91% of the Scottish Youth Parliament support the Colin Love campaign to change Scots Law to allow the Crown Office to launch enquiries into deaths abroad. Dr Kenny Faulds MSYP was meant to take the motion forward to the SYP however he was unable to attend the sitting so I decided to take the motion forward in my name as I felt that this was an extremely important issue.
I would like to thank everyone for their support and also give a big thank you to all the MSYPs who supported the motion.
If you have any questions please contact me at: austin.sheridan.msyp@sypmail.org.uk
Colin Love website: http://www.colinlove.net/
Posted by Austin Sheridan MSYP
___________________
This article can be found at: http://austinactive.yolasite.com/blog.php
Monday, 28 September 2009
Sunday, 20 September 2009
SNP want votes at 16 for Independence Refrendum
The end of this month the Scottish Youth Parliament are going to be debating on votes at 16 and how we as a youth voice want to take this argument forward, however the SNP Administration in Holyrood have already started the debate by saying that 16 and 17 year olds should be allowed to vote in the Scottish referendum on Independence which has been proposed for 2010.
Read more below
.The Scottish government has announced plans for 16 and 17-year-olds to be able to vote in its planned 2010 independence referendum.
SNP ministers said they wanted to give the widest number of people a say on the nation's constitutional future.
But Labour has dismissed the move as a cynical attempt to keep the independence debate going.
In the longer term, the Scottish government wants to lower the voting age from 18 for all elections.
It is an often-quoted phrase that, at the age of 16, you can get married and join the Army.
This referendum's about Scotland's future - young people are Scotland's future
Linda Fabiani SNP MSP
Lowering the voting age is a long-standing SNP policy, and Nationalist MSP Linda Fabiani told BBC Scotland's Politics Show the referendum would be an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the party's case.
She said: "We have young people in this country who really are in tune with politics, they are entitled to get married, they pay taxes, why can't they vote?
"This referendum's about Scotland's future - these young people are Scotland's future, so, to me, it's perfectly logical, perfectly right they should be asked to vote in this referendum."
'Real business'
But Pauline McNeill, the Labour MSP, said lowering the voting age was an important issue.
But she argued: "The fact that the SNP are proposing it for their referendum, which would account for an additional 3% of those who voted, we believe is a cynical attempt by the SNP to keep this referendum issue going.
"We, once again, call on the SNP to get on with the real business of government."
There is a school of thought that most 16 and 17-year-olds would support independence - but both Ms Fabiani and Ms McNeill moved away from this theory.
"Anyone who tries to make an assumption about what 16 or 17-year-olds will do is downgrading our young people," said Ms Fabiani.
The Scottish government has already lowered the voting age to 16 in its pilot health board elections next year in Dumfries and Galloway and Fife.
But younger teenagers may have to wait a bit longer before getting the chance to vote in an independence referendum - the SNP still lacks enough parliamentary support to hold it.
I have always supported lowering the voting age to 16, I support the Scottish Government on this important issue.
If you have any questions you can e-mail me at: austin.sheridan.msyp@sypmail.org.uk
Posted by Austin Sheridan MSYP
___________________
This article can be found at: www.austinactive.yolasite.com/blog.php
Read more below
.The Scottish government has announced plans for 16 and 17-year-olds to be able to vote in its planned 2010 independence referendum.
SNP ministers said they wanted to give the widest number of people a say on the nation's constitutional future.
But Labour has dismissed the move as a cynical attempt to keep the independence debate going.
In the longer term, the Scottish government wants to lower the voting age from 18 for all elections.
It is an often-quoted phrase that, at the age of 16, you can get married and join the Army.
This referendum's about Scotland's future - young people are Scotland's future
Linda Fabiani SNP MSP
Lowering the voting age is a long-standing SNP policy, and Nationalist MSP Linda Fabiani told BBC Scotland's Politics Show the referendum would be an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the party's case.
She said: "We have young people in this country who really are in tune with politics, they are entitled to get married, they pay taxes, why can't they vote?
