Budgeting My Time

I can't believe it's already February!  I feel like this past month has flown by and I'm now scrambling to find time for all the things I still want to do before I leave.  It's funny, because the MSPs in Scottish Parliament are in a similar situation right now, time being money, of course.  As is the custom in most governments right now, including the U.S., it's time to create the Scottish Government's budget for the next year which makes for some interesting debates between parties.  The Scottish National Party is in the majority, therefore they hold all the ministerial positions and power to propose the budget, but this, of course, can only be passed with the approval of the rest of Parliament.  Being a devolved government body, the Scottish Government budget is unique in that it exists as a lump sum granted by UK Parliament only when a proposed budget is approved by the Scottish Parliament itself.  If they fail to pass a new budget, they will get the same funding they did as the previous year, defeating any introduction of new programs or finance opportunities in Scotland.  The budget wasn't passed last year, a huge dissappointment for Parliament, so hopefully this year the parties can compromise enough to get the new budget through.  As one of my MSPs, Joe FitzPatrick, is on the Finance Committee, it's been a big subject in my office lately.  It's all about convincing the other parties that we have shared goals and can only accomplish them through cooperation and more funding from the UK Government.  They'll hopefully be voting on the budget this week, so I'll keep you all posted!

Other than the various research projects and assignments I've been given in my office by my MSPs and Neil, I've had the opportunity to attend briefings and debates in the chamber.  I feel so privileged to sit in on these, as they are events I would never get the chance to go to otherwise.  One briefing I've attended this past week was a talk by a Palestinian student from Gaza on human rights violations there and the growing humanitarian cause that is growing in Scotland supporting these people.  There is a general consensus among the Scottish and UK population that Israel is committing gross human rights violations by denying Palestinian residents basic rights to food, clothing, and goods by cutting off access on the borders.  It was really interesting to hear a first-hand account from a Palestinian man who is currently studying in the UK but has a whole family back in Gaza that are living in these conditions.  Having been in Israel back in 2008, I felt like this brought my study abroad experience full circle.  Crazy, huh?  It was a very intimate meeting with MSPs and assistants engaging in conversation so casually but looking to get business done at the same time.  I hope to sit in on more of these, such a great learning experience.

Brittany and I were also lucky enough to get tickets to watch FMQs this week!  FMQs (First Minister's Questions) are a weekly spectacle of sorts.  Most all of the MSPs meet in the chamber at noon on Thursday and depending if they were randomly chosen that week, ask the First Minister a question, often in a way that they hope to get their political agenda or constituency's needs met.  The heads of each minority party speak every week, and those are the most fun to watch, as they try to push the First Minister's buttons with questions that will provoke a response favorable to their parties.  There are also no bars on behaviour at these functions; opposition party members will often shout their own responses at the First Minister or laugh/boo over him so he ends up yelling his response to be heard.  There is limited seating in the viewing area of the chamber, so tickets to FMQs in particular have to be reserved far in advanced. Lucky us, Brittany's MSP had extras!  It's definitely a must see at Parliament.  Oh politics :)