ABSTRACT
There is little similarity between the new Scottish Parliament in Holyrood and its counterpart in Westminster. The Scotland Act never intended the Parliament to be a miniaturised version of the House of Commons. The idea is to do political business in a pragmatic and democratic Scottish style. It aims to be a user-friendly Parliament that is open and transparent. The present presiding officer, George Reid MSP, who has experience of both Holyrood and the House of Commons, has stated: ‘there is no more trailing around the lobbies, in division after division, at an hour when decent citizens are in their beds. Decision time at Holyrood, with electronic voting at five o’clock, takes no more than ten minutes – after which three quarters of its members can go home to their families and constituents’ (Reid 2002: 29). Nearly 40% of the membership are women, the highest of any Commonwealth legislature, and with the European-style ‘hemicycle’ seating chamber the intention is to avoid the confrontational party environment in which business is done.
