Adopted Domain

The BBC report today that Holyrood is the loneliest part of Edinburgh, with Edinburgh itself the loneliest part of the UK amid a trend of increasing UK loneliness. This of course led me to wonder who is the loneliest MSP in Holyrood? And how would we work it out? Is the loneliest MSP by definition the lonliest person in the UK?

Should we be looking for signs of existential agnst? This might be tricky as in my experience the place is full of people purposelessly mumbling to themselves along never ending corridors. The building itself promotes a lost feeling, with all those minimalist concrete corridors. Should we be looking for people visibly excluded from the gang? Who's left hanging around at the edge of the playground after the bell?

Margo MacDonald, is now an independent MSP for the Lothians after famously falling out with the SNP. Although she's been talking a lot about legalising suicide (which must surely be a good indicator of loneliness) the current parliamentary arithmetic means that even though she's in a party of one she has lots of friends - she must get offers from all over the place at the moment. In fact, I'd be happy to have her around for tea if she wanted to come. I'm not saying I'd nominate her as my celebrity aunt mind you, but she's better than most. So not Margo.

No, I reckon the Holyrood Jimmy Nay Pals award must go to...the entire Scottish Liberal Democrat party. I know they may seem to be each others pals, but I still don't think it's enough. After sulking with their bully boy Labour pals on the back benches after the last election, a leadership election that no-one noticed, lost deposits in two byelections, and dramatically moving right on tax and spend when everyone else moved left, they're now clearly so far off everyone elses radar that they've entered a sort of black hole vortex of empty irrelevance. And now this. A dud leader making gaffes in Scotland, letting slip what he really thinks of his shadow cabinet.

It seems that there's only room in Scottish politics for one yellow coloured party with no obvious moral compass, and the SNP seem to have that role all sewn up.

Oh well. Those lonely souls in Holyrood can comfort themselves with this thought. Whatever people may say - by living in the most lonely part of the most lonely city in the UK, they must have a deep metaphysical, if not buddha like appreciation of social exclusion. Who better to come up with policy to deal with the issue than those with first hand knowledge of the problem themselves?

And if that silver lining fails, well we can always take comfort from the supportive words of the Deputy provost of Edinburgh, Cllr Steve Cardonie who famously managed to avoid the loneliness of opposition when he stabbed his local Labour pals in the back to join the SNP, leaving the Edinburgh Labour ship sinking before the last election.

"I think it also depends on what people's personalities are like, as some people who live on their own may have a very entertaining life and enjoy being on their own."

Thanks Steve. Take away tonight again is it?