Three Go To Holyrood
Every now and then the IndyPodcaster team have a day out together. This is one of them.
And this time we take the tour of the Holyrood Parliament building designed by award winning Spanish architect Enrico Miralles. The building is beautiful. And although twenty-five years ago when it was built there was criticism of its cost we think it was well worth it. Sad though that Miralles didn’t live to see it open and in use. What I like was his underlying aim of creating a building that isn’t set on the land, but which grows from the land. And this quote from him explains that:
The Parliament starts in the land. Scotland is a land, not a series of cities.
Enrico Miralles
The Mace & the Debating Chamber
The debating chamber itself is stunning. We wandered around getting a feel for it. This is me beside Jackie Baillie’s usual seat. No, of course I didn’t kick it. That wouldn’t have lived up to the words on the ceremonial mace presented to Holyrood by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth when it opened in 1999.
The Holyrood Mace is made from silver and of gold panned from Scottish rivers. The inlaid gold band symbolises the relationship between the Parliament, its people and the land. Engraved on the head of the mace are the words ‘Wisdom, Justice, Compassion and Integrity’. According to the Parliament website these are a reference to the ideals that the people of Scotland aspire to for their Members of Parliament.
Mulling Things Over.
After the tour we mulled over how well our parliamentarians live up to those words on the ceremonial mace.
No-one expects our politicians to agree. It wouldn’t be a Parliament then. But we can expect them to try living up to those attributes of Wisdom, Justice, Integrity and Compassion. Of course, there is going to be cut and thrust – and jokes and take-offs – between people of different political views. We should expect politicians to present a fair picture of whatever topic they are raising, not just make quick-fire party political points. And surely we can expect that they don’t come in to the Holyrood debating chamber with an eye for that afternoon’s wee social media clip of themselves shouting & eye-rolling in a yah, boo, sucks sort of way. Not every MSP behaves like that. Far from it. But FMQs seems to bring that type of juvenile behaviour to the surface.
Cafe, Tour, Cafe again, Shop….
We started off in the cafe, did the tour, mulled things over in the lobby, went back to the cafe for lunch, and then browsed round the shop…. Can definitely recommend the Parly-Mints! They melt in your mouth. It’s all in the video!
Whatever your views on our devolved parliament this building is well worth a visit. Find out more about the tours, cafe, shop .
This blog post appear first on Weegie Fifer’s To My Unionist Friends.