"This referendum's about Scotland's future - these young people are Scotland's future, so, to me, it's perfectly logical, perfectly right they should be asked to vote in this referendum."
'Real business'
But Pauline McNeill, the Labour MSP, said lowering the voting age was an important issue.
But she argued: "The fact that the SNP are proposing it for their referendum, which would account for an additional 3% of those who voted, we believe is a cynical attempt by the SNP to keep this referendum issue going.
"We, once again, call on the SNP to get on with the real business of government."
There is a school of thought that most 16 and 17-year-olds would support independence - but both Ms Fabiani and Ms McNeill moved away from this theory.
"Anyone who tries to make an assumption about what 16 or 17-year-olds will do is downgrading our young people," said Ms Fabiani.
The Scottish government has already lowered the voting age to 16 in its pilot health board elections next year in Dumfries and Galloway and Fife.
But younger teenagers may have to wait a bit longer before getting the chance to vote in an independence referendum - the SNP still lacks enough parliamentary support to hold it.
I have always supported lowering the voting age to 16, I support the Scottish Government on this important issue.
If you have any questions you can e-mail me at: austin.sheridan.msyp@sypmail.org.uk
Posted by Austin Sheridan MSYP
___________________
This article can be found at: www.austinactive.yolasite.com/blog.php
Friday, 11 September 2009
Glasgow MSYP Press release 09/09/09
The Death of Colin Love sparks Glasgow Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament to call for change in Scots Law with Colin’s Family.
Dr Kenneth Faulds MSYP “ “The death of a child is an unbearable sorrow that no parent should ever have to endure.”
“Politics can sometimes divide us, but there is a common human bond that unites us in sympathy and compassion in times of trial and in support for each other, at times of grief”
The above quotes are from Prime Minister- Gordon Brown, following the sad death of David Cameron's son Ivan at the age of six.
Julie Love is a courageous woman; she looked forward to the future, sharing a life with Colin and his family of choice. She cannot imagine, nor did she contemplate, his death at an early age as some mothers have to face.
No mother wants to see the death of their child. Most parents pass away before their child leaving a legacy of Love and Memories, hopefully wisdom, to help that child grow into adulthood and raise their own child/children.
The Colin Love petition fights for something that the ordinary Scottish family deserve. It is not a luxury nor is it a condiment or courtesy but it is a basic human right.
Colin’s petition calls for a change in the law, an anomaly in our robust legal system. When a Scottish person dies abroad and is returned home. We are buried or cremated with no questions asked.
However, we want what English people have and that is for our Crown Office to have the discretion to make one of the two decisions regarding a death abroad:
1. There has been a full robust judicial inquiry in the country of death that I feel has answered every question therefore we will not be holding one here.
2. I believe that there was insufficient answers and there wasn’t a robust judicial inquiry into the death of said person in the country of death and therefore I think it is imperative that we investigate this matter and if need be apply to the sheriff to hold a FAI.
The launch of this petition marks the beginning of an incredible journey, one part of a plethora of things to come in Colin’s name. We know that the petition won’t stop people drowning in Margarita Island and that’s why Julie is setting up a charity in Colin’s name to try and prevent deaths on that beach.”
We have has growing support from people like Alan Carr, Shaun Connery, Billy Connolly, Bill Aiken MSP, Frank McAveety MSP. And the Glasgow MSYP Group who voted unanimously to support the petition .
Austin Sheridan MSYP for Glasgow Govan and Vice Chairman of the Glasgow MSYP Group said “I was very saddened when I heard the story about how Colin Love died, A death of a close family member is tragic but it is worse when you don’t know: why, when, where or how. It is not only frustrating that somewhere, someplace some undeserving person is in possession of these answers but won’t give them up.”
Austin Sheridan MSYP has also contacted First Minister Alex Salmond MSP MP and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP calling for them to rally behind the campaign that would help so many Scottish families and friends get the answers they deserve when a loved one dies aboard.
By Austin Sheridan MSYP on behalf of the Glasgow MSYP Group
__________________________________________
Background Information.
