Politicians to face Professionals in series of events

 

Senior politicians will be putting themselves in the firing line at a series of Faculty-supported events in the run-up to next May’s Scottish Parliament elections.

“The Politicians and the Professionals” is a series of winter seminars which the David Hume Institute has staged in the last two years, and will be repeated in 2016, in conjunction with the Young Academy of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Kezia Dugdale, MSP, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, will be first to face some intense cross-examination on 11 January, followed by Patrick Harvie, MSP, co-convenor of the Scottish Green Party (26 January) , Ruth Davidson, MSP, leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party (2 February), and Willie Rennie, MSP, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats (16 February).

The final event, with Nicola Sturgeon, MSP, First Minister of Scotland, is on 10 March.

The events are to be held at the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), George Street, Edinburgh, and are supported by RSE, ICAS, Faculty of Advocates, the Law Society of Scotland and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

The David Hume Institute said: “The events provide a rare opportunity to get party leaders out of their comfort zones of sound bites and PR-managed appearances, and give them both the opportunity and the discipline of having to explain their policies in detail over a 45-minute speech. There will then be an opportunity for members and other participants to question them directly and judge how they respond.”

In a separate event, on 13 January at the RSE, Lord Turner, who became chairman of the Financial Services Authority just as the global financial crisis struck in 2008, will discuss the lessons he learned.

For full details, and to register, go to https://inconference.eventsair.com/david-hume-winter-seminar-series-2016/registration/Site/Register