 Mae cally, am yw ymlaen i gweithio ddim yn unigol lain. Welcome back. Welcome back. We are about to move into a question and answer session with a panel of my esteemed MSP colleagues. So please do join me in welcoming Megan Gallaker MSP from the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party, cokeab Stewart MSP from the Scottish National Party, Rhoda Grant MSP from the Scottish Labour Party and Beatrice Wishart MSP from the Scottish Liberal Democratic Party. We have a range of questions from across the chamber. We have already several that have been submitted in advance, so I am going to begin first of all with a question from Sarah Califf from Govan High School in Glasgow. Sarah, if you could please raise your hand so we know where you are. Please, if able, do stand and put the question to the panel. Can we have a microphone to Sarah? Hello, my name is Sarah Califf and my question is about period poverty. The recent legislation about period poverty is the first of its kind in the world and I believe that this is a huge step forward for women. It gives access to women to get free period products. Could you tell us how you introduced this legislation and why you waited until 2021 to get this legislation released when period poverty has been affecting women for many decades? Thank you. Sarah, I am going to put that question in the first instance to Rhoda. Work with colleagues. The colleagues had obviously taken the lead in this, but it was a huge issue that had gone on for far too long. We normally give things free to people that need it, but with period poverty, lots of people were missing out on work and school because it didn't have access to period products. I think that the whole Parliament came together and this was something that we saw as really important. It was one of those things that very seldom when the whole Parliament agrees it makes the headlines, but because this was groundbreaking it actually did make the headlines. I think that it has led legislation in other places as well, so hopefully period products will be free the world over. Thanks for that question. I got elected in 2021, so I wasn't actually part of the legislation progress of that, but I watched it very carefully and welcomed it. You're right to point out that issues around period poverty have been around for a long time, and you're quite right to point out that maybe it has taken too long, but it is worth pointing out that we are the first Parliament in the world to have done that, and that is a massive achievement on visits around Europe that I have been lucky to have. They celebrate that fact, and they've highlighted it, and they talk about it. Whilst I wasn't part of that, I'm delighted that I'm part of that legacy. Thank you, Megan. I was a councillor when this was brought in, and it was fantastic to see because it doesn't always happen that cross-party support was achieved for this fantastic piece of legislation that has completely changed how women can access period products. I mean, I think now when you go into, it's not just your council buildings or here in the Scottish Parliament, when actually when you go to bars and restaurants, how hardening is it to see period products there if you need them? So I think it's actually started a further social discussion on access to period products, and it's excellent to see businesses taking that challenge on and following the legislation that's been passed here in the Scottish Parliament, so it's fantastic to see. When I was a councillor, the discussions were taking place in council chambers across the country. At the same time, it was going through here in the Scottish Parliament, and I think we do need to give some kudos as well to one of our colleagues, Monica Lennon, for kickstarting that conversation, because it's through women MSPs being here in the Parliament that things like this do happen, so kudos to Monica, but well done every MSP for getting it through this chamber. Thank you, Megan, and Beatrice. I wasn't in Parliament at the time that the process started, but I was a councillor like Megan, and I know that it was discussed within the council setting that this was a really good thing as we watched what was happening in Parliament. I came into Parliament in autumn 2019, and I had the privilege of being able to vote on all the good work that other colleagues had done, and the fact that it's groundbreaking that Scotland is leading the way, it will make a huge difference to women in lots of other countries as well as Scotland. Thank you very much. Thank you, Sarah, for your question, and I think that colleagues have demonstrated the collegiate approach that has helped to pass this legislation. I'm now going to take a question from Rebecca Wymer from North Highland Women's Wellbeing Hub. Rebecca, please raise your hand so that we know where you are, and if you're able, please stand and please put your question to the panel. Do I need a microphone, or can you hear me? Yes, your mic is on. We can hear you. So good afternoon. The women's health plan was originally created with women's voices at its core. Could you please explain how you will ensure that women's lived experiences will remain embedded in this? Okay, so that is a question. Sorry, I'm not sure if it was wholly clear down here. So would you just like to repeat that? Thank you. Yep, so the women's health plan was originally created with women's voices at its core. Could you please explain how you will ensure that women's lived experiences will remain embedded in this? On the women's health plan, and I'll go to co-cab. Thank you. Yes, so we have a minister, Marie Todd, for women's health in particular, which I think is also sort of groundbreaking. I think that's the first as well, so that's to be welcomed. I'm aware, with conversations with Marie, but also watching the progress of the plan, that there was a lived experience survey that was done to sort of underpin everything that was in it. Now, I'm not absolutely sure if that work is on going, but I would imagine that it would be, and that would be something that I would encourage, is that as it's rolled out, there should be regular check-ins based on that model, so that those lived experience voices can be at the heart of it. So we can protect ourselves from the danger of not just measuring data, because women are women, they're not just data