Kate Nevens has confused the real world with Moominvalley - Susan Dalgety
Thank God for the Scottish Greens. The Scottish Parliament election campaign was proving to be as dull as a repeat episode of Mortimer & Whitehouse’s Gone Fishing, when up popped charity worker and Scottish Green candidate, Kate Nevens.
She is standing on the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list and stands a very good chance of becoming an MSP, a prospect that will surely delight the inmates of HM Prison Edinburgh.
Ms Nevens wants to abolish the prison system in Scotland, because as she posted on social media: "Prisons are not safe, they're violent, they're poor for people's health and wellbeing, particularly if you're a woman. And they fail to support rehabilitation”.
One of her bosses, Gillian Mackay – the Greens have two leaders – didn’t go quite as far, saying that the number of people being sent to prison should be reduced, but hinted that she too might like to see prisons closed when she said jails would still be required to house the most violent offenders in the “short term”.
You may be surprised to learn that I agree with Kate Nevens, but only that rehabilitation for offenders is not nearly as good as it should be. Far too many inmates are illiterate, have serious drug or alcohol problems, poor mental health or lack family support.
They need all the practical and emotional support they can get, both within the prison system and from society, so that they can rebuild their lives.
But a lack of investment and staff shortages means rehabilitation faces significant challenges and prisoners struggle to reintegrate once they have served their time.
But that is as far as I go. No society could function safely without prisons. What would we do with murderers? Rapists? Paedophiles? Major-league drug dealers? Terrorists? Slap an electronic tag on their ankle for a few months and tell them not be so naughty in future?
Kate Nevens has confused the real world with Moominvalley, an idyllic, peaceful place which also happens to be a kids’ TV fantasy.
The Scottish Greens may have added to the campaign’s gaiety for a few days with their madcap ideas. And, you will be glad to hear, they have more to offer than just closing prisons.
They want to end exams in secondary school, legalise all drugs, including crack cocaine, and of course they believe human beings can change sex.
I can’t wait for their manifesto to be published to see what other delights they have to offer voters. Free unicorns for all?
A few years ago, it didn’t matter what loony ideas the Greens proposed as they had absolutely no chance of putting them into action, but those days have long passed.
If the SNP remain the largest party after May 7, they may well enter into a government coalition with the Scottish Greens, which means that they will have a real say over how our country is run.
And while it is unlikely that Ms Nevens will be a government minister in the foreseeable future, she may very well be an MSP in a few weeks’ time, responsible for passing laws and scrutinising the work of government.
Is it any wonder most people have lost their faith in politics to make real life better?