In a welcome outbreak of good judgement and common sense, MSPs have thrown out an attempt to allow prisoners to vote in next year’s Scottish independence referendum.
Lib Dem MSP Alison McInnes and Green MSP Patrick Harvey thought it was unfair to ban those behind bars from having a say in perhaps the most important decision Scotland will ever make.
Mr Harvie told the committee: “An offender in prison is still a human being, is still a part of society, is still subject to the decisions of a Scottish government.”
Up to a point Patrick.
An offender in prison is unquestionably still a human being although the bestial crimes of which some have been convicted would, in my opinion, question even that assumption.
And those in prison are undoubtedly still subject to the decision of the Scottish government. Indeed the very fact they they are in prison is due to decisions made by lawmakers.
Where I disagree with Patrick is when he asserts that those behind bars are still part of society.
In short, I think not, at least not part of normal society.
Is it not the case that these people have been removed from what any reasonable person would call “society” because they have been deemed to be unfit to be in it?
That is what prison is all about.
They have most certainly lost their right to freedom and many of the other rights enjoyed by those who live their lives within the law of the land.
Alison McInnes makes a different point. She says that it is “disproportionate to deny someone serving a short sentence a say in thefuture of their country”.
She said: “The independence referendum is unlike any democratic decision Scotland has had to make before. Where a general election dictates a country’s direction for the next four years, this decision could steer Scotland’s path for the next 300 years.”
Oh, so just because this is a big voting decision that might affect our future for the next 300 years as opposed to a big voting decision that will affect our lives for the next four or five years we should make an exception?
Again, I think not. General elections, Scottish elections, independence referendums the principle is the same.
Alison McInnis makes the point that the UK is“out of step with Western Europe”on the issue of prisoners right to vote the fact that in this country we don’t let them.
But the UK, and MSPs I am delighted to see, are not out of step with the overwhelming opinion of the British people.
And rightly so.