Departing Holyrood Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone looks back on 27 years at Scottish Parliament
Outgoing Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone first arrived at the Scottish Parliament 27 years ago.
When Alison Johnstone first arrived at the Scottish Parliament in September 1999 she was not an MSP, not a party member and her biggest involvement in politics had been a campaign to save her local playing fields at Meggetland.
But she had just got a job as an assistant to newly-elected Lothian MSP Robin Harper, the first Green parliamentarian in the UK. She would go on to become a Green councillor in Edinburgh and in due course an MSP.
Now, 27 years after she first got off the bus at parliament headquarters, then at George IV Bridge, she is nearing the end of her five-year stint as Presiding Officer at Holyrood. Her last duty in the role will come after the election, chairing the meeting of parliament to choose her successor.
Looking back, she says although she had always supported the campaign for a Scottish Parliament, what inspired her to get involved in politics was the battle to stop developers taking over the Meggetland playing fields, even though it was unsuccessful.
"I was writing to political leaders, I went to the planning committee when they discussed the application. I was just getting more involved in seeing how things worked and whether community voices were being listened to.
"When I saw Robin's advert for two staff I thought 'that looks really interesting'. I had an interview and I was very grateful I managed to convince Robin I could be a helpful addition to his team.
"I felt from that very first day, it was such a privilege - no two days were the same, and since it was a new parliament everyone was learning together."
Another big step in her career came when she was elected to Edinburgh council in 2007, representing Meadows/Morningside ward. "I was very sure at that point that I wanted to stand for local government rather than the national parliament, just beacuse I think I had been so involved in that campaign and local government is resposible for so many of the decisions that impact people on a daily basis.
“It was the first time Greens had ever been elected to the city council. There were three of us and it was a big learning curve."
When Robin Harper retired in 2011, she decided to seek the candidacy and she was elected as Green list MSP for Lothian. "If you've been in an MSPs office you have a fairly good idea of what to expect, but there's still a difference when it's you.
"In 2011, Patrick Harvie and I were the only Greens in the parliament and we had to try to cover everything. I felt I covered a lot of ground, but it was certainly a bit easier the next session in 2016 when there were six of us and you could focus on just two or three portfolios."
At the last elections in 2021, the Greens went up to eight MSPs, but that was almost immediately cut to seven when Ms Johnstone was elected unopposed as Presiding Officer and had to give up her party affiliation.
"Even up to the evening before, I was inclined not to put myself forward," she says. "Probably because I had been working hard as part of a group and managing to see progress on several issues. We'd amended quite a few pieces of legislation, I was working cross-party with colleagues from all groups and lots of organisations and individuals - I thought that was important and I enjoyed it.
"But I have always said it's important we see women in positions that are high profile. It's been a real thread throughout my politics: equal representation and participation.
“I thought there was fairly good chance that if I didn't put myself forward then prehaps a very able male colleague would put themselves forward, but what would that say to all the young women and socety more generally that are watching?
"And I've had so many positive reflections and comments from groups of young women I've met, so I think its really important we do act to see that change. We had the highest percentage ever of women in this parliament, 45 per cent, but it's taken until 2021 to have any women of colour in the parliament and a member who uses a wheelchair. I'm obviously hoping we don't see any slipping back from that in the next session. I want to see a parliament that's truly representative of all the people."
During her time as Presiding Officer, she led an audit called A Paliament for All, looking at barriers to equal representation and participation. "There were 34 recommendations as a result of that and I think it's fair to say if they implemented them all, things would change.
"And it matters because there is so much international research and evidence that shows when parliaments are more representative of the people, people have more trust and confidence in the decisions that are made.”
Some of the audit recommendations are being implemented - the team of Presiding Officer and two deputies will never be single sex and there will never be a single-sex parliamentary committee. But Ms Johnstone says there is still "a way to go".
When she became Presiding Officer, the country was still in the midst of Covid and it was nearly 11 months before she chaired a full meeting of parliament with all MSPs able to atrend. “It was certainly a highlight getting everyone back in the building again,” she says.
But some of the Covid-era measures remain. “For example, it’s still possible for members to participate using the hybrid IT format. Overwhelmingly, members prefer to be in the building and it's used infrequently, but it is there and I think that's a good thing.”
Ms Johnstone has also been keen to make sure all MSPs get as much chance as possible to question ministers and speak in debates. First Ministers Questions had already been extended from 30 to 45 minutes. “The idea was it would be used for backbenchers,” she says. “But it didn’t happen. So I've worked hard this session to reclaim that 15 minutes for backbenchers. That's been working well.”
But she thinks there should be more change. “I would like to see a daily question time session. We have topical questions on a Tuesday and FMQs on a Thursday, but if we were to bring in another session on a Wednesday it would give members a guaranteed opportunity every day. I've seen it work well in other parliaments.”
Travelling and visiting other parliaments also allowed Ms Johnstone to see a question time session in the Canadian federal parliament where there was a strict 35 second limit for questions and answers. “Some colleagues looked a bit surprised when I came back and said 'Do you know what I've just seen?'.”
So what’s next for Ms Johstone after she steps down? She says she’s going to take a break. “The issues that brought me into politics are still very important to me. I’m very passionate about environmental issues; about how we can make sure we’re giving children in Scotland the best possible start; animal welfare has been a key thread of my political career. I'm just going to catch my breath and have a think about what the future might hold.”