sets, so we need to bring the numbers alive by making sure that their voices and their experiences are integral to that, but also their changing experiences and opinions as well. Thank you very much, and Megan, on how the women's health plan, well, how we can ensure that women's experiences are key to that. So I think we need to make sure that women are at the centre of the health plan. I mean, I think when we look at the health plan, there's so many different aspects to it, I mean, there's work around the menopause, there's work to improve maternity services, access to abortion rights, these are all things that are hugely important topics, and one that I'm sure every single one of us here today will all champion and want to see change in, so I think that that's really important. Now, there'll be work done through committees, as you'll know, and that will be a really important tool, I think, for women to feed in their lived experiences through consultation processes. I think also it's about utilising your politicians, so utilising your MSPs, we are a vessel because we are the ones that can raise questions on your behalf. We are the ones that can challenge aspects to the Government, but also working across party bases to make sure that those changes happen. So lived experience is so, so important and what we need is for every single one of you to either write to us, to contact us, take part in the consultations, but be a voice for you and your peers because it's so important change won't happen unless we all band together. Thank you very much, and Beatrice, I think there's a lot of good work that's done through cross-party groups on individual issues, and I think that that's a good place where we can hear lived experience, as well as, obviously, within our own constituencies and hearing directly from people in the communities in which we live and work, but it's also up to us when we are here to challenge to question just how much progress is being made and keeping that topic alive. Thank you, and Rhoda? We really have to represent our constituent's views now. Rebecca is from Caithness, is active in petitioning in the Parliament, active in making sure women's issues are heard, and there's a lot of women indeed in Caithness who have been badly let down because of women's health services, the centralisation of maternity to Inverness, so women have to travel the equivalent of, if you lived in Edinburgh, going to Newcastle to have your baby, going to Newcastle in labour, if there was complication. That's not really acceptable, so I've got constituents in the north who are really making, will not be silenced, will make sure that their voices are heard, and that's what we need because with the best will in the world, we make plans, we do all those things, but we depend as representatives here on our constituents to keep our, keep us kind of really rooted in what's going on in the communities that we represent, and that's our job, but also I understand the health and social care alliance are being charged with some of this consultation and bringing views back to the Parliament, and I think that's good because that is a non-governmental organisation, a third sector organisation, and they're quite vocal in representing views as well, so I think people like Rebecca, people like the alliance will really make sure that this happens because it's a good policy and we need to make sure it delivers. Thank you Rebecca and thank you panel members. I'd now like to invite Cat Sutherland, who is a retired police inspector, to ask a question. Cat, can you let us know where you are? There you are. Cat's microphone is on. Women and girls in Scotland experience harassment across all areas of their life at school and work on the street and online. How will you work to ensure that the proposed misogyny bill becomes law? Thank you very much Cat, I'll put that question to Megan. Thank you very much Cat and again, I think most women in this room have experienced misogyny at some point in their life and I think it's more rife now in terms of the abuse that particularly young women face online, whether it's an attack on a young woman's image, on what they see online, it's far harsher than what's experienced by our male peers and it's got to stop. I think that's the bottom line of it, we've got to find a way to tackle it. So the misogyny bill will be an important discussion that we need to have. I think that the devil is always in the detail when it comes to bills, so it will be about scrutinising the piece of legislation when it comes to the Parliament, but again this is where voices of everyone matter because there will be consultation periods, there will be various different ways that people can come and give evidence to politicians that are taking part in the committee aspect but also the ones that will take on the challenge of scrutinising the legislation and putting it through Parliament. So again, it will be a hugely important topic and one that we all really need to take on as a challenge. Thank you, Beatrice. I mean, this is a very collegiate panel because I think that we certainly will be working pretty closely together to make sure that this goes through. I think we all feel quite strongly that it is a piece of legislation that has to go through. Not just for our age group but I think as the Grayson's are up when they spoke earlier very eloquently, I think that it's very clear it's incumbent on us to make sure that that legislation goes through for the future. I have two granddaughters that are similar ages and I see how empowered they are compared to either their mothers or me. It's that generational shift and what was accepted but not acceptable 20 years ago or even 40 years ago I see the need to make sure that this misogyny bill and also the work of Dame Helena Kennedy goes through for the future of our young people in Scotland. Thank you, Rhoda. I absolutely agree and yes, there has been a huge amount of progress but it almost seems like when we deal with one aspect of misogyny and we think we've got it, another one arises so every generation almost faces a new wave of it so I think we need to make sure that this bill goes through but I hope also alongside it that there is education because this is not a woman's problem, this is a problem with some men and we need to get men to address behaviour, we need to instead of teaching