Lothian MSP Sarah Boyack on 25 years of the Scottish Parliament
Lothian MSP Sarah Boyack - the only current MSP who was a member of the first Cabinet - talks about 25 years of devolution, the achievements and disappointments of the Scottish Parliament. 14-05-24.
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00:00So Sarah, what's your best memory of the beginnings of devolution?
00:05I think for me it was the excitement of being elected to a Labour government in Scotland
00:09with Donald Jr as our First Minister and just being one of that team
00:13because I campaigned for Scottish Parliament, it was something our family were passionate about
00:19and for me it was a really big deal having a new Scottish Parliament established in Scotland
00:23to be part of that and then to find out a week later I was going to be a Minister in the Cabinet
00:29and be responsible for planning, transport and the environment
00:33and couldn't it be more excited?
00:35If I'd had the benefit of hindsight and known how much hard work that would be
00:40I wouldn't have been as excited but I would have still loved that opportunity
00:45because you got to change the world.
00:47Legislation on things like free bus passes that I introduced
00:51our first national parks in Scotland, that's really practical things
00:56and for me it was about improving people's lives
00:59and also thinking about how we could improve our wider environment.