Scottish Ministers , TWAW and Social Media
We pay Scottish Ministers top notch salaries and in return we are entitled to expect their performance in office to match.
So how come Christina McKelvie, Scotland's Minster for Older People and Equalities, is able to make a false claim on social media that Trans Women Are Women (TWAW) and that her false statement has the backing of the law?
Now this is a serious matter if you ask me, because Ministers are paid to get their facts right and they are warned not to stray into areas beyond their 'expertise' and areas of responsibility.
A reckless use of social media may be a big factor here, but Ministers are still responsible for what they say in public - even if they use the bogus excuse that they are tweeting from a personal account.
So, in my view, Christina McKelvie has some serious questions to answer about her TWAW statement and why she thinks Scottish Ministers are able to behave this way on social media.
By way of background, Christina gets paid an extra £30,000 on top of her MSP salary taking her Scottish Minister pay to £95,000 although this does not include her non-contributory pension benefits (11% of pay), so the grand total salary comes to over £100,000.
These arrangements are made under the Scottish Parliament Salaries Scheme.
| Office holder | Annual salary | Annual salary (including MSP salary) |
|---|---|---|
| MSP | £64,470 | £64,470 |
| MSP (dual mandate) | £21,490 | £21,490 |
| First Minister | £93,391 | £157,861 |
| Cabinet Secretary | £48,449 | £112,919 |
| Minister | £30,351 | £94,821 |
| Presiding Officer | £48,449 | £112,919 |
| Deputy Presiding Officer | £30,351 | £94,821 |
| Lord Advocate | £63,295 | £127,765 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | £45,771 | £110,241 |
Scottish Ministers - Making Policy Up On The Hoof (July 21, 2021)
Lots of comments and interest in yesterday's post about a Scottish Government minister making the false claim that Scots law says Trans Women Are Women (TWAW).
Quite astonishing that such a highly paid Equalities Minister could make such a claim and all the more embarrassing when her current partner is the Scottish Government's Justice Minister.
The true position is that Scottish Ministers are making policy up on the hoof, as they go along, without legal backing and without recording the evidence/arguments on which Scottish Government decisions are being made.
More to follow - soon.
Scottish Ministers - Christina McKelvie (July 20, 2021)
The law of Scotland does not say that 'Trans Women Are Women' (TWAW)
Christina McKelvie seems to think otherwise, but she is completely wrong - the policy of the Scottish Government is not the law of the land.
Now you'd think a Scottish Minister would get her facts right especially as she has responsibility for Older People and Equalities - a role which comes with a salary of £100,000 a year plus expenses.
Christina has featured on the blog before (see posts below) for failing to get in touch with a single care hone during the Covid pandemic and is the current partner of Scotland's Justice Minister, Keith Brown.
An Extra £30,000 - Money Well Spent? (07/02/21)
Christina McKelvie is paid an additional £30,351 a year on top of her MSP salary of £64,470 - for acting as Scotland's minister for older people.
I wonder what she does for the extra £30,000 as that's more than the average salary in the UK.
Taxi For McKelvie? (April 23, 2021)
A reminder from the blog archive that while care homes were being 'thrown under the bus' Scotland's Minister for Older People (Christina McKelvie) still received her extra ministerial salary of £30,000 a year.
I'm sure groups short changed by Covid relief funds, eg Scotland's taxi drivers, will be less than impressed.
Financially Insulated From Covid (May 08, 2021)
I've been doing some research into the financial support available to small businesses during the Covid crisis.
For example, one local business owner explained that the total support they received (for two people) over the whole Year of Covid amounted to just £15,000 - or £7,500 each.
Now this is less that half the additional salary paid to junior Scottish ministers like Christina McKelvie who is paid a 'bonus' of £30,000 for acting as Minister for Older People.
Yet Christina and others held on to 100% of their additional responsibility salaries during Covid even though they didn't seem to be doing very much to earn this extra dosh.
