Joanna Cherry: 'Reform may give Holyrood a much-needed kick up the backside'
Joanna Cherry was clear she is no fan of Reform - but said the party may be the ‘kick up the backside’ Holyrood needs
Reform MSPs may give Holyrood a much-needed “kick up the backside”, a former senior SNP MP has said.
Joanna Cherry gave a scathing summary of the Scottish Parliament, claiming it is a legislature “without real teeth”.
While making clear she is no supporter of the hard right party, the KC said the introduction of Nigel Farage’s group may provide a useful shake up.
Ms Cherry said: “I need to be very clear that I hold no candle for Reform, and I've got no time for them.
“But I do think the place needs a kick up the backside.
“The only good thing about Reform is that might give the place a bit of a kick up the backside.
“You need something to bring it awake. It's so moribund.”
Polling shows Reform, led in Scotland by Lord Malcolm Offord, may take as many as 21 seats on the list.
Despite a disastrous start to its Holyrood campaign, the party has seen little dent in its forecast success.
Ms Cherry said she did not think Reform would gain as many seats as higher polling numbers suggest.
However, she added: “I think they're going to pick up seats, but they've had a pretty disastrous campaign.
“Some people would argue that the nature of their campaign will not sway the kind of people who've already made up their mind to vote for them.”
Speaking at the launch of her memoir, Keeping The Dream Alive, the lawyer lamented the fact “many of the most able” MSPs stood down.
“It's a parliament without any real teeth. It doesn't seem capable of scrutinising legislation properly, so much of its legislation ends up in the courts,” she added.
“It doesn't seem capable of scrutinising the government properly. There's no accountability.
“People get away with massive cock-ups and hang on to ministerial office in a way they just wouldn't have in the past, and wouldn't at Westminster.”
She went on to say she “wishes it wasn’t Reform” and the party’s entry to Holyrood may lead to “histrionics”.
Ms Cherry added :”Look at what's happened when Reform has got into positions of power.
“In England, generally speaking, it's not been able to deliver anything, because it's been people who emote and speak in slogans, but once they end up running a council, they make a real mess of it.
“So I don't think we should worry too much about Reform.”
The reasons why people are turning to Mr Farage’s party are a more important consideration, she said.
“There's no point in demonising the voters.”
Referring to an anti-far right summit organised last year by First Minister John Swinney, Ms Cherry, who lost her Edinburgh Central seat at the 2024 general election, said: “You have to actually try and get inside the head of these people and find out what it is that has so turned them off about the major parties that they're now voting for Reform.
“Rather than having these pearl-clutching summits of people freaking out about the far right and when the SNP cynically know, the more they talk up Reform, the more good it does them.
“So I can't be bothered with that sanctimony and cynicism mixed up together.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.