Holyrood View - How we conduct ourselves matters

That is a simple fact and one which Conservative MSP Douglas Ross would do well to be mindful of.

That is of course if his recent, well-publicised behaviour in the Scottish Parliament was borne out of genuine frustration with the Presiding Officer and the nature of answers coming from government, rather than the pursuit of notoriety and undermining the credibility of the institution. And I remain to be convinced of the former.

The temporary banishment from the chamber of the former Tory leader and his subsequent calling out of the Presiding Officer is an extremely serious matter.

I have, over 14 years, served under three Presiding Officers: Tricia Marwick, Ken Macintosh and now Alison Johnstone. Each had different approaches to chairing the Parliament. As an SNP MSP I have, along with cross-party colleagues I am sure, felt frustration with all three on occasion.

In the case of Tricia, I often felt she was harder on us - her political kindred spirits - than the opposition, because she wanted to demonstrate neutrality. But I have never felt either Ken, Tricia or Alison displayed prejudice for or against any party, or were pro- or anti-government.

And of course, there is an over-arching rule at Holyrood - indeed, in any Parliament: Members do not challenge the authority of the person charged with chairing proceedings or question their integrity. And Mr Ross has done both.

He is only the third MSP during my tenure to be banished from the chamber for misbehaviour within it. As I recall, the other two accepted their punishment. He, on the other hand, continued to openly challenge the Presiding Officer.

The performative nature of his subsequent behaviour may well raise questions about his motivation. As a long-time parliamentarian, who served for three years in the role of Minister for Parliamentary Business, I have a fair understanding of and respect for the proceedings of the institution - along with, I hope, a good grasp of what is and isn’t acceptable.

And notwithstanding my starting comment about in-built prejudice…I would say two things. Firstly, there had been a build-up to what happened at First Minister’s Questions a couple of weeks ago. You could see it coming, as it were. Secondly, the conduct and commentary from Douglas Ross subsequent to his banishment crossed a line.

So why am I giving this column over to the subject? Because how we conduct ourselves as politicians matters. We can’t demand respect from the public while behaving in ways that undermine the institutions we serve.

To be fair, I’ve crossed swords with Douglas Ross in his role as convener of the Parliament’s Education Committee. In that context, I’ve found him to be robust, but respectful. Which is why his behaviour on this occasion is all the more disappointing. He should apologise both to the Presiding Officer and to the Parliament.