our daughters how to keep them safe, how to dress, how to do all these things, we should actually be teaching our sons how to behave because you know we really need to change the aspect of making women responsible for this, us making men responsible for that and I hope the bill does go some way to do that. I'll just carry on from where you were Rhoda on that because I welcome the legislation that will be brought forward by the way. I have no doubt that it's going to be quite complex and it will require extensive scrutiny. I think that there probably will be controversy around it because there is always issues about definitions and how we define what comes under the umbrella of misogyny and behaviour and that has often led to lots of debates when we've looked at other legislation around the Equalities Act and protected characteristics. I hope that we are brave enough to be able to discuss those very difficult and complex issues that are going to arise in this but whilst legislation can protect us from the worst harms and the excesses of misogynistic abuse what it won't do is protect us from what we need to do is a cultural change and that cultural change requires every single one of us to keep that pressure on really so you know the legislation is essential but it's attitudinal and cultural change that we need to keep enforcing and working away at as well. Thank you very much. Thank you Cat. I'd now like to invite Amy Jonesy from Drumchapel High School to ask a question. Amy, can you raise your hand please so we know where you are? Amy is with us here if we can have Amy's microphone on. Do please stand if you're able. Thank you. Today's event has focused on the past 20 years of feminist action in Scotland. What progress would you like to see over the next 20 years for women and girls in Scotland? Well there is a big question and I'll put that to Beatrice. I didn't quite catch it but I think it's on the line of where things will be in 20 years time. Yeah Amy was saying yeah just really we've got to where we are today following 20 years of hard work where would you like to see us? Where do you think we'll be in 20 years time? I mean we have come a long way but we've a way to go and it is about societal change. What I'd like to see in the future is actually where we actually don't have to sit down here and have these conversations. That's where we need to aim for. We've a way to go and certainly with all the energy that's in this room there's no stopping us now. So yes there's a long way to go but we have actually come a long way. I'm old enough and as you can tell by the grey hair I've you know the last 40 years or so and I think back to when I was your age we have come an enormous way and that's because of the work of like the women's convention in the last 20 years. So we need to make sure that we make more progress and look to the future where we don't have to have these conversations. Thank you. Roda? Absolutely a grey success will look like when we don't have to have a Scottish Women's Convention, we don't have to have any of these things but you know listening earlier to Sarah and Grace you know everything that they were looking for is what I would want for them and I think we have to be careful sometimes because as being older I see sometimes young people accept the the wins of previous generations of my mother's generation of generations that came before me and don't realise that that was a struggle and so I think we have to remember the struggles of the past so that we don't lose sight of where we have to go in the future and I'm confident because of the young people I spoke to today that we will get there because there's determination there so we can hand that over and hopefully I'll be sorted for your children if not for you. I look across this chamber and I see women of all ages and representatives of probably every aspect of society but for me in particular it resonates of all the women in colour that are of colour that are in this chamber as well and I can't not have this opportunity to sort of point out the fact that in 2021 I mean it happened to be me but I'm just glad that it was somebody a woman of colour was elected for the first time to this place so that was an achievement that was yes I mean it was great but also with regret that it actually took 20 years for that to happen so I suppose I'm relating back to I listened very with great interest to Dr Govinder and what she was saying about intersectionality so absolutely celebrating the successes and we've come a long way have made great progress but there are some parts of that intersectionality that haven't made that progress so what I would like to see that's part you know part of my work and something that's built in me is to make sure that all those intersectionalities and you know women of disabilities of different colours of different class and cast are actually brought along at the same time and you know it's not one of these graphs where different people are different women are progressing at different levels so that's what I would like to see happening and Megan well I hope that in 20 years time some of you have been sitting here today I'll actually have taken part in these panels because that'll continue on the conversation so I really hope that that happens but if I could just throw out some statistics in terms of you know where we are just now about 11 percent that's how much of a wage less that we are paid than our male peers only 4 percent of women sit at the top of top of business jobs so we've got a lot of work to do we've got some way to go in order to to make vast improvements so in 20 years time I want to see that ceiling smashed and it's got to be smashed because we've got to have more women at the top jobs whether it's in business and we've been talking about a little bit about renewables today you know that's going to be a huge discussion as we move forward to try and achieve our net zero goals so this is where you know we as women really need to take a stand and make sure that we can achieve those top jobs because I don't see why we can't we've got talent you know in this room here and you know that mirrors are male peers and I'm not trying to say that our male peers should not have those jobs as well but there has to be a balance as we've spoken about so frequently today so that's where I would like to see