Webchat with Kirsty Blackman, SNP Deputy Westminster Leader, on Wednesday 4 December at 1pm

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with Kirsty Blackman, SNP Deputy Leader at Westminster, and SNP General Election candidate for Aberdeen North. Kirsty will be joining us on Wednesday 4 December at 1pm.

Kirsty was first elected as a city councillor in 2007 when she was 21. She served 8 years there and has been the SNP MP for Aberdeen North since 2015.

As well as being the Deputy Leader of the SNP at Westminster, Kirsty leads for her group on the economy.

She has two children aged 6 and 8. She’s a Mumsnet user (you may remember her thread about the lost bunny of Westminster), a supporter of Woolly Hugs and says that she met some of her best friends through a Mumsnet crochet and knitting group.

Please do join us on Wednesday at 1pm, but if you can’t make it on the day, leave your question for Kirsty on this thread in advance.

As always, please remember our webchat guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil. Also if one topic is overwhelmingly dominating a discussion with a guest, mods might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. (We will be taking action on this, including suspending the accounts of MNers who continue to repeat a point after we've posted to ask people to stop, so please take note.) Rest assured we will ALWAYS let the guest know that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

Many thanks
MNHQ

Is John Swinney going to design over the free fall in standards in state schools?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-50642855

Mind you he should have resigned over the named person fiasco.

Hi Kirsty,
I'm planning to vote SNP in the forthcoming election for the first time. I'm sure like many others I'm voting tactically against the Conservatives.
It's definitely not a mandate for Indyref 2 despite what we keep hearing from SNP leaders. I would absolutely vote no again if it did occur.
Can you reassure new SNP voters like myself that your party will concentrate on improving schools, NHS and other devolved matters if we vote you in, rather than taking your eye of the ball (again) to push forward Indyref 2.
My vote is NOT a mandate and shouldn't be treated as such.

As a follow up to my last post I should have said, I'm aware that as a Westminster MP you don't have responsibility for devolved issues. Your MSP colleagues, and in particular your party leader however is blurring the lines between the two parliaments, so would appreciate your thoughts.

Hi Kirsty,
Assuming you agree that humans can not change sex & that male humans are responsible for the overwhelming majority of violent crime & sexual assault...

Do you agree that women & girls deserve single sex spaces (toilets, changing rooms, prisons, hospital wards) & services (rape crisis, DV shelters, sports) for safety, dignity & fairness?

From a frustrated former SNP voter who won’t vote for a party that thinks woman is a feeling or identity.

Hello thank you for taking the time to do this chat.

Do you think more protracted attempts should have been made to restore Stormont before very serious decisions were taken about NI? Do you see that Scotland could take a more significant role in an assisting its revival after the election?

In the spirit of Christmas ... do you like Ruth Davidson as a person? What's the nicest thing you can say about her?

Hi Kristy
I am self employed and run a small internet based business based in Scotland
I have serious concerns about borders, currency and mail services in an independent Scotland
Scotlands main trading partner is the rest of the UK - my trade ratio is about 65% to rUK , 25% Scotland and 10% Rest of world
If Scotland is independent within the EU , and rest of the UK has brexit - would there not need to be hard border , with customs , as we may have different VAT , regulations and a different immigration policy?

A different currency and currency conversion would be a barrier to trade between Scotland and rest of the UK- what are the plans for currency

Currently I can send a parcel via my Royal mail business account for one rate anywhere in the UK - what would happen to this is in an independent Scotland ,? Would I have to pay airmail prices to rUK

Can you give any solutions or are small businesses like mine going to be forced out of our country , as we would be economically non-viable? -

Hello Kirsty

I was wondering why delegates have to atten conference to be able to vote

If a delegate is poor, have caring responsibilities, have a family, be disabled or lives far away it is prohibitively expensive for them. I think you might say that they should ask their branch to fund them but this is embarrassing

Why can’t they vote remotely?

Hi Kirsty

I would like to know your views on the LGBT Youth Guidance issued to schools, specifically about the automatic positive affirmation it pushes along with the isolation of pupils from parents.

