STEPHEN DAISLEY: Smiler Mackay, like a Radiohead album that was elected onto the regional list
Stephen Daisley's sketch of First Minister's Questions at Holyrood focuses on the fallout from Scotland's poor PISA results, which showed the country falling behind England in maths, science and reading. Reform's Malcolm Offord attacked John Swinney over the figures, prompting a heated exchange in which the First Minister accused Offord and Conservative MSP Thomas Kerr of "spreading racist filth", while Swinney defended his record by pointing to alternative data from the Curriculum for Excellence.
Other exchanges saw Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay press Swinney to oppose drilling for gas at the Jackdaw field, branding it "sheer climate vandalism", a call Swinney declined to take up. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay called Swinney "utterly delusional" over education standards, while acting Scottish Labour leader Jackie Baillie raised concerns about women being turned away by the NHS, prompting Swinney to stress that the issue would be handled by his "all-female" team of health ministers.
- Holyrood clashes over Scotland falling behind England in PISA results
- Swinney accuses Offord and Kerr of "spreading racist filth"
- Green MSP Mackay urges opposition to Jackdaw gas drilling
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Scotland's schools have been under scrutiny after the latest PISA results, an international survey comparing pupils' performance in maths, science and reading, showed Scotland slipping behind England. The figures reignited long-running arguments over the Scottish Government's education record, with opposition parties seizing on them to attack First Minister John Swinney, who leads the SNP government at Holyrood.
First Minister's Questions is a weekly session in the Scottish Parliament where opposition leaders question the First Minister on current issues. Regular participants include Russell Findlay of the Scottish Conservatives, Jackie Baillie standing in for Scottish Labour, Gillian Mackay of the Scottish Greens, and Reform's Malcolm Offord, each representing different parties with their own priorities, from education standards to climate policy and NHS provision.
Beyond education, the session also touched on other live issues in Scottish politics, including gas drilling at the Jackdaw field in the North Sea and concerns over NHS treatment for women, reflecting the range of pressures facing the Scottish Government. These exchanges matter because they show how the education figures fit into a wider pattern of scrutiny Swinney faces from across the political spectrum.