Review: Brian Taylor’s Big Debate

BBC Radio Scotland debate comes to Lower College Hall


On Friday 2nd May, the popular BBC Radio Scotland programme, Brian Taylor’s Big Debate took place in our very own Lower College Hall. The topical political discussion, chaired by Mr Taylor himself, featured five panellists: Councillor Dave Dempsey (Conservative), Roderick Campbell MSP (SNP), Claire Baker MSP (Labour), Councillor Tim Brett (Liberal Democrats) and Michael Fry, a writer and historian or, in his own words “not a politician but not for want of trying.” The turnout was disappointingly low, particularly on the student front, but despite this there was a wide range of opinions and the small audience allowed a higher proportion of people to contribute to the discussion. The debate began with the question: “Martin McGuinness suggested that the arrest of Gerry Adams was politically motivated, does the panel agree?” Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams is currently being questioned on the 1972 murder of Jean McConville. Some audience members agreed that the timing of the arrest is curious, with concern that, in Northern Ireland’s fragile political landscape, this might “open up a Pandora’s Box” and cause further troubles. However, the overall view was that the arrest was not necessarily politically motivated, in fact that it would be disturbing if it was, and that nobody should be above the law in terms of a murder case.

The Panel

The next topic of discussion was zero-hours contracts, one which Mr Taylor admitted he had been hesitant to discuss, but in fact led to a heated debate. The view of a student audience member was that zero-hours contracts are actually beneficial for those who prefer flexible working hours, citing students as her example. On the other hand, Claire Baker’s contempt for the exploitative ways in which many employers use these contracts was shared by many audience members. Another gentleman even suggested that perhaps they were a simply way of “massaging employment figures”. However, the overall consensus was that a blanket ban was not feasible or practical, as although they can be harmful to those supporting a family, zero-hours contracts do meet a need for flexible work in society. The controversial topic of Salmond’s “admiration” for Putin followed, sparked by a scathing statement from an audience member. However, the audience and panellists as a whole didn’t seem to share her abhorrence. Michael Fry stated that Salmond, like every other politician, had simply “made a gaffe”. The audience agreed that too much fuss was being made over a throwaway comment and it was detracting from the important issues surrounding the referendum. Finally, there was a brief discussion on the new Scottish National Qualifications for secondary school pupils, which are being examined for the first time this year. There was concern that the new examinations won’t prepare pupils for an increasingly competitive future, and that schools and teachers are not ready to implement them. This proved a difficult subject for the MSPs, and Tim Brett said they’ll “just have to wait and see” if a review of the system is needed. This led to a short debate about the new Madras College building which is yet to materialise, with input from both parents and Community Council members who opposed the current proposals. Overall, the debate covered several important issues from this week’s news as well as some more local concerns, and a wide range of viewpoints led to great discussion (and some fervent argument of course!)