New term, new start: Holyrood has to work together this time

Offices have been allocated and security passes issued, with smiling first day photographs on them.

This parliament has been hailed as the most diverse yet.

More people from minority ethnic backgrounds, more disabled people and the closest to 50/50 male to female yet.

At the swearing in ceremonies throughout the day on Thursday the oaths or affirmations were taken in a number of languages.

There was Arabic, from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Punjabi, from Pam Gosal, and Urdu from Kaukab Stewart and Humza Yousaf.

There were German, French Canadian, Zimbabwean Shona and Welsh.

Three members took their oaths or affirmations in Scots, seven in Gaelic, one in Orcadian and three in Doric, and one used British Sign Language.

It showed a diverse parliament with members proud of their heritage and oaths and affirmations taken with the respect of others evident in the chamber.

At the start of each term, we hear about a new type of politics and MSPs talk about respect for others.

Sadly, all to often in previous sessions, within weeks of the restart after the summer recess, many seem to have forgotten that and they are behaving in a way that would make the Bash Street Kids ashamed of themselves.

All too often members of pretty much every party are soon barracking others and making heckling noises while points are tried to be made.

Often, in the past sessions, those making the most noise in this way have been those who make the least noise when it comes to meaningful contributions.

There were times when observing, you were left wondering what they were doing in there other than to try and unnerve others.

If people in other employment were to shout and heckle and interrupt, in a way designed to unsettle others throughout meetings at their work, they would find themselves outside a door marked HR before the day was done.

If school pupils behaved in such a fashion, they would be going home with a letter in their backpack inviting a parent in for a chat.

It is not entertaining, it is not political theatre, it is disrespectful to their colleagues, to the parliament and to the people who elected them.

Many, who are well meaning, get caught up in the tribalism that exists in the chamber environment, others see it as part of their job to goad.

Now, more than ever, there is not time for that behaviour.

There are a mountain of issues piling up that demand the attention of the parliament.

Issues that have been highlighted during the election campaign.

They include the rising number of people who are losing their job as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Glasgow, this week we had the devastating news that almost 500 jobs will be lost in the east end as McVitie’s owner, Pladis, plans to shut a factory that has served not only the community for jobs but provided millions of pounds in profit for the owners for generations.

The job losses, if they come to pass, will not help the task of tackling child poverty in the city as it will only add to the difficulties faced by families in communities already the hardest hit.

Our schools will need even more support than ever, as children have been at home and missed so much classroom learning in the last year.

Ways to support teachers bring back normality to the classroom need to be found to prevent thousands of young people leaving school with a diminished education.

And there is still an enormous challenge in dealing with the poverty related attainment gap.

The NHS needs to be supported, invested in, and given the staff it needs to get back to, not only the levels it was pre-pandemic, but to the level it needs to be at to deliver the care and treatment that everyone knows the staff are capable of, and want to provide.

There is urgent work needed on drug deaths and preventing the huge numbers of young people heading down a path that has led to thousands of deaths in the last few years.

All of these issues are now the responsibility of the 129 MSPs who were elected last week.

They are the responsibility of every SNP, Conservative, Labour, Green and LibDem MSP.

While ultimately it is the Government’s role to deliver the solutions, everyone has the responsibility to contribute to the effort.

Shouting people down, belittling their contributions, heckling those who are critical, will not provide a single job, help a single child or save a single life.

For the next five years we need the parliament to pull together and focus on solutions.

The voters made you feel proud when you were elected and you are entitled to fee so,

Now the work starts and it’s your turn to make us proud of our parliament.