Secure Scotland has written to the First Minister and to Douglas Ross MSP to commend them for their joint supportive visit to the Bluevale Community Club in Glasgow, as a good example of the cross-party and collaborative politics we wish to celebrate and encourage.
To the First Minister Nicola Surgeon and Douglas Ross MSP
Letter of Appreciation. 06.12.21
I am writing on behalf of Secure Scotland to highly commend the recent initiative that saw you both, as prominent members of the Scottish Parliament, take part in a joint visit to the Bluevale Community Club who support those looking to free themselves and their families from the horrors of drug addiction. That you chose such a complex, sensitive and grave issue to focus on was of itself commendable. That you both chose to break from established political practice and show such public cross-party concern and intent was both courageous and significant.
Whenever parliamentarians experience unsettling events or catastrophe, of which there has been much of late, the public often hear of a determination to put aside the kind of adversarial politics that they all too often witness, and most certainly do not like. Sadly, hopes that a more constructive engagement will follow seldom last as business returns to the ‘normal’ cut and thrust of political engagement. Your commendable joint action on the drugs issue has however given us great hope that there can, so easily, be another way; one which would be widely welcomed by the public and which would raise the image of (and engagement with) politics across Scotland. There are also several other recent examples of high-level political collaboration that are equally heartening I’m sure you will agree.
While we are far from naive on the complexities of modern political engagement and the need for robust opposition in any democracy, Secure Scotland takes the approach that collaborative effort can bring better, more creative and more effective results as is seen in mediation, high level diplomacy, conflict resolution and peace-building from across the world to school-yard disputes.
As our name would suggest, we seek collaboration at all levels for Scotland, its citizens and its communities to feel more safe and secure through more inclusive public policy and community engagement. We know from our own work that this approach is often taken by parliamentarians in our cross-party groups and in our regions. Sadly, the areas of dispute are often what gain the attention of the media and therefore the public. Your joint demonstration of our ability to collaborate and lead-by-example is significant and welcome.
If Secure Scotland can be of any assistance in further developing this agenda, we would be more than delighted to join in the effort to unravel the steps needed for all our citizens to feel truly safe and secure!
In friendship,
Tony Fitzpatrick
Core Group for Secure Scotland: Janet Fenton David Mackenzie, Gari Donn, Murray Dickie, Tony Fitzpatrick