Change with fairness at its heart ignited by Lib Dem success - Alex Cole-Hamilton
Earlier this week I arrived at the Scottish Parliament with our brand-new group of MSPs. All ten of them, almost triple what we had before.
Right now, they’re being inducted into the flows and rhythms of Holyrood, an experience not too dissimilar to your first week at a new school.
Navigating the building is probably the trickiest part. The Scottish Parliament is a fairly labyrinthine office; I definitely still struggle to find my way about.
But as we walked up the stairs and discussed our plans, there wan’t just a sense of happy bewilderment.
It was also taking so long to get around everyone, to make sure all their different ideas and perspectives were being heard. I couldn’t help but smile.
In every corner of Scotland, people have elected Liberal Democrat MSPs who have so much to offer, so much to deliver.
It was our best election result for almost 20 years. In fact, if it had been decided by constituencies alone, we would be the official opposition to the SNP.
And as many journalists have already emphasised, it was our brilliant wins that kiboshed John Swinney’s yearning for an SNP majority. Because in every constituency that we gained, we defeated the SNP.
Just look at our majority of more than 2000 in Edinburgh Northern. An exceptional local councillor, Sanne Dijkstra Downie is going to be zipping from strength to strength as the MSP for the capital’s north.
The same is true of Adam Harley in Strathkelvin and Bearsden, who has already spoken about restoring faith locally and listening to his constituents all year round.
We have never held either of these seats before- an unequivocal statement of our intent and potential.
And we are officially back in the Highlands.
In Caithness, we unseated drugs and alcohol policy minister Maree Todd with a majority of 5092 votes. In Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch - held for ten years by Kate Forbes - we overturned an SNP majority of 15,861.
Throughout the north of Scotland, communities can now rely on strong, local, Scottish Liberal Democrat voices who will ensure they are never left behind.
This is all without mentioning the regional seats we picked up in the South of Scotland, the North East and the Highlands and Islands. It was a truly phenomenal result.
By contrast, the SNP have gone backwards, losing votes and seats, meaning their plans for another independence referendum lie in tatters.
But what we need now, and what Scotland deserves, is for this new parliament to focus on the issues that matter.
To focus on fixing our NHS, on addressing the cost-of-living crisis, on getting Scottish education back to its best.
To focus on ending the ferries fiasco, on repairing and upgrading dangerous roads, better connecting communities and getting Scotland moving again.
Scottish Liberal Democrats are equipped with extra votes and extra seats. We are buttressed with the incredible talent and dedication that exists among our new group of MSPs.
These successes give us a compelling and powerful position in the new parliament. They ignite the fight for change with fairness at its heart- a fight that begins right now.