Holyrood Magazine
Saturday, 1st October 2005One of the easiest quips to make about the Scottish Parliament is that it simply isn’t connecting with the business sector – it’s also one of the laziest.
As a general rule of thumb you’ll find anyone using this line is increasingly out of touch with what’s actually going on in and around Holyrood.
A commentator recently observed that a leading entrepreneur coming to Holyrood to address MSPs was not so much a meeting of minds as a culture clash comparable to a Venusian meeting Swahili tribesman.
Yet the reality is so different.
Not only were both parties able to understand one another perfectly well, the entrepreneur left Holyrood impressed at the positive attitudes of those he met, their willingness to listen, and the Holyrood building as a venue in which to talk business.
There are few Parliamentary chambers where chief executives, like Ian Marchant and Adam Crozier can be heard debating the merits of regulation – as happened at the recent business and parliament conference.
This is not to suggest that business and the parliament are perfectly in tune with one another, or that there is little work left to do in this area – but the progress made in helping establish forums for dialogue.
The first Scottish Parliament was indeed criticised for the lack of business experience amongst MSPs and the low level of contact with the business sector and other parts of the economy.
Some of this was fair, some not.
Previous exposure to is not everything.
Norman Lamont arguably had more “business experience” than Gordon Brown but who would seriously contend that he was a superior steward of the nation’s economic fortunes.
Many MSPs have made the effort to get, and stay, in touch.
The Cross Party Group on the Scottish Economy was formed as part of a growing response from Holyrood to accusations that its members were failing to engage with business.
Co-Chaired by myself alongside Alex Neil, Murdo Fraser, Mark Ballard and George Lyon we set out with three key aims:
- To raise the level of debate about the Scottish economy, both in the Parliament and elsewhere;
- To explore and research ideas, in particular those not otherwise being looked at; and
- To promote Scotland and the Scottish economy
We wanted to add to the debate on the economy in the Parliament and avoid overlapping with the Minister for Enterprise or the Enterprise & Culture Committee to address other important areas and give them some visibility both inside and outside Parliament.
Just as important, however, was a fourth unwritten aim; to get stakeholders from across the Scottish economy into the Parliament and talking to MSPs so that we could learn more about them and their issues, and at the same time they could witness for themselves first hand how MSPs and the parliament actually operates as opposed to view it from afar either via lobbyists or lobby correspondents.
The Group’s membership list speaks for itself – blue chip organisations such as HBOS, BP, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline sit alongside major employers such as Royal Mail and BBA Scottish Airports.
Scotland’s main business representative bodies are all involved, as are the STUC and Scottish Low Pay Unit because we are well aware the economy has many critical stakeholders beyond simply the large-scale wealth generators.
All these organisations benefit from establishing informal working relationships with participating MSPs.
In the past two years we’ve heard from leading figures from right across the Scottish economy who have broached some exciting new subjects at Holyrood.
Charlie Morrison, European Vice-President of IBM, discussed the importance of investing in the education to equip tomorrow’s workforce with the skills to help Scotland compete.
He hypothesised on the need for Scotland’s pupils to learn Mandarin in school if they were to make the most of the opportunities presented by the emergence of China.
Dennis Stevenson, Chairman of HBOS plc, spoke highly of the attributes Scotland already has as a location and how HBOS chose to base itself in Scotland to capitalise on the benefits of a skilled workforce, a world class market in university graduates, strong transport links, good schools, affordable housing, a higher quality of life and a vibrant culture beyond the office walls – all of which are increasingly important factors in attracting the best people to come and work for you.
Douglas Kinnaird, one of Scotland’s leading recruitment professionals, spoke candidly about his own experiences in convincing senior executives to move to and remain in Scotland – what motivated them to locate here and how we can so quickly lose sight of Scotland’s advantages over the rest of the world.
Looking ahead, the Cross Party Group is keen to maintain this kind of exposure for the parliament to business and vice versa.
For corporate Scotland and its stakeholders, not simply to meet and talk to MSPs, but also to see how Holyrood works, to understand where and how business can best contribute to debate.
The Cross Party Group on the Scottish Economy is unique in that is has a secondee from HBOS plc, Alastair Ross, working for it two days a week which makes a real difference to how the Group operates and what it can achieve.
This in-kind support from one of Scotland’s biggest companies means we can use Alastair’s time and skills to build a work programme which keeps pushing the boundaries of our work.
The Cross Party Group is not the only channel for business engagement.
The Parliament’s committees – not only Enterprise and Culture – are increasingly seeking the opinions of business, while the attendee list alone for the annual Business in the Parliament conference demonstrated just how many business people have an appetite to be heard at Holyrood.
MSPs are creating new channels of engagement like the new Futures Programme, pioneered by George Reid. But there is also a responsibility on business to step up to the mark and share its opinions and expertise effectively.
Too many leave the lobbying to others more distant from the sharp end – and the real business priorities can get distorted in the process.
Many of the businesspeople that have come to Holyrood have subsequently admitted that they have revised their opinions of the building, but more importantly they have seen first hand a Parliament that is modern and businesslike in its approach to its own “business” of governance.
Holyrood is a world away from Westminster in terms of accessibility and the transparency of the legislative process and MSPs typically welcome the more direct exchange with stakeholders, including the business community, than can be the case at Westminster or Strasbourg.
Scotland will be the winner if both realise that this openness works both ways: business realising that its own policies and positions must be robust enough to withstand scrutiny from MSPs and MSPs fully appreciating the impact of their actions on the wealth creating sectors of the economy.
One Cross Party Group cannot single handedly determine a parliamentary culture or create a national mood for partnership working.