us in 20 years but if I can just go on a personal level I gave birth to my daughter Charlotte in July last year so in 20 years time Charlotte will be 20 nearly 21 and I want to make sure that Scotland's a far better place for her to grow up than what it is just now we have made excellent progress but I've got some way to go so I'm hopeful that the discussions that we've had today will keep the momentum going so the changes that we make here in this this Parliament will benefit each and every one of you thank you very much indeed now we do have time in hand and it's probably well I don't know if I ever been able to say that before in the chamber colleagues and I think that's because my colleagues have answered the questions comprehensively and succinctly at the same time so please do put up your hand if you have a question and we'll put it to the panel who would like to ask a question okay please do um can we have a microphone down here oh sorry the so we're going to take a question up there and then can we have a microphone down here please too so we'll take take yourself first thanks oh i'm going to go up here as there is a microphone and then we'll make sure you're on okay thank you um good afternoon panel good afternoon everyone my question is about domestic violence in Scotland affecting African women we are referred to women's aid without thinking about the cultural taboo that affects us we don't get access to the services that we need because the women's aid does not understand the cultural impact of domestic violence how do we break the bias so that African women will be getting the same kind of attention when they are suffering domestic violence by providing clear understanding either to the women's aid or allowing the women's aid to welcome working with other organizations like our organization my charity i'm a domestic violence advocate i've got 23 years experience i survived and i'm thriving but there are more women who are unable to thrive like um the first minister said earlier that there are many women who could be entrepreneurs some of us are limited because we can't do it we don't get the help that you know is required basically because we have the cultural background of dv and also because we are limited by immigration status now how can the Scottish government this parliament help the African woman to thrive after domestic violence okay thank you i'm going to put i know it's a question about what the government in particular can do but um my colleagues can certainly speak as as parliamentarians and i'm going to put that question first of all to rhoda it's quite sad that we're still dealing with domestic violence because it was one of the things that this parliament did in the very early stages was legislate on domestic violence and we still have a long long way to go we also have to shape services for people and i think that's really what you're quick i couldn't hear your question totally the kind of the acoustics down here are not great but i as i understand you're saying that services are not always shaped um to deal with issues within different communities and i think we have to look at that to make sure that the services are there and i know women's aid do work on that but we have to um work with them and organisations such as the one you're having now there are issues about people who don't have access to public resources and we need to sort that because we actually make people more vulnerable by not protecting them and then people fall into the wrong hands looking for help and support and desperation and that's totally wrong so we need to do something about that to make sure that people who don't have access to public resources get the same help as others you're right to raise um the the point and i've always thought that there is a disparity and that's back to the intersectionality of it um and whilst we as women can come together and we have much in common we are all individuals as well and we also have our own little groups you know there's many many labels there's many many little groups that we all belong to and all of those should be treated with equal value um and from that point of view when you're providing services i do believe that those services should be culturally sensitive and we do have a history of that it's absolutely could be improved and further investment and encouragement of that needs to be required and i'll certainly do my best well i'll continue to do my best to press for that um the the equalities minister knows fine well how vocal i am on these issues but to also mention the work of shakti women's aid for instance now um that has been around for decades and decades and does amazing work there there's also the amina women's centre um as well in Glasgow so there are groups um but you're right to highlight the gap that is there for women of african origin you're right to do that megan if i can continue on the conversation because i've agreed with everything so far there does need to be a cultural shift to make sure that we're inclusive for everybody um and everyone can get signposted to to the helping support that they need when required um in terms of the domestic violence aspect um that's been um that's been raised um my colleague Pam Gossel MSP um who's also another woman of colour which is fantastic to see um and the Scottish Parliament is taking through um a domestic abuse register bill um it's still very much in its infancy infancy my goodness infancy thank you um it's still very much in its infancy um but um the consultation period finished um roughly towards the end of last year so hopefully um we'll be able to achieve again cross-party support for that because again that's about tackling um the issue of domestic violence and i'm sure with with Pam and Pam's um knowledge um across this this area um that she'll have all groups and satiety um at our heart of this bill so hopefully um you'll see more about this um travelling through the parliament in due course and Beatrice it's obviously about inequity of access to services and and the issue around um recourse to public funds which uh i know other colleagues are very active on um and uh i can i can speak for what i've seen in shetland's women's aid uh and actually can i give them a shout out because they're 40 years old this week um and they've done fantastic work uh in the island and again it's