Our 14 year old DD (With a complex mental health history) recently, and out of the blue, told her the school’s LGBT club leader that she was now a boy. The club leader told our unaware 17 year old son that she would now be treated as a boy, instructed all staff to call her “he/him” but did not inform us as parents. This was all done as a direct result of the LGBT Youth Guidance.

Do you support this approach or do you think schools should work in conjunction with parents, carefully considering whether positive affirmation is the correct approach on a case by case basis?

Note to @MNHQ I received a warning of suspension for a shorter version of this question yesterday. I am hoping that by giving more personal detail you will be a bit more sympathetic and not actually suspend me.

Hi Kirsty. Thanks for coming on! Can you explain how Scotland would avoid a hard border with England in the event of England being out of and Scotland in the EU? I’ve noticed SNP like to sweep this question under the carpet - is that because you don't have an answer?

Hi Kirsty

Can you appreciate how gender self ID cannot be contained to any specific cohort and will therefore apply just as much to every predator, paedophile, bully in the country?

I was glued to the bunny thread, and as you are an erstwhile mumsnetter, I genuinely hope you understand this issue.

Question from Gransnet user SueDonim

What will the SNP do to right the wrongs they have inflicted on Scottish education? However the SNP cares to spin it, the top-class education that Scotland was famed for not so very long ago is now no more than average at best. Today’s PISA rankings show that there has been a small rise in reading scores but yet another decline in maths and science.

I am desperately sad that my grandchildren in Scotland will not benefit from the same excellent education my own children have had.

Hi Kirsty.

I recently did one of those 'who should you vote for' tests which asked questions based on the major parties' manifesto promises. I was really surprised to see that a lot of my political opinions matched up with the policies of the SNP.

I never considered voting for the SNP because I was against independence. If (when) a second referendum is held on independence, I am leaning towards voting yes.

Do you think that the SNP's emphasis on independence costs them some voters who would vote for them if they based their decision on the SNP policies? How would you aim to change this is the future?

I would like to hear your thoughts on the language question in Scotland. Why are there road signs in Gaelic in Perthshire, where the language is not spoken? Is that a reasonable use of resources?
In areas where Gaelic is making a comeback, such as parts of Glasgow, do you think more Gaelic-medium education should be made available, at all ages, perhaps using the Welsh model?
And how do you see the future official language of an independent Scotland?

From Gransnet user Jane10

Why have you not costed your spending plans?

What incentives, if any would the SNP give to Scots who left Scotland many years ago, to return ?

At the moment higher tax rates, uncertainty over Indeyref 2 and in the event of future independence many unanswered questions over EU membership and currency, for example, make us question ever returning ‘home’.
(Even set against the backdrop of Brexit and uncertainty south of the border)

Nearly a decade ago, David Cameron identified as one of the biggest threats to open and fair democracy the growth of paid for, professional lobbying firms. Like him or loathe him, I think he was right about this.

With this in mind, what steps can Scotland take to ensure that public consultations engage with the full range of stakeholders on any issue, not just with a handful of single issue lobby groups? What independent scrutiny of reports of public consultations are in place to ensure that the full spectrum of responses are accurately represented, not just a chosen few?

Is it fair that Nicola Sturgeon gets to take part in TV election debates even though she is not a UK MP ?

Also will Scotland be happy with a hard border between Scotland and England if it gets independence even though most of its trade is with England?

Good afternoon, everyone!
Thanks so much for inviting me to take part in this.
Would never have imagined when I first joined MN while TTC DC1 that I'd be sitting in this seat 9 years later answering political questions!

@nononever

Hello Kirsty from your neck of the woods . In an interview with LBC in October where in a discussion about a second independence referendum where you in part stated "we're moving towards a situation where the majority of Scots are supporting independence" and on being asked to evidence that, said

"There was a poll recently that said well over half of Scottish people would like another independence referendum".

What poll was that, when was it held and who by? It seems to have passed us by in this household.

