Fife MSP Willie Rennie received a telling off in Holyrood on Tuesday after he quoted someone who described a government deal with a Chinese investment firm as “b*llocks”
Mr Rennie was speaking in a debate on the Scottish Government’s latest independence paper focussing on Scotland’s “place in the world”.
Admitting he hadn’t read the paper, the North East Fife MSP said he could “imagine” it was a grand assertion of “just how brilliant the SNP and the Greens have been on the international stage”.
But he pointed to a 2015 deal with a Chinese investment vehicle signed by Nicola Sturgeon, which was described by the deal’s chief fixer as “b*llocks”.
He was immediately interrupted by the deputy presiding officer, who said even if MSPs are quoting someone he would expect them to use parliamentary language.
“I am sorry, Deputy Presiding Officer—and I am sure that my mother would not be impressed with that either,” Mr Rennie said.
MSPs were debating the later SNP government paper in the “Building a new Scotland” series.
It included recommendations that, after independence, Scotland would apply for membership of the United Nations, European Union and Nato as soon as possible.
Mr Rennie used his contributions to criticise the record of SNP figures on the international stage.
This included former first minister Alex Salmond, who he said “kowtowed” to China by refusing to meet the Dalai Lama during a visit to Scotland.
He also accused current First Minister Humza Yousaf of “flirting” with the Turkish regime.
Mr Rennie said “He courted President Erdogan, inviting him to Scotland despite concerns, including from members of his own party, about civil liberties and human rights abuses.”
Mr Yousaf later said Turkey was on a “journey” towards better Human Rights.
Conversation