it's that issue of saying actually we shouldn't need them there should be but i'm glad they're there um but getting back to your question it's about designing services that make the needs of everybody um and uh yeah i think i'll just leave it there because i think everybody's covered the other points thank you very much i'm going to finish on this one question we have time for the one question i'm going to to go to yourself thank you oh okay thanks um this is a question that's a bit similar to the last one um i'm a recently elected PI coordinator for area 11 allen on um in scotland um and in case you don't know about 95 percent of those attending allen on family groups in scotland are women um obviously allen on is a free um support um and i think prior to the pandemic there was a parliamentary group working with those um within allen on so i would like to know if if this parliament are happy to reinstate that dialogue um to raise awareness of the support that allen on family groups can offer women across scotland okay thank you um co cab just pick up the name of the group i'm sorry i was trying to catch it to have been affected by alcoholism in the family ah yes right sorry sorry i forgive me i was wanting to make sure of it um yes so cross party groups um are um a very effective way of providing those spaces i mean it's new to me and i'm sort of um on some cross party groups and a convener of one as well and um it's a really valuable opportunity for people to sit round that table and to speak to parliamentarians and those that are in decision making sort of um areas to put those views forward but in a less sort of adversarial way um and i would certainly be you know up for encouraging that um i've spoken previously on um the way that alcohol um sort of um effects children i suppose not uh well consuming it but also um alcoholism and living with that and sort of uh all of those effects uh so yes i would be happy to you know please do get in touch i'd be happy to take that out and megan yes absolutely i mean i think you know when you're you're looking at um concerns such as alcoholism um it's one you know the ways is parliamentarians either discuss talk about or receive into an inbox in a regular occurrence um and i think you know we've had various different debates you know picking up on um what co cab was saying um we had a debate um on FASD for example which is another um it's another example of where we've had these discussions i wasn't aware of the last cross party groups i wasn't elected at that point in time but certainly um it's co cab said you know cross party groups are very effective um in terms of you know coming up with either you know policy ideas um or discussion in terms of how we can make changes to benefit people particularly families that are dealing with with this huge issue and let's face it as a huge issue in scotland um so it's co cab said just to finish um get in touch um if you get in touch then MSPs can come together um and hopefully set that back up for you Beatrice i think cross party groups are are very effective if i think back to the report that came out this earlier this week um and the cross party group on poverty led by Pam Duncan Glancy and that was looking at stigma issues around poverty a really comprehensive report and that was all led by the information that was fed in by people attending the cross party group which can be done remotely now of course as well which makes it more accessible um so i do think it's an effective way of of of getting issues out in the out in the public domain and bringing it to the attention of parliamentarians and roda um yes i agree with what everybody said there are other ways of course of informing MSPs we've got things like members debates so if you can get an MSP to sponsor a motion for a members debate we can raise that in the parliament here and also round table events it doesn't necessarily have to be a cross party group we can have round table events for MSPs to come and hear about issues and people speak but i was struck i think you and i didn't hear the statistics properly but you were i think saying that it was mostly women that were involved with allanon and needing their women okay and that kind of shows you you know we're not saying that all people with alcoholic issues are men but it shows you the disparity of women especially things like the gender pay gap where the impact of a partner's alcoholism is much greater on women than it is on men so it just shows you in the round how difficult all of that is and when people are dependent on people who have issues they need support and you know allanon does a great job providing that support thank you very much um regrettably because we're out of time we're going to have to leave this session here i feel next year we should let this you know be at least at least an hour um thank you all very much indeed for your very pertinent questions and i'm sure you'd like to join me in thanking our panelists this afternoon just bear with me one moment so thank you all i would now like to introduce our final speaker this afternoon Susan Morrison Susan is a writer a broadcaster and a comedian she has been an emcee at the stand comedy club in Edinburgh and has taken to the stage many times on many occasions in many venues we're very fortunate to have her with us this afternoon Susan is passionate about history she's the host of BBC Scotland's radio history magazine programme time travels in Scotland where she loves to bring to light the achievements of the incredible women in our past who have often been written out of the story Susan i was about to start telling Grace and Zara about some of the great women in Scotland's history but then i realised oh shit she's oh i'm sorry they're talking about me so i better get up and do something hi hello my name is Susan Morrison as the president officer has just reminded me so that's useful um and i'm thrilled to be here today i decided um i was going to do the states moment womanly thing and i was going to write a speech agnus every word beautifully crafted every word children grace so everyone so this morning i decided i would print it before i came out but this is the tale of a woman's lived experience so i got up and i realised that's a nice day i could get a wash in it hands up who else thought that yeah right hi so i did hen right so i've got