Section 1 of the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths (Scotland) Act 1976 excludes the operation of the Act from deaths furth of Scotland. This contrasts with the situation in England, where section 8 of the Coroners Act 1988 provides that the coroner must hold an inquiry where the final resting place of a repatriated body is England.
This lacuna in the law has meant that the sudden or unexpected death abroad of an English civilian will automatically trigger a coroner's inquiry upon the return of the corpse. This is in addition to any inquiry that may have taken place in the country in which the person died. Where there has been a robust inquiry already, it is arguable that the English system leads to wasteful reduplication. However, where there has been no such inquiry, the coroner plays a vital role.
In contrast, due to the operation of the 1976 Act, the sudden death of a person from Scotland in very many developing countries will never be the subject of a judicial inquiry. This situation is potentially dangerous for Scottish people abroad. The Scottish Government has a duty of care to ensure that the deaths of people from Scotland do not go uninvestigated and that families receive justice. At present, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service does not know how many people from Scotland have died abroad in recent years. This is disquieting.
Accordingly, my submission is that the 1976 Act ought to be amended to oblige the procurator fiscal of an individual's district of domicile to investigate the circumstances of a sudden or unexpected death abroad and to apply to the sheriff to hold a fatal accident inquiry unless he/she is satisfied that the matter has already been fully investigated by competent judicial authorities.
This issue came to my attention when a close friend of mine - Colin Love, 23, from Glasgow drowned while he was on a cruise when it docked in Margarita Island in the province of Venezuela. His mother, Julie, and the rest of her family were dismayed to discover that there would be no judicial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Colins death. Colins family feel that he deserves at least this much. Like many young people with a life ahead of him in Scotland, Colin was embracing a chance that had been offered to him to travel abroad. He was using his trip to reflect on where he wanted to go in life. This tragedy has taken Colins life and blighted those of his family. The Scottish legal system should have afforded them the right to a judicial inquiry and the prospect of closure that that would bring.
I researched the issue further and discovered that the UK Government, with the permission of the Scottish Parliament, has put into place legislation that would require the COPFS to hold a fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of service personnel abroad. This is an important step forward but it does not help people in the same situation as Colins family.
Dr Kenneth Faulds MSYP and Julie Love (Colin’s Mum) launched the campaign.
Posted by Austin Sheridan MSYP on behalf of the Glasgow MSYP Group
Dr Kenneth Faulds MSYP “ “The death of a child is an unbearable sorrow that no parent should ever have to endure.”
“Politics can sometimes divide us, but there is a common human bond that unites us in sympathy and compassion in times of trial and in support for each other, at times of grief”
The above quotes are from Prime Minister- Gordon Brown, following the sad death of David Cameron's son Ivan at the age of six.
Julie Love is a courageous woman; she looked forward to the future, sharing a life with Colin and his family of choice. She cannot imagine, nor did she contemplate, his death at an early age as some mothers have to face.
No mother wants to see the death of their child. Most parents pass away before their child leaving a legacy of Love and Memories, hopefully wisdom, to help that child grow into adulthood and raise their own child/children.
The Colin Love petition fights for something that the ordinary Scottish family deserve. It is not a luxury nor is it a condiment or courtesy but it is a basic human right.
Colin’s petition calls for a change in the law, an anomaly in our robust legal system. When a Scottish person dies abroad and is returned home. We are buried or cremated with no questions asked.
However, we want what English people have and that is for our Crown Office to have the discretion to make one of the two decisions regarding a death abroad:
1. There has been a full robust judicial inquiry in the country of death that I feel has answered every question therefore we will not be holding one here.
2. I believe that there was insufficient answers and there wasn’t a robust judicial inquiry into the death of said person in the country of death and therefore I think it is imperative that we investigate this matter and if need be apply to the sheriff to hold a FAI.
The launch of this petition marks the beginning of an incredible journey, one part of a plethora of things to come in Colin’s name. We know that the petition won’t stop people drowning in Margarita Island and that’s why Julie is setting up a charity in Colin’s name to try and prevent deaths on that beach.”
We have has growing support from people like Alan Carr, Shaun Connery, Billy Connolly, Bill