Holyrood 485 / 11 April 2022

All at sea...
...but can anything sink the SNP?

3 Editor’s note

Legislators are rightly nervous about cementing in statute a gender ideology which currently has no status in law and no clear definitions

5 Roundup

Pictures and numbers from the past two weeks

7 Talking Point

It’s time we started discussing class, says Joseph Anderson

8 In Context
Nicola Sturgeon’s apology for historic witch trial victims

9 Political spotlight: Murky Waters

How the Scottish Government’s repeated attempts at state intervention, and a lack of timely scrutiny, led to the ferry fiasco

12 Overview: Justice For All
Advocates of community justice say it reduces the prison population and aids rehabilitation, but what about the victims of crime?

15 Interview: Ash Regan

The community safety minister on standing up for women’s rights and the challenges of dealing with the legal profession

19 Feature: Refugees

The response to the Ukraine crisis throws new focus on the UK’s patchwork provision for refugees and asylum seekers

22 Pass the Mic: Scotland’s Shame

Institutional racism is as much a problem in Scotland as elsewhere in the UK, says Zamard Zahid

24 Interview: Alex Cole-Hamilton

The Lib Dem leader on the “toxic death spiral” gripping Scottish politics

28 Roundtable

MSPs and stakeholders get together to discuss energy efficiency measures

32 Comment

Scotland’s forests are being sold off in the name of greenwashing, says Andy Wightman

33 Politicians’ pets

Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown introduces us to her dog Ruby

34 Getting to know...

SNP MSP Jenni Minto and her shelf of island gins

36 Diary

Missing ferries, runaway dogs and attention-seeking cats

37 Political spin

Chief Medical Officer Sir Gregor Smith talks Ozzy, guitars, and Madchester

38 Last Word

Sketch: MSPs consider whether breaking the law is always illegal

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