the washing out right and i'm thinking that's handy that's fine that's fine oh geez oh the cat's been sick so i had to clean that up right my son had left something on the landing so i tripped over that that i had to get cleared up you know what i'm saying so i'd say right right right right i've got to turn up the scotch parliament i've got to shower right got the soap my eyes as you imagine then i decided i would print out the speech went back downstairs finished doing the washing up grabbed the speech ran out of the door right and here i am this is the first page of a letter of complaint to british rail who no longer exists so god knows why i'm writing to them and this is a recipe involving turnip which is quite handy because it might be the only thing we've got to eat in the future and uh that's it it's quite good i might keep that so that is the lived experience young ladies young my young sisters that's what women are like it's just like a women's life you will find out as you go through life just but basically a women's life turns into trying to sellotape jellyfish to the beach you know you're constantly doing it and you can't really remember why but you have to keep going and every now and again you succeed and there's nobody there to see it but so we're just going to have to wing it is that okay with you guys right right okay so but 10 minutes let's go okay so the first thing that i always international women's day always reminds me of the fact that the russian revolution was actually started by women on international women's day thank you you are i mean we can all get i mean we can all start arguing about how successful the russian revolution actually was but let's not go there right now um it was women in st peter spark it was 1917 it was the height of the russia's activity in the first world war the women were starving more than that the children were starving do not get in the way of a woman whose children is starving these women took to the streets shoulder to shoulder they took on the russian army was to be honest with you it was not that good but let's not go there either okay the russian army was armed these men were armed but these women stood shoulder to shoulder and said no or whatever it is in russian they were fired upon young sisters but they still didn't stop they still didn't stop they tore in to those lads and god help them and they probably gave them a right better in the air and sent them back to their own mummies and then they broke in to the granaries and they fed their children and from that point the russian revolution spread throughout xarist russia with incredible speed so all came from angry women and that's part of the point that i'm wanting to make today is in fact in the first minister alluded to this anger it can be pointless but rage is great anger anger is many just go why does nobody empty the dishwasher right but rage can fuel you and power you on and that's what happened with these women and this is why i think and i'm looking around this room i'm looking around this chamber it's magnificent and i think that this is why men are afraid of women when they gather and talk this is why they feared the covens it wasn't because of what we could do with the toad although that was quite handy it wasn't because of the way that we could curse it was the fact that they were talking and when i was coming to the parliament today and i was coming down the high street you were all coming down from all parts of the city you were coming at them coming off buses and you come up from trains and i could hear you all and then i came into the parliament and the noise was amazing you cannot have three women standing in an enclosed space without conversation starting i mean how many of us have how many of us have been in a lift with with one woman and by the time you get out on the 11th floor you know that her niece's IVF didn't work out very well but they get really high hopes this time it's going to be absolutely fine and you're away think well that's good because women talk women talk that's what led those russian women to rise they were talking that's what led those women in the past being hounded and accused of witchcraft because they were talking they were daring to talk and when women dare to talk it's a frightening thing for those who want to keep us down which is why we should keep talking and why incidentally they're trying to kind of stop us from talking misogyny's having a great old day in the sun right now but we'll fight we'll be back don't worry but what it's doing is it's going into your heads through social media it's much cleverer than it used to be it used to be just men shouting they're going aww hen what you up to although to be fair in glass because that was a good chat of mine so i'm you know don't you tell him Mary you go in hen and but now now they can get they can reach right into it in a way that they couldn't do with us they can reach in to your mind so please be aware of the fact that they're trying to isolate you but keep talking keep that rage going and then you were talking i'm sorry i've got to say this to grace and to Zarawn it's a happy birthday to the swc 20 with birthday fantastic which is why you were casting forward into 20 years sweetheart children 20 years of that isn't it i mean how many of us are looking in the mirror going what the fff who is that woman it's worse than that i look in the mirror and think why is my dad in drag it goes like that enjoy every minute right enjoy every single minute because you'll only be what in your 30s or something of that you've got so much ahead of you i bet you've got so many battles to fight but it'll be great battles of great fun by the way i mean make sure that you've got good comrades standing beside you and you'll have an absolutely fantastic time get into issues really mix it up really tear it up youngsters really get into the issues when you get involved in issues right you don't you find that it comes out of your own head you start to look around you you don't get so obsessed when i was a young woman i was more obsessed with the missile gap than the thigh gap and that turned out to be a good thing in the long run right although you know i probably i could have gone on a diet my mom said i should have gone on a diet but i didn't listen get involved with other people it will so empower your life make