I was pleased to see the talented 29-year-old Kate Forbes unveiled as the cabinet secretary for finance.
On the two occasions I have met her in the last 12 months, she has proved to be an impressively honourable and capable young woman.
Despite her relative youth, she comes with robust experience as an employee of Barclays Bank and as a chartered accountant.
One former SNP MSP went as far as to state: “Kate has more financial nous than any previous finance secretary.”
However, a recent article in a national newspaper revealed the concerns of an anonymous party member who expressed views about Ms Forbes being a “a practising Christian”, adopting a pro-life stance on the issue of abortion and potentially having different “views on LGBT progress”.
They also highlighted that she was among 14 SNP politicians who signed a letter discouraging the Scottish Government from rushing into changes to the Gender Recognition Act.
Maybe I am missing something here, but surely the most important credential for a finance role is not religious persuasion but experience in the area of finance.
This week, another rural female MSP announced she was stepping down due to the inflexibility of the parliamentary process.
Should we not instead see the appointment of Ms Forbes as a victory for diversity and for inclusion?
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