The Scotland we are seeking to build will be a sustainable country balancing environmental, economic and social impacts for the good of the country and its citizens.

Scotland’s Citizens Assembly which is discussing the kind of Scotland we would like to see develop has now published the materials from its third meeting.

It was disappointing that so many MSPs (LibDems and Conservatives) did not support the establishment of the Citizens Assembly because the conclusions it is coming to are sensible ones and weekend 3 which examined sustainability continued on that pathway. You can access the issues discussed and the votes which took place here: Weekend 3 Outputs

In his personal blog on the weekend , assembly member Martin McGill said:

I was thrilled to hear them [ Katherine Trebeck and Andy Kerr] describe so many practical, logical, reasonable ideas that I and other members had discussed previously. I found myself energised by their contributions and reinvigorated to indulge my quest to challenge our elected representatives about their environmental intentions.In the end I thought this weekend was just fantastic.

The Conveners of the Assembly are David Martin and Kate Wimpress.

Citizens Assembly Co Conveners Kate Wimpress and David Martin

In her blog for weekend 3 Kate Wimpress said:

“The Assembly is just at the halfway point now and we are making real progress. Our third meeting last month demonstrated this perfectly.

“The Assembly is well down the road of developing a shared vision of the kind of country we are seeking to build and in thinking about how we overcome the challenges that we face.

“It is a demanding process, and members are working extraordinarily hard but enjoying the experience.”

The Assembly members are also surveyed during the weekend about how they feel things have gone in order to gauge how effective it has been and how things could be improved. After this third weekend which most members were pleased with they are also divided almost evenly over whether or not the Assembly will achieve its aims.

Scotland’s first ever Citizens Assembly has certainly set itself a considerable task looking at the kind of future Scotland we aspire to be.

All the materials for weekend 3 can be found here: 17 – 19 January 2020

The Fourth Session meets from 21st to 23rd of February.

Reporter: Fiona Grahame