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REFORM have thrown their toys out of the pram again – this time, over Holyrood’s debate on whether Scotland should have the right to choose its own future.
Malcolm Offord tried his very best to stop the debate from happening, citing the 2022 Supreme Court ruling and the fact constitutional matters are reserved to Westminster. He was quickly knocked back by the Presiding Officer, who reminded him that “this is a Parliament and it’s free to debate any issue it wishes”.
But Reform’s Scottish leader went on to brand the debate a “vanity project”, before storming out of the chamber with the rest of his party treading behind him in one solemn line.
MSPs could be heard laughing and jeering in the background, while Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer joked that he hoped the local pub has “extra staff on this afternoon”, quipping: “I get the impression they might be busy.”
And that’s all this stunt is, nothing more than a childish joke.
One that, admittedly, will delight Reform’s own supporters. The party has picked up a large number of hardcore Unionists who like the party’s messaging that Holyrood is a joke. By walking out of the debate this afternoon, Reform MSPs are only reaffirming their supporters' beliefs.
But it’s the job of the opposition to quite literally set out their opposition to the Scottish Government. By removing themselves from the debate, they have reduced their discontent to nothing more than a silly stunt – one that can only benefit the SNP.
This kind of behaviour is good for grabbing headlines, and the Holyrood media were certainly keen to hear from the disgruntled MSPs as they made their way out of the chamber.
As much as National readers may not appreciate the comparison, we saw similar tactics used by the SNP in Westminster in 2018, when the party’s MPs walked out en masse after Ian Blackford was ejected from the Commons during a Brexit debate.
While it worked to get a good headline, these MPs had to return to Westminster the following day, and all was soon forgotten. The same applies here. The motion passed anyway, complete with the backing of Scottish Labour.
Reform’s antics are not a good strategy for approaching Holyrood, but only serve to make their presence there more awkward.
It also won’t do much to please the constituents these Reform MSPs have been elected to serve.
