Alex Neil judged the all-time best debater in Holyrood
SNP stalwart’s skills in the chamber earn him overall top spot in the Donald Dewar Debater of the Year category, writes Political Editor
WITH the Covid crisis consuming governments and parliaments north and south of the Border, The Herald has put its annual Politician of the Year Awards on hold for 2020.
Instead of the traditional closequarter wrangling over who should be praised for their skills and service in the previous 12 months, the judges wrangled over Zoom about who they felt was the best of the best from the past 21 years of ceremonies.
The Donald Dewar Debater of the Year category was particularly tough.
The Parliament has boasted rousing orators such as Tommy Sheridan and Alex Salmond, but genuine debate is about more than a declamatory style.
Although he won the award only once, for “consistently insightful and witty contributions in the chamber”, the SNP’S Alex Neil was judged best of the best for the way he has engaged in all aspects of debate at Holyrood.
As a minister, he did not merely transmit, but welcomed interventions, and engaged with opponents and friendly backbenchers alike.
He was also commended for his independence of mind and willingness to speak out against his own side, including as the sole SNP MSP to support Brexit in public.
Although many previous winners have powerful rhetorical skills, it was Mr Neil’s instinct for intervention, rebuttal and riding the ebb and flow of debates which won him the top spot. He’s no slouch at one-liners either. Thoughtful, mischievous, and always worth listening to, he will be sorely missed when he steps down.
Also commended was two-time winner David Mcletchie. The late leader of the Scottish Conservatives was one of Holyrood’s best speakers.
Drawing on his legal background, he delivered sharp analysis, quick wit, and a stiletto for the unprepared.
His defenestration of Labour first minister Henry Mcleish over the Officegate expenses row that led to his resignation has passed into legend.
“We had the defence of ignorance – I didnae ken; it wisnae me; a big boy did it and ran away,” he said, sealing Mr Mcleish’s fate with a brutal flourish.
Mr Mcletchie’s successor Ruth Davidson was another double champion in this category.
Her first win was in 2014, when she came to life after her hard early years as Tory leader, proving sharp, articulate, and humorous during the independence campaign.
She won again in 2016 after standing out on the UK stage during the EU referendum, when she bluntly told Boris Johnson that voters deserved a proper plan for Brexit. Some speeches, it seems, are timeless.
Ms Davidson also inspired a winning speech from ex-scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, an electrifying attack on the Tories’ two-child tax credit cap, and the so-called “rape clause”. Tory
MSPS who tried to read their phones at the start were as riveted as the rest of the chamber by the end, as Ms Dugdale read a letter from a woman who could not bear to fill out a form to claim benefit for a child conceived in a rape. It remains an extraordinary Holyrood moment.
Also commended was Nicola Sturgeon for consistently hitting the right tone, not just as First Minister, but in opposition, when her weekly mauling of Labour first minister Jack Mcconnell was a blood-soaked treat.
The judges: Donald Martin, Editor, The Herald and Herald on Sunday (chairman); Tom Gordon, Political Editor, The Herald; Brian Taylor, Political Editor, BBC Scotland (retired); Katrine Bussey, Political Editor, Press Association; Peter Macmahon, Political Editor, ITV Border; Dr Liz Cameron OBE, CEO Scottish Chambers of Commerce; Kathleen Nutt, The National
As a minister, he did not merely transmit, but welcomed interventions
Tomorrow: Maverick/ One to Watch