Orcadian column, 14/5/2026

‘Thank you’ hardly seems adequate in response to last week’s election result here in Orkney. It has been the privilege of my life to represent our islands at Holyrood over the past 19 years so to receive such an endorsement from voters is truly humbling. Rest assured, I will do all I can to live up to the trust that has been put in me.

To be honest, I really enjoyed the election campaign, as may have been apparent. It had been a difficult start to the year with the sudden and untimely death of my close friend and mentor, Jim Wallace followed by parliament voting down my Assisted Dying Bill in almost the final act of the last session. 

At that point, I felt physically and emotionally wrung-out but quickly found that hopping around the islands chatting to people, while trying my hand at everything from calving to knitting and jewellery-making, was hugely therapeutic. I can thoroughly recommend such an approach and thank again all those who helped me broaden my skills or just took time to speak to me while I was out on the campaign trail.

While the campaign itself was fun, albeit exhausting, the issues being raised with me were often and inevitably serious. Even without a crystal ball, it’s clear that this session of parliament will need to get to grips with a wide range of complex and difficult challenges, none of which are made an easier by the ongoing instability and uncertainty at an international level.

With record waits in health and a care system struggling to cope; with Scotland’s performance in education falling backwards by international standards while failing learners and teachers alike; with our transport infrastructure in desperate need of sustained and long-term investment; with environmental targets consistently missed and an economy that continues to perform sluggishly, there is no lack of issues on parliament’s ‘to do’ list.

And it’s a parliament whose political make-up and personnel are very different, with half the MSPs entering Holyrood for the first time. There is a responsibility on all, however, to play a part in delivering the change and improvements the public rightly expect. That does not mean there will or should be agreement on every or indeed any issue, and the need for robust debate remains essential. Yet it will require MSPs to work collaboratively wherever possible and avoid simply hunting out reasons to disagree or constantly put the blame on other people, parties or parliaments,

On a personal level, I have a decision to make. The first act of this new parliament, once MSPs are officially ‘sworn in’ on Thursday morning this week, will be to elect a Presiding Officer. In the previous session, I served as one of the two Deputy Presiding Officers, chairing business and helping the PO fulfil her responsibilities overseeing and representing the parliament. It was a role I found hugely rewarding. 

Since the election last week, I have been approached by various MSP colleagues across the parties encouraging me to throw my hat in the ring to be Presiding Officer this time round. While such encouragement and speculation are certainly flattering, I have always been clear that my number one priority has been and will remain as Orkney’s MSP, standing up for constituents and our community. 

Over the weekend and the early part of this week, I have held discussions with colleagues, friends and my wife, Tamsin to assess the options and understand how the role of PO might work alongside my responsibilities as a constituency MSP. As a result of those discussions, I am now confident that I would be able to carry out both roles effectively, making sure I remain accessible to constituents who need my help and free to raise issues with government ministers and others in ways that ensure our island community is properly represented. 

I realise there are additional challenges in seeking to carry out the role of Presiding Officer while representing an island community. However, I also believe it is important that such roles are not simply seen as the preserve of those who represent urban or central belt constituencies. That would not be in keeping with the spirit of devolution.