| |
| Rachel Amery |
| Political Correspondent |
|
Toilet talk
Sometimes politics is a glamorous business. Sometimes it’s really not.
Today in the Scottish Parliament there will be one of these less glamorous, but hugely important, conversations - toilets.
Bear with me here, because access to toilets is really one of my bug bears.
Labour MSP Alex Rowley and the Aslef union are calling for ‘Dignity for Drivers’ as a new report, publishing at lunchtime, will highlight the impact the lack of toilet facilities is having on workers.
Aslef says workers who cannot access a proper toilet on the job are forced to “urinate in public areas, defecate in the open, use inappropriate containers, and even, on occasion, soil their clothes or seat”.
They say this is “stressful and humiliating”, but has knock-on public health effects which could spread diseases.
I’m sure we’ve all been in a situation where we really need the toilet and cannot find one.
I remember going into a cafe/shop on the North Coast 500 and buying a juice and then asking to use the toilet, only to be told they were closed and the nearest public toilet was in the next village 40 miles away.
Now thankfully I was able to find a toilet in a nearby community centre, but it is entirely unacceptable to expect someone to travel 40 miles to get to a toilet - and unfortunately for folk like posties and delivery drivers that is the daily reality.
People who live in beauty spots regularly complain about people using lay-bys, etc. as a toilet (and rightly so), but that is exactly what will happen if there are no toilet facilities.
Mr Rowley and Aslef will be holding an event in Holyrood at lunchtime to mark the publication of this report, which says workers are deliberately dehydrating to avoid having to go to the toilet, are having to change sanitary towels in bushes, and urinate or defecate into carrier bags and bottles.
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “We need to address this issue and address it now.
“Long-term, the answer is to design out the problem.
“This report makes grim reading, but read it you should - because only then, when the extent of the problem is understood, can we begin to put things right.”
It does seem ridiculous that in 21st century Scotland we need to have this conversation, but these less glamorous conversations in politics need to happen.
Hopefully if you are out and about today you don’t encounter any issues finding a toilet.
Rachel
Elsewhere in Scottish politics this morning
Scotland's killer road: Inside the A9 saga
All this week we have an in-depth series on the failure to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness. Make sure you pick up a copy of the paper every day this week for our series on Scotland's killer road.
In today's paper:
What's on today
- Holyrood Alex Rowley MSP and the Aslef union will launch a report on Dignity in Drivers this afternoon, highlighting workers' inability to access toilets while out on the road.
- Glasgow Justice Secretary Angela Constance will be interviewed on BBC Good Morning Scotland later this morning.
- Edinburgh First Minister John Swinney will be visiting a primary school this morning to promote the Read Write Count initiative to mark Book Week Scotland and World Children’s Day.
- Holyrood Economy and Gaelic questions take place this afternoon. We are expecting questions on Brexit from Gordon MacDonald MSP, the Scottish Economic Bulletin from Alexander Stewart MSP, economic development in North East Scotland from Maggie Chapman MSP, levelling-up funding in Dunfermline from Roz McCall MSP, Ferguson Marine shipyard from Stuart McMillan MSP, and fish farming from Ariane Burgess MSP.
- Holyrood Finance and local government questions take place this afternoon. We are expecting questions on Housing Revenue Account funding from Rona Mackay MSP, a Glasgow Airport rail link from Pauline McNeill MSP, the tax strategy from Craig Hoy MSP, capital health spending from Annabelle Ewing MSP, local government budgets from Richard Leonard MSP, third sector funding from Foysol Choudhury MSP, UK Government local government budgets from Mark Griffin MSP, and portfolio budgets from Paul O’Kane MSP.
- Holyrood Health Secretary Neil Gray will lead a Scottish Government debate this afternoon on the impact of National Insurance increases on public services,
- Holyrood There will be a ministerial statement this afternoon on improving transitions for young disabled people.
- Holyrood Parliamentary Business Minister Jamie Hepburn will ask parliament to agree to treat the Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill as an emergency bill.
- Holyrood This evening’s members’ business will be a debate on World COPD Day led by Marie McNair MSP.
- Holyrood The education, children and young people committee will meet this morning to discuss stage one of the Education (Scotland) Bill.
- Holyrood Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie will be at the rural affairs and islands committee this morning to discuss rural support improvements. The committee will also discuss an amendment to the joint fisheries statement and a public petition to end greyhound racing in Scotland.
- Holyrood The economy and fair work committee will meet this morning for an evidence session with Unite the Union and GMB Scotland on Petroineos Grangemouth. The committee will also discuss diligence against earnings regulations.
- Holyrood The criminal justice committee will meet this morning to discuss pre-budget scrutiny.
- Westminster Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, Scottish Minister Kirsty McNeill and Advocate General for Scotland Baroness Smith of Cluny will attend an evidence session at the Scottish Affairs Committee this morning.
- Westminster Science, innovation and technology questions take place at 11.30am in the House of Commons. We are expecting a question on the life sciences manufacturing sector from Alan Gemmell MP. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will also face prime minister’s questions at midday.
- Westminster Queen Anne High School in Dunfermline, Castlemilk Youth Complex in Castlemilk and Mallaig Primary School in Mallaig will take part in UK Parliament Week, running from November 18 to 24.
- Edinburgh The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry continues today, focusing on the education and certification impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Complimentary access to The New York Times
Did you know if you subscribe to The Scotsman and you also get complimentary access to The New York Times?
Buy our new annual subscription package and enjoy our award-winning journalism plus everything The New York Times has to offer, including The Athletic, Games and more.
Click here to subscribe.
Perspective
 Dame Jackie Baillie MSP Stephen Flynn's bid for second job as MSP reveals how little SNP MPs actually do
 Murdo Fraser MSP Never mind Elon Musk, it’s Police Scotland reading our tweets that should worry us
 Dr Helen Scales I went looking for orcas off Scottish islands, and found a lesson about our living planet's future
 Tom Wood Ruxton Murders: How discovery of dismembered bodies near Moffat created a forensic science revolution
 Comment Editor Ian Johnston Vote: Should 'double jobbing' be allowed for Scottish politicians?
The Scotsman Satirical tears flow as Glen Sannox ferry is finally finished (no really, it is)
The Scotsman Why West must ignore Putin's nuclear threats and rely on Cold War logic to keep us safe
The Steamie politics podcast
Take a list to "Double-jobbing politicians - and an interview with Alex Cole-Hamilton", the latest episode from The Steamie politics podcast.
In this episode Political Editor Alistair Grant, Deputy Political David Bol and Westminster Correspondent Alexander Brown discuss dual mandates in Westminster and Holyrood.
We also have an exclusive interview with Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton ahead of the party's conference.
Take a listen here now.
That's all for today, but I will be back tomorrow with Thursday's edition of The Steamie morning politics newsletter.
In the meantime you can keep up-to-date with all the latest political news, comment and analysis on The Scotsman's politics homepage.
Please get your friends, family and colleagues to sign up to get this newsletter for free here, and as always if anyone has any feedback, comments or just wants to chat politics, you can email me on rachel.amery@nationalworld.com or DM me @therachelamery.
|