sure you stand shoulder to shoulder with good comrades good friends you'll find them don't you worry they'll be out there we're here the mad old bats we're here we're absolutely everywhere you'll find us everywhere we're the sort of marl old women that go up to people at stations going you shouldn't be doing that son and the good thing is is we get older we get listened to and i know there are people who say that as we get older they get invisible they don't actually that's why we have to solve all the crimes look at miss marple they couldn't get anywhere without her as you get older as you get older right eventually you get to the point where zero where you don't i'm sorry i was a bit to swear there but i'd stopped myself did you notice that well don't i as you got all the ideal as you don't give a damn right you don't give a damn you don't care okay so i'll look like this what's the problem if i was going to teach you something it would be this so what right that attitude so what i don't care right what you think to me so what i'm going to do i want my life and i know that you will but then again what kind of a world is it you're going to go into what kind of a world that you're going to build in that glorious 20 years i won't be here by the time you're my age i'll be dead honestly because it'd be a bit weird if it wasn't i mean i'll be like 100 something or another but let me tell you without the values that we live with just now have to be changed we've mentioned it several times we need to culturally change the actual water that we swim in and we live in a culture that's overwhelmingly dominated by male values and by this i'm afraid right at the very bottom we're looking at the values of violence the violence the values of warfare have you ever thought it's a bit weird instantly that you know remember and stay when we remember the millions and millions of young men who perished far from home for reasons that sometimes they couldn't understand and for some reason we commemorate that with flypass gunfire people shooting rifles people marching past in uniforms when we should be reaching forward to those uniforms and say take them off there's no reason to fight if we talk to each other and we never thought about that the values the values that we need are the ones that are undervalued and the weirdest things already mentioned today as those very values are the values of women and it's the values of caring caring is is what we do and yet we're discouraged from doing it but let me explain how valuable that is so in 2020 i was diagnosed with bowel cancer and it then it spread it spreads my liver and to my lungs so in five years in two years i had five major operations one more and i would have got a free cappuccino from starbucks five huge operations including a double mastectomy now i know what you're thinking how come she's got a double mastectomy if she had bowel cancer somebody's paperwork was certainly on the printer that day wasn't it because i already had breast cancer so i came through this this experience overwhelmingly with women by my side the nurses who cared for me the counsellors who came and had the chat with me the consultants who carried out the surgery on one occasion was a woman the consultant who loose after me now is a woman what i find fascinating is the female consultants the male consultants are all hello i'm mr smith and i'm mr jones i'm mr grrr one of them is something like the philip g martin or something like that and i said to him does the g stand for god and he said no but it should tells you a lot about men there done it sweetheart all the male specialists all the female consultants are janet lona louise lesley and they all talk to me just like that and one night um cancer's a real fuck it off said it sorry sorry sorry and one night i just began to cry uncontrollably on the wards and the nurse came and she sat with me and she held my hand for as long as it took as long as it took and didn't i sit there just cry my heart and um then and it was a long time a lot of cry and then she said um how you feeling better i said yeah i'm feeling all right now and she said don't forget about she's been on she held my hand all that time and she said would you like a wee cup of tea which as we all know is what the nhs is actually fueled on there's there's a lake somewhere just full of tea i don't know and she said would you like a wee cup of tea and i went yeah i think that's good and she just went like this and produced a cup of tea and i thought how where did that come from they must have some tube or something that goes in but she and i thought it's it's caring it's that caring but this is the future that we want you we want for you we want you to turn your back on on the those male values of violence and aggression we want you to look instead for the caring for the kindness for how can you make life better for the people around you that's how you will improve this planet that's how we will all get through this that's how we'll survive because i don't think we'll survive much longer you know if we keep depending on that male aggression that they constantly doing so the hands fascinating to me women's hands are amazing look at the hands when you're next on a train and you see an old woman so just look at the hands think of the care that those hands look at your young hands when what are they going to do so they're just astonishing so just look at those hands look at your own hands right now just look at them right now just look at your hands and just think to yourself where have they been where can they go what will they do whose other hand will they hold it'll be caring and i know there are there are glass ceilings for you girls to smash through okay but you're all diamonds what can diamond do smash glass so you shine on diamond girls because you are going to have such a great time out there in the world it won't be easy pick good pals make sure you pick good battles as old comrades we'll be right behind you marking me the back and going oh was he like this in my young day you know but don't worry we are right behind you so sisters comrades uh first of all i suppose i i have to tell you something which is that my last cancer scan was clear but finally and i've done this before and i did i'm going to do it again you know i said but hands reach out just reach out all of you hold hands