Just over a week ago a group of enthusiastic refugees, a few of the folks from Scottish Refugee Council and I set off for the Scottish Parliament to see a Members’ debate on asylum destitution.
On the train from Glasgow I read through the briefing that Scottish Refugee Council had sent to all MSPs about our campaign outlining what we want both the UK and Scottish Governments to do and why it means so much to us.
Anticipating a fiery debate…
Waiting to enter the gallery chamber there was an electric atmosphere as a raucous First Ministers Questions over-ran its allotted time. How fiery, I wondered, would the debate be when it moved from who said what, when and to whom to a matter of such moral imperative as our campaign to end destitution.
As I entered the chamber, however, my anticipation evaporated. Having vented their spleens to one another for nearly an hour, almost every Member of the Scottish Parliament left as Linda Fabiani’s motion was read out. By the time she stood to address the chamber, it was almost a case of her literally speaking to a room rather than an assembly of representatives.
A full-on issue doesn’t deserve an empty room
Ms Fabiani’s speech was fantastic. She spoke eloquently and passionately in support of our campaign. She drew the connections between the often abstract arguments over policy and technicalities and the brutal visceral reality of their impact.
Her focus on the death of 52-year-old man, who died in her constituency after having been destitute for four years, neatly and brilliantly articulated the root of the problem which the Stop Destitution campaign seeks to end.
I found hope too, in Mary Fee MSP and Humza Yousaf, Minister for External Affairs and International Development, who also spoke with conviction and passion in support of our campaign.
An important first step
While responsibility to amend legislation and policy that leads to destitution rests with the UK parliament, it’s vital that our elected representatives in Scotland reflect concern in Scottish Communities. This debate was an important step.
And the cross party support for the motion was an excellent reflection of the breadth of support that I believe exists for our campaign.
Howl with outrage – sign the petition
However, more needs to be done as Patrick Harvie MSP expressed about the number of MSPs who left the chamber as our debate began.
There is something so dysfunctional about our political culture that the chamber and the press gallery were packed not so long ago as we heard howls of outrage [during First Minister’s Questions]…a debate like this should attract that attention. A debate like this should attract the same howls of outrage.”
– Patrick Harvie MSP
Refugee destitution is unacceptable, should not be ignored and deserves our full attention. Make your howls of outrage known, sign the petition to change the law forcing people seeking asylum into destitution.
