Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has accused the Scottish Government of wasting valuable parliamentary time on yet more constitutional navel-gazing.
After Nicola Sturgeon pushed for the Scottish Parliament to debate a second independence referendum and whether or not the EU flag should fly outside the building, the Conservative MSP said the SNP had its priorities all wrong and should be focus on the issues which really mattered to people in the county.
Jamie Halcro Johnston said: “People in Moray will be wondering why on earth MSPs are spending time talking about which flag flies outside the building or whether or not we should have another vote on something we decided in 2014.
“As MSPs, we should be debating the issues which really matter to people. The important issues that affect them, their families and their communities.
“We could have been discussing things like the closure of the Fleming hospital in Aberlour, the downgrading of maternity services at Dr Gray’s, or the fact that too many people wait too long for treatment because of long waiting times.
“We could have been debating the impact the SNP Government’s squeeze on Moray Council finances is having on local services and local council tax bills; bills which go up while services are cut back.
“We could have been discussing local schools, the need to improve transport links across Moray or how we can support local businesses, boost Moray’s economy and create more jobs.
“But we’re not. The SNP have hijacked the Parliament’s agenda so that we’re wasting time talking about independence and flags. What a shocking example of just how the SNP has got its priorities all wrong”.
