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Angela Constance became a supporter of the SNP when she was
still in primary school. It was the time of the first
referendum on devolution, and her class had a debate which set in
her the belief that she pursues today day as an SNP MSP: "to reach
our full potential, the people of Scotland need to be empowered to
control all matters affecting our well being". It was also
when she was young she fancied the idea of being a parliamentarian
in her own area, and she had been a local Councillor for over a
decade before winning the Livingston seat for the Scottish
Parliament in 2007.
Prior to becoming an MSP she also worked as a social worker at
Carstairs, and this has clearly influenced her approach: "in terms
of my political approach I am a pragmatist, it's about delivering
tangible results, it's about getting things done for people and I
suppose as a local councillor and as a social worker my focus has
been a lot more on the representative part of politics and
representing the opinions and views and wishes of your
constituents, and that is what I see as a core part of the
job".
It is also how she acquired her juggling skills, now finely
tuned since the birth of her son, just months after her
election. Having six months maternity leave was never an
option she explains, just a fortnight before his birth she was in
to vote and following his arrival she was in to vote
regularly. She explains, "constituency work always has to be
done, you can't not do that, you can't not be involved in that so
it has been quite demanding but I have always juggled, always
juggled. My focus is very much on my constituency … you've
got to make choices about your time. I suppose as a social
worker and councillor you did everything and I suppose now I've had
to learn to use my staff and to recognise that I can't actually do
everything alone and that's been a big lesson for me. I now
need to rely more on other people".
Although she always considered herself family friendly she
realises that she didn't really appreciate the demands until Cyrus
arrived, "I remember at the time that it became public that I was
expecting people were like "how will you manage?" and I kind of
downplayed all that - I was like if I need to come into Parliament
to vote with my nappy bag so be it. And that indeed was what
I did do and that was what I needed to do; but that's not as easy
as it sounds when you've got a four week old baby it actually
really took me all day to come in with my nappy bag and Cyrus in
tow".
Having Cyrus has made her think a lot about children both in
Scotland and around the world, particularly around the issue of
food and the importance of healthy and nutritional food as a
foundation for their lives. It has "brought home that in
today's Scotland there are children who go to school hungry and
that impacts on their life opportunity". It also brought home
to her the way in which we forget children in the third world:
"there are children who are hungry and it is not just about the
nutritional value. It has made me think about the wider
issues for children both at home and abroad and I think the SNP
have noticed a need to deliver on some of these issues, continuing
on good work in the past, to be fair".
This is clearly a priority for her, both locally and wider, but
what is the primary thing she would like to achieve in this term of
Government? "In terms of my own constituency, housing -
seeing more houses for rent, more affordable rented accommodation,
has to be a key aspiration for all our constituencies. People
in Livingston are very proud of their local hospital and they want
to keep it and share it. I think the SNP will deliver huge
improvements in terms of keeping healthcare local."
On the subject of the SNP, she explains the common values they
share beyond the fundamental drive for independence, "We are very
much a grassroots organisation, we're very much participative and
very much we all like to have our say. People in the SNP want
to participate and shape and change the communities of Scotland for
the better; they don't want to sit back and rely either on the good
will or the not so good will of others - they want to be out there
acting like responsible adults and doing things for ourselves - not
just for the sake of Scots but hopefully to make a contribution to
others in the world today who are less well off."
She jokes about SNP conference and the presence of many
different people with many different opinions and clearly likes an
opportunity to engage in reasoned and passionate debate, citing the
debating chamber as her favourite part of the Parliament.
However, she is scathing of some of the attitudes and behaviours
that are prevalent there, "I expected the Scottish Parliament in
terms of the debating culture to be very different from
Westminster, the name calling and the very adversarial type of
debate and I think the reality is it's not that different."
Participation is a theme that runs throughout the interview and
is central to the committee she sits on, the Public Petitions
Committee. She is fervent advocate for the Committee,
describing it as "hugely successful and hugely innovative".
She would like to see it evolve best practice and see a more
diverse range of people and groups using it, including young
people. She recommends that if people have an issue they
would like to raise, just to pick up the phone and speak to a clerk
to the Committee: "they are very plain speaking individuals and
give great advice."
She sees the role of churches as a matter of participation and
inclusion, "We are a pluralist democracy, we are meant to be a
participative democracy and I think that the churches should be
part of that." She is very aware of the work churches have
done in her own area on justice and peace issues and believes they
should challenge the status quo and politicians. She goes on,
"I also believe churches have the right to express a view, give a
view, lobby on, moral issues. I'm quite comfortable with them
doing that provided it is done with tolerance and understanding and
respectful of other".
Personally she sees her faith as a private matter, not something
she broadcasts but is happy to share if asked. "I was far
more inclined to go to church regularly actually when I was much
younger, certainly in my late teens I was a very regular church
goer and that helped me through that time in my life and that has
never left but the reality is I do different things with my Sundays
now."
She describes herself as a baby bore and obviously doesn't have
much time beyond politics and her family, but she does try and keep
fit and is training for the Edinburgh marathon. Her best
piece of advice? "Be yourself - or you'll get found out!"