The Sunday Whip

Well, this is an easy one, on account of the total consensus that took hold at Holyrood this week.

On Wednesday, MSPs nodded through the Business Motion, the Scottish Local Government (Elections) Bill was passed unchalenged and unamended, and members were all happy that Bill Aitken, Ross Finnie, David Stewart and Alasdair Morgan all be appointed trustees of the Scottish Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund. Following that came a wave of SSIs:

Licensing (Mandatory Conditions) (Scotland) Regulations 2009

Environmental Liability (Scotland) Regulations 2009

Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Amendment Order 2009

Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2009

Town and Country Planning (Charges for Publication of Notices) (Scotland) Regulations 2009

Adoption (Disclosure of Information and Medical Information about Natural Parents) (Scotland) Regulations 2009

Finally, MSPs agreed that the Subordinate Legislation committee get to take a first look at the Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Bill (lucky them) at Stage 1, with SPPA Committee also scrutinising the bill.

On Thursday, MSPs were as one that the Convention Rights Proceedings (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill should be treated as an Emergency Bill, and it whizzed through all three legislative stages (including a brief Committee of the Whole Parliament) without an amendment or challenge.

Further, the Review of SPCB Supported Bodies Committee reported back to the Chamber and members were happy to agree to its motion:

That the Parliament agrees to the proposal for a Committee Bill, under Rule 9.15, contained in the Review of SPCB Supported Bodies Committee's 1st Report, 2009 Review of SPCB Supported Bodies (SP Paper 266).

Finally, the following Government motion on Scotland's festivals was waved through:

That the Parliament recognises the international success of the Edinburgh festivals, along with Scotland's other festivals, their contribution to the Scottish economy, their role in the cultural life of the nation and the positive messages that they promote about Scotland's cultural confidence and ambition in this Year of Homecoming.

Has peace finally broken out? Is this the 'new politics' we've all been searching for over the course of the last decade of devolution?

I sodding well hope not, it's bloody boring.