THE leader of Scotland’s Catholic Church will this week issue a ferocious attack on the conduct of Scottish politics, saying that the sight of “intemperate” politicians “insulting, demeaning and attacking one another” is putting the future of democracy in danger.
Cardinal Keith O’Brien will use a sermon next Sunday to say he has been “dismayed” in recent weeks by the conduct of political debate saying that many of the exchanges “devalue our politics and degrade discussion”.
His comments come after politicians from all sides of the debate have accused each other of low blows during the run-up to the independence referendum, which has sparked a series of bitter clashes at Holyrood and Westminster.
O’Brien says that the example set by Scottish politicians in recent weeks may to lead to a general drop in “standards of politeness and decorum”, especially among the young.
He also warns it will turn most Scots off the political debate, and is likely to lead to an even greater drop in voter turn-out.
In the sermon, a section of which has been passed to Scotland on Sunday, O’Brien notes that the Scottish Parliament’s mace has the words “wisdom, justice, compassion, integrity” woven into it.
He declares: “As we, in the Christian community strive to show compassion and charity to our neighbours we ask the members of our political community to exhibit more compassion to one another in their dealings and debates.”
He goes on: “In recent weeks I have been dismayed on a number of occasions to read of politicians, insulting, demeaning and attacking one another in the most intemperate way. In recent years turnout at our elections has fallen dramatically. When asked why they don’t vote many people reply that political “slanging matches” leave them cold and feeling uninvolved, they stress that they want their politicians to be constructive, collaborative and charitable. I urge our politicians to listen,” he concludes.
While the Cardinal does not provide specific examples in the sermon, his comments come in the wake of a series of well-publicised controversial incidents.
Earlier this summer, Labour MP Ian Davidson accused the SNP of being a “neo-fascist” party, prompting demands for an apology from the Nationalists.
Davidson then in turn received an apology from one SNP researcher who had e-mailed a women’s group urging them to protest against Davidson on the grounds he had a “history of bullying and intimidation, particularly against females.”
That came after SNP MP Eilidh Whiteford claimed that Davidson had warned she risked “getting a doing” for leaking information from the Scottish Affairs Committee.
Meanwhile, the SNP was criticised after another of its youth activists used a post of twitter recently to claim that Labour peer Lord Foulkes was “probably drunk again” while in the chamber.
Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray has also hit out at a number of SNP-supporting bloggers, using his final speech as leader two weeks ago to warn his successor that they would be called “traitor, quisling, lapdog and worse”.
Cardinal O’Brien’s criticism will be made in a sermon highlighting the need for charity in society.