This morning (Thursday August the 6th, 2026) I visited Scotland’s parliamentary building in the heart of the countries capital, Edinburgh and loved being inside the chamber where some of the biggest decisions made on behalf of residents are announced by the government.
However it was brilliant to learn more about how the parliamentary debates are conducted, the work of and where the Presiding Officer sits whilst chairing any debates, how the electronic voting system is used when votes on key decisions are taking place and why the seating is positioned in a semi circle within the chamber.
When the chamber is in use for a parliamentary session there are 131 seats with 129 of those for elected members (Members of the Scottish Parliament) and the remaining two are for the solicitor General of Scotland and the Lord Advocate.
On the front of seats in the chamber sits, The First Minister along with Members of the Cabinet (Scottish Government). During First Ministers questions the leaders of the opposition parties will also sit on front row of the chamber, but on the opposite side to the FM.
A public gallery can also be found at the back of the chamber, the official capacity of this is not publicised. There are however 6 wheelchair spaces in the gallery for those with disabilities or mobility issues to watch the proceedings.
Other highlights of the guided tour around the very modern building included, visiting the Garden Lobby which is an impressive space incorporated into the building.
As I mentioned in a previous post, A referendum was held in 1997 where the people of Scotland were asked to vote if they wanted a parliament to govern the nation once again following its closure in the 1700’s. An act created in 1998 known as the ” Scotland Act 1998″ ensured that the current parliament could be established.
There has been one referendum since then in Scotland surrounding the issue of independence and that was back in 2014, however it did not go the way of the then government because the majority of residents did not want to see there country break free from the rest of the United Kingdom.
Attempt’s hold further votes on the issue in recent years have failed because once again the residents are not interested in leaving the United Kingdom despite the Scottish government seeing it as the best way forward for the country.
Those of you reading this will know that I absolutely love politics and how it affects the governance of the country in which we live in, things are run in a pretty similar way in the Scottish parliament to that of the one in Westminster.
Do you enjoy reading my posts every week once they have been published then why not subscribe (if you haven’t already) and receive future ones direct to your inbox within just a few short minutes of publication.
Subscribe: https://just-being-cp.co.uk/
Finally, thank you to each and everyone of you my regular loyal readers and social media followers who continually take the time out of your busy schedules to read my latest posts, it doesn’t go unnoticed and is of course very much appreciated.
Cam
Leave a Reply