Cameron Buchanan has been Conservative Lothians MSP since 2013, but has just retired from politics on the dissolution of the fourth session of the Scottish Parliament.
He wrote this for us in the last few days of being an MSP:
I became an MSP in the middle of this Parliamentary session and had to hit the ground running. This obviously presented somewhat of a challenge but I was eager to get stuck in and do the best I could for my constituents in the Lothian region.
I have to say that the procedures and processes of the Scottish Parliament did take some getting used to, but help was always on hand from clerks, security guards and staff members whom I would like to take this chance to thank.
I have particularly enjoyed my work on the Local Government and Regeneration Committee, which has covered all manner of topics starting with a tour of a Dundee building site on my first day.
The best thing about the Committee is that it has gone out of its way to engage with the public and I have found round table sessions we have had in Inverness, Stornoway and Dumfries of particular value.
My background is in business, rather than local government, which differentiated me from my colleagues on the Committee but I actually think that it has been useful to approach issues from an outsider’s perspective to ensure that all of the public’s concerns are considered.
I think this is something to bear in mind as we approach the next Parliament – the more diversity of thought, the better. A first step towards achieving this would be securing the independence of Committees so that scrutiny of government policy is as strong as we need it to be.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
