English Who are the Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs)?
Everyone in Scotland is represented by 8 Members of the Scottish Parliament. One member is a representative of the constituency that you live in. To find out which Scottish Parliament constituency you belong to, visit: http://lgbc-scotland.gov.uk/
The other seven members are regional MSPs. Scotland is divided into eight electoral regions: Central Scotland, Glasgow, Highlands and Islands, Lothian, Mid Scotland and Fife, North East Scotland, South of Scotland, West of Scotland.
To find out who currently represents you in Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament, visit: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/
The upcoming elections for the Scottish Parliament are different from the general elections which were last held on Thursday 12 December 2019, and which are scheduled again for Thursday 2 May 2024. During the general elections British citizens vote for their representative in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament (Member of Parliament or MP). The House of Commons has 650 members and 59 are from Scotland.
How are the Members of Scottish Parliament elected?
Constituency candidates are elected on a ‘first past the post’ basis. This means that parties will put forward one candidate to represent the constituency in Scottish Parliament, and the candidate who receives the largest number of votes in the constituency will win the seat.
The regional vote or ‘list vote’ works differently, through a form of proportional representation. As there are seven spots available, each party will list their candidates with the first to be elected at the top of the list, followed by the second, third, etcetera. A mathematical formula is used to allocate the votes for each party in the region, which decides how many of those on the party lists get elected for the seven seats that are available. This system can help smaller parties who may not get enough votes to unseat a constituency candidate. For example, in the 2016 elections, the Scottish Greens had no constituency representatives but had six MSPs elected through the regional list.
For more information on the workings of the Scottish electoral system, watch the webinar by the Scottish Food Coalition available at the bottom of this page: https://www.foodcoalition.scot/2021-scottish-election.html
What do the Scottish Parliament and Government do?
The Scottish Parliament legislates on matters that are ‘devolved’ to Scotland. Such devolved topics include many areas of law and policy that are very relevant to the work of the Landworkers’ Alliance in Scotland:
- Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
- Education and training
- Environment
- Health and social services
- Housing
- Law and order
- Local government
- Sport and the arts
- Tourism and economic development
- Many aspects of transport
The UK Parliament legislates on topics that are ‘reserved’. These topics such as foreign policy, trade and industry, crown estates and MOD estates, and some matters of taxation, financial and fiscal policy have UK-wide or international impacts.
The Scottish Government is led by the First Minister of Scotland (who must be nominated by Scottish Parliament within 28 days of the election result). The First Minister appoints the Scottish ministers to make up the Cabinet, with the agreement of Scottish Parliament and approval of the Queen. The most senior ministers are known as the Cabinet Secretaries. The Cabinet is the main decision-making body of the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Government normally proposes new laws (known as a ‘Bill’) within the scope of the devolved competences. Bills can, however, also be presented by a committee of the Parliament (Committee Bill) or by an individual MSP (Member’s Bill). In order to become law (or an ‘Act’) the Bill must go through three legislative stages in Scottish Parliament (for more information, visit: https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/primary-legislation-scotland/).
The Scottish Government is responsible for executing or implementing the legislation that has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. Its work is supported by the civil service.
Who are the candidates for the Scottish Parliament election on the 6th of May 2021?
The main parties that are standing for the Scottish Parliament election are:
- The Scottish National Party (SNP)
- Conservative and Unionist Party
- Liberal Democrats
- Labour Party
- Scottish Green Party (only for the regional list)
We have summarised the main points from the party manifestos on the production of food, fuel and fibre and land use for you, which can be found here.
Information on other political parties that have put forward candidates in your region can be found here: https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/
