this chamber over the past two years, " said Mr McConnell, "but that takes the biscuit.

"If Mr Swinney thinks that if Saddam Hussein had still been in power today, the United Nations would have been able to take over the running of Iraq and build a democratic parliament, then he has a very crazy way of looking at the world."

Bitter attacks

At the end of the day, MSPs voted against the Socialist motion to put Mr Bush and Mr Blair on trial, by 76 votes to 13, with 26 abstentions.

A Liberal Democrat amendment saying the war was wrong was also defeated, but by a narrower margin, 61 to 52, with 6 abstentions.

The war in Iraq has not brought peace to the Scottish Parliament.

It has also left the Socialists feeling sore.

Not only were they reprimanded by Presiding Officer, they suffered bitter attacks from Labour and Liberal Democrat MSPs for putting forward "unrealistic" policies, on war and peace.

During a debate on poverty, the Socialists suggested that 24,000 jobs would be created in the public sector if the minimum wage was increased to £7.50 an hour.

That, Labour MSPs said, was a dishonest claim.

Rosie Kane asked a fellow MSP to "step outside"

And to cap it all, the SNP's Stewart Stevenson said he'd been looking closely at the Socialists' attendance record at parliament.

Rosie Kane, in particular, he said, had attended only one of the eight meetings of the local government and transport committee she was supposed to serving on and spoken less than 5,000 words in the chamber.

She asked him to "step outside".

He said the Socialists "don't like it up 'em."

As to the real work of parliament, there was relatively little done this week.

MSPs backed the vulnerable witnesses bill, giving more protection to children in court.

They heard that dental services are to be shaken up, with more money for dentists setting up in remote or deprived areas and an immediate £1.5 million for emergency dental services for local health boards.

Inconclusive discussion

In the committee rooms, the environment committee heard from gamekeepers and animal welfare campaigners on the latest legislation to protect Scotland's wildlife.

The procedures committee held an inconclusive discussion with the minister for parliament Patricia Ferguson on the future of First Minister's question time.

And the standards committee elected a new convener.

The SNP's Brian Adam takes over from Tricia Marwick.

She resigned last month saying she found it impossible to carry on, despite being cleared of allegations that she withheld papers unduly from the former MSP Dorothy-Grace Elder.

It's all been rather acrimonious and Mr Adam has been brought in to clear the cobwebs and noxious gases from this committee room.

J K Rowling lobbied Holyrood on behalf of MS sufferers

Finally, the Hogwarts parliament received a visit from J K Rowling. No, she wasn't here to discuss the plot of her latest Harry Potter novel with MSPs.

She was here to tell them a story of a very different kind.

Her mother died from multiple sclerosis 13 years ago and she says little has changed since in the support services for people with the disease.

She's patron of the Multiple Sclerosis Society which is calling for a national standard of care, similar to the one being brought in in England and Wales.

Scotland has the highest incidence of MS in the world. Over 10,000 people are affected.

And no one knows why.