with the woman next to you hold hands even if you can sorry i guess you got her hand lift your hands now look at each other can anything stop us now thank you susan thank you very much indeed i would now like to ask agnes told me to give her closing remarks i want to keep you for your drinks so i better rattle through this um first of all uh i want to thank all our speakers today um the first minister i'll ready thank tell anyone thank you Presiding Officer for facilitating this and allowing this mob in here but grace and zara you were absolutely fantastic i know you were nervous but my god you blew it at the part you were absolutely amazing so well done radical that was a really really informative and a really amazing contribution you made and i made to learn more i feel that you're going to give me books for my holiday something and all the people that took part in our international women's day video and also our msp's who put their neck on the line coming before this audience they've normally got their back to them um Beatrice co cab and thank you for the cricket bat my got it delivered thank you co cab megan gallaker and rhoda grant my friend rhoda i've known for a long time so please to say Susan Morrison what can we say so what i think my one when i was growing so what so what the one i had when i was growing up was make me will make me make me no i'm doing it make me but that was really really um and i know that was a very brave contribution you made and i think behalf of everyone here and everyone who knows you across the movement we are so glad to know that you are well so welcome right i want to say a couple of thanks to sort of individuals and so but one of the things i want to say is i want to thank our fantastic sponsors people women are mostly women actually across scotland we received an overwhelming support from women who own their own scottish own businesses as well as social enterprises based in bonus and Glasgow and so on and i want to do a particular shout out to cathleen from sea nickle who made these beautiful bags she couldn't be with us because she had the Covid so i hope you have managed to join us online cathleen the parliament team and donald who's behind me here and sutherland for size i want to thank them because they help us put all this together and make it happen there are stalls in the garden lobby if you haven't visited them see if you can the parliament broadcasting team you will be able to next tomorrow the next date this you'll be able to get this online so if you want to show it to your mammy girls you just do that right because mammy's will want to know the catering staff we want to thank them for supervising the lunch and the reception at the end of the event which was sponsored by thompson solicitors as ever each year so thank you for that i want to thank all of you for making the journey here especially those that came with those buses to the Glasgow i haven't found out who did the singing in the back or the front or what yet but i'll make that effort over the break volunteers i work can i say volunteers and the board members of the scottish women's convention you're absolutely fantastic and hard working and an absolute treasure to spend time with the the coody bags do take forever to go out and source the items and on your knees my knees are cut when you're begging people to give you stuff those cut by the way those camel wafers are getting more and more harder to get everywhere but leave it with us the but you get the goodie bags you make them up they bring them on and then you take people back to Glasgow on the buses after they've had some wine now i decline to even go there but you enjoy yourself but i really do want if i've missed anybody can you forgive me because it's been a long day um and i've no dent yet and so that i have to say this i do say it every year but this year in particular because it's the first big one we've had since pre-covid and a whole new team that we only had last year there's three of them that's susan jenna and ailey can you stand up please you can tell people they're appreciated and it doesn't matter there's still some people don't feel good i don't know where because they're tens or they're pressurised on these events but these three have been absolutely superb and we're very very lucky to have them now as we move into the garden lobby christina mckelvey our long long and dear friend msp minister for equalities no other people will say a few words laura connor from thompson's i'll say a few words and susan bonner is going to sing for us but you'll be getting your wine get your wine in you first route uh and as i said thompson's have sponsored this i've got nothing left to say and you might even gather i was built a bit emotional today i really did um and it's great having everybody back again after all this time and i think we can confirm we're back here next year we are indeed we're back here next year so you booked your seat early and if you want and i'll see you really letting you let us know early as well well thank you for your attendance it's been absolutely a privilege to spend time with all each and every one of you and i'm so pleased we had so many of the young team for Glasgow got to get my own back in these Edinburgh people and one one more shout out before i go pauline work is up there is chairing the stc congress this year and indeed a fabulous woman and a fabulous supporter of us so that's me enjoy your drink bye thank you agnus that concludes the chamber proceedings of today's events and i think um you know i'm sure i speak for for each and every one of us here when i say it's just underlined the importance of this event and i know that colleagues will rightly you know we will continue to campaign and work till we get to a stage where we don't need to have this event but that being said i think we need to find another reason to always come together and have well just such a memorable fun moving emotional and important gathering so just want to thank each and every individual who has contributed in any way and thank you all for making the effort to come here and be in your parliament today and i have to say i really kind of fancy this sound of those buses from Glasgow and the singing so even though i live in edinburgh you might find me on one later anyway i will see you soon in the garden lobby take care thank you