Thank you

Hello nononever , thanks for taking the time to ask a question. We were out canvassing this morning and it was pretty chilly. I'm just hoping the snow stays off until after December 12th. This statement related to the Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times on 13th October that showed 50/50 support for independence www.thetimes.co.uk/article/support-for-scottish-independence-rises-to-50-hhxpk75kg A question in the survey also showed that people believe they will be economically better off in an independent Scotland than as part of Brexit Britain twitter.com/YesScot/status/1183321043848568832 There was also a poll for the Independent in September that said that 45% of folk believed Scotland should be allowed another referendum. Only 30% said it should be blocked: www.bmgresearch.co.uk/indyref/

Welcome Kirsty

A number of you have asked questions about the SNP’s position on Gender Recognition and I understand and am aware that many people feel very strongly about this, on MN and elsewhere. Indeed, I’ve received a lot of emails about it as a candidate in this election.

As a feminist and a strong supporter of LGBT+ equality I see no conflict between my rights as a woman and those of LGBT+ people.

The SNP government has led the way in the UK on women's rights and LGBT+ rights, and I'm very proud that Scotland is now recognised as one of the best countries in the UK, and among the best in the world, for both.

On women's equality we've led the way with Nicola Sturgeon becoming Scotland's first woman First Minister, delivering the UK's first gender-balanced cabinet, and passing world-leading legislation for gender-balanced public boards, tackling domestic abuse, and introducing free sanitary products in schools.

We've also delivered wholesale reform of LGBT+ rights - introducing the UK's most progressive equal marriage, hate crime and Turing laws, opening up adoption and IVF to same-sex couples, and committing to LGBT+ inclusive education in schools.

Much of this is devolved and it’s the Scottish Parliament who will be making decisions about future reform of the Gender Recognition Act in Scotland, rather than MPs at Westminster.

In our manifesto for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP committed to reviewing and reforming gender recognition law in line with international best practice to ensure trans people are able to access their human right to legal gender recognition.

The SNP government will be publishing our draft Gender Recognition (Scotland) Bill this year, with a public consultation on the detail of the legislation to ensure we get it right. The reforms are backed by Scotland's main women's equality and LGBT+ equality organisations - and I know that by continuing to work together we can ensure that we advance equality for all.
Personally, I have met many trans people who have spoken to me about how difficult and intrusive and obstructive the process is. I believe we need to update the Gender Recognition Act in order to make this easier and less obstructive.
I strongly believe that the issues MNers and others are raising are not motivated by transphobia but by a concern, sincerely felt, that space hard won by women down the generations will be compromised.
I do not think there is place for name calling, slurs or abuse on any side of this (or in fact any) debate. And I’m happy to call out those who do, whether they agree with my position on this or not. This needs to be dealt with respectfully by everyone because in that space I think that better, more appropriate decisions will be taken.

@WaxOnFeckOff

Can you explain the cognitive dissonance employed to justify wanting to leave a union that is devolving power to your country to join one that is taking more power at a further distance?

Sure I can!

I think there's a clear difference between the two unions. Two examples illustrate this best for me.
The UK didn't have to ask permission from the EU in order to hold the Brexit referendum. Scotland has to ask permission from the UK in order to hold an independence referendum. We don't have the sovereignty or the recognition within the UK that we would have as n independent state that is part of the EU.
Secondly, the issue of the fiscal situation. A lot of Scotland's taxes are collected by the UK and the UK decides how much money to give Scotland (through the Barnett formula mainly, so it's not totally arbitrary). While in the EU countries collect their own taxes and pay a small slice of that money over to the EU. Each country continues to have their own ability to tax and spend - a flexibility we don't have full access to as part of the UK.

@StuntNun

Hi Kirsty. Do you think Westminster needs to be more family friendly for MPs with young families like yourself? If so, how might that be done without compromising the role?

Hiya

Sure I do!

I actually think there's a really big issue with some of the improvements being made that are only good for MPs who live close to Westminster. More "family-friendly" hours for example doesn't help me, as I'm 500 miles away from my DCs and can't get home to see them even if I wanted to.

There are easy improvements that could be made though. The Scottish Parliament sets the recess dates out in advance - if this happened then we'd know when we'd have to be in London but the UK Government would still have the flexibility to recall parliament should there be an emergency or an urgent issue. A creche on site would make a huge difference, particularly when recess dates generally coincide with English school holidays and not Scottish or Northern Irish ones.

@MyNameIsArthur

Welcome Kirsty

Thanks very much