Scotland’s Institutions

The Need For Reform

The ALBA Party wholeheartedly endorses the intentions of the Scottish Parliament's 'founding mothers and fathers' on the Constitutional Convention that a devolved Scotland should abandon the 'Westminster model' of secretive government, of legislature dominated by its executive and of public policy made by unelected bodies created through the gift of patronage.

ALBA believes that the reality of devolution in Scotland has strayed much too far from this vision, lacking transparency, being overly centralised and relying as much as ever on the power of patronage.

We would like to see strengthened transparency rules, strengthened committees in the parliament, strengthening of local government powers against central government and the executive through decentralisation to create localised and participatory democracy and openness and democracy in all the institutions of government.

Twenty years since devolution conference therefore backs a commission to examine and propose reforms for Scotland’s institutions to help and if necessary, require them to live up to the Parliament's founding ideals of power sharing, accountability, openness, transparency, and equality.