It feels like the last day of school as Holyrood counts down the hours
It is the final countdown in the Scottish Parliament.
There has been a lot going on in parliament this week, not least the conclusion of the mammoth debate on assisted dying.
Beyond that, however, it has very much felt like the last day of school all week.
In the MSPs’ office block, there are boxes and crates lying around as offices are packed up. Committees have been posing for photos to mark their last day together. MSPs who are standing down have been getting praised and thanked in the debating chamber.
Perhaps one of the most poignant moments was watching Nicola Sturgeon making her last ever speech in parliament. Next week she will be leaving parliament after serving 27 years as an MSP.
While some of the debates have quite rightly taken a very serious and nuanced tone, there is a more relaxed atmosphere in parliament now.
It does make you think about the changing of the guard that is going to take place in a few weeks. The faces that say goodbye to each other on Wednesday will not be the same faces that say hello after the election on May 7.
It is not just the elected MSPs who will change - their staffers, the spin doctors, anyone else who is dependent on their party winning, might also change depending on their party’s fortunes.
One unknown that will enter the picture is Reform UK. On Thursday the party unveiled its list of constituency candidates.
As of yet, the party has not released its list rankings, which are more important as this is where Reform UK is more likely to pick up seats. Perhaps the reason for that is because they want to see how the public and the media react to their candidates before making a final decision.
If this is the plan, it is already working for them. One has already been suspended less than 24 hours after being confirmed. Senior Scottish politicians are also calling for others to be removed as election candidates.
The party’s Scottish leader Malcolm Offord was forced to defend the people his party has chosen after social media ghosts from the past came back to haunt the party.
Some other parties are also hoping to do well.
The Scottish Greens and the Scottish Lib Dems are two other parties that are gaining momentum and predicted to come back in May in larger numbers.
The Greens are hoping to win their first constituency seat with Lorna Slater in Edinburgh Central. They also want to take Glasgow Southside with their candidate Councillor Holly Bruce, and pick up seats in each of the regions (currently they have no representation in South Scotland).
The Lib Dems are hoping they can do a sweep of the north Highlands - they are confident of winning Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Inverness and Nairn, and Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.
The three biggest parties at the moment will perhaps not do so well - so eyes will be on these smaller parties and the new kids on the block as to who will be walking into the corridors of power in May.
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