But it can model effective working relationships, foster dialogue, influence parliamentary debate and contribute to the sort of consensus for growth and reform on which our children’s future prosperity will depend. One of the easiest quips to make about the Scottish Parliament is that it simply isn’t connecting with the business sector – it’s also one of the laziest.
As a general rule of thumb you’ll find anyone using this line is increasingly out of touch with what’s actually going on in and around Holyrood.
A commentator recently observed that a leading entrepreneur coming to Holyrood to address MSPs was not so much a meeting of minds as a culture clash comparable to a Venusian meeting Swahili tribesman.
Yet the reality is so different.
Not only were both parties able to understand one another perfectly well, the entrepreneur left Holyrood impressed at the positive attitudes of those he met, their willingness to listen, and the Holyrood building as a venue in which to talk business.
There are few Parliamentary chambers where chief executives, like Ian Marchant and Adam Crozier can be heard debating the merits of regulation – as happened at the recent business and parliament conference.
This is not to suggest that business and the parliament are perfectly in tune with one another, or that there is little work left to do in this area – but the progress made in helping establish forums for dialogue.
The first Scottish Parliament was indeed criticised for the lack of business experience amongst MSPs and the low level of contact with the business sector and other parts of the economy.
Some of this was fair, some not.
Previous exposure to is not everything.
Norman Lamont arguably had more “business experience” than Gordon Brown but who would seriously contend that he was a superior steward of the nation’s economic fortunes.
Many MSPs have made the effort to get, and stay, in touch.
The Cross Party Group on the Scottish Economy was formed as part of a growing response from Holyrood to accusations that its members were failing to engage with business.
Co-Chaired by myself alongside Alex Neil, Murdo Fraser, Mark Ballard and George Lyon we set out with three key aims:
- To raise the level of debate about the Scottish economy, both in the Parliament and elsewhere;
- To explore and research ideas, in particular those not otherwise being looked at; and
- To promote Scotland and the Scottish economy
We wanted to add to the debate on the economy in the Parliament and avoid overlapping with the Minister for Enterprise or the Enterprise & Culture Committee to address other important areas and give them some visibility both inside and outside Parliament.
Just as important, however, was a fourth unwritten aim; to get stakeholders from across the Scottish economy into the Parliament and talking to MSPs so that we could learn more about them and their issues, and at the same time they could witness for themselves first hand how MSPs and the parliament actually operates as opposed to view it from afar either via lobbyists or lobby correspondents.
The Group’s membership list speaks for itself – blue chip organisations such as HBOS, BP, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline sit alongside major employers such as Royal Mail and BBA Scottish Airports.
Scotland’s main business representative bodies are all involved, as are the STUC and Scottish Low Pay Unit because we are well aware the economy has many critical stakeholders beyond simply the large-scale wealth generators.
All these organisations benefit from establishing informal working relationships with participating MSPs.
In the past two years we’ve heard from leading figures from right across the Scottish economy who have broached some exciting new subjects at Holyrood.
Charlie Morrison, European Vice-President of IBM, discussed the importance of investing in the education to equip tomorrow’s workforce with the skills to help Scotland compete.
He hypothesised on the need for Scotland’s pupils to learn Mandarin in school if they were to make the most of the opportunities presented by the emergence of China.
Dennis Stevenson, Chairman of HBOS plc, spoke highly of the attributes Scotland already has as a location and how HBOS chose to base itself in Scotland to capitalise on the benefits of a skilled workforce, a world class market in university graduates, strong transport links, good schools, affordable housing, a higher quality of life and a vibrant culture beyond the office walls – all of which are increasingly important factors in attracting the best people to come and work for you.
Douglas Kinnaird, one of Scotland’s leading recruitment professionals, spoke candidly about his own experiences in convincing senior executives to move to and remain in Scotland – what motivated them to locate here and how we can so quickly lose sight of Scotland’s advantages over the rest of the world.
Looking ahead, the Cross Party Group is keen to maintain this kind of exposure for the parliament to business and vice versa.
For corporate Scotland and its stakeholders, not simply to meet and talk to MSPs, but also to see how Holyrood works, to understand where and how business can best contribute to debate.
The Cross Party Group on the Scottish Economy is unique in that is has a secondee from HBOS plc, Alastair Ross, working for it two days a week which makes a real difference to how the Group operates and what it can achieve.
This in-kind support from one of Scotland’s biggest companies means we can use Alastair’s time and skills to build a work programme which keeps pushing the boundaries of our work.
The Cross Party Group is not the only channel for business engagement.
The Parliament’s committees – not only Enterprise and Culture – are increasingly seeking the opinions of business, while the attendee list alone for the annual Business in the Parliament conference demonstrated just how many business people have an appetite to be heard at Holyrood.
MSPs are creating new channels of engagement like the new Futures Programme, pioneered by George Reid. But there is also a responsibility on business to step up to the mark and share its opinions and expertise effectively.
Too many leave the lobbying to others more distant from the sharp end – and the real business priorities can get distorted in the process.
Many of the businesspeople that have come to Holyrood have subsequently admitted that they have revised their opinions of the building, but more importantly they have seen first hand a Parliament that is modern and businesslike in its approach to its own “business” of governance.
Holyrood is a world away from Westminster in terms of accessibility and the transparency of the legislative process and MSPs typically welcome the more direct exchange with stakeholders, including the business community, than can be the case at Westminster or Strasbourg.
Scotland will be the winner if both realise that this openness works both ways: business realising that its own policies and positions must be robust enough to withstand scrutiny from MSPs and MSPs fully appreciating the impact of their actions on the wealth creating sectors of the economy.
One Cross Party Group cannot single handedly determine a parliamentary culture or create a national mood for partnership working.
But it can model effective working relationships, foster dialogue, influence parliamentary debate and contribute to the sort of consensus for growth and reform on which our children’s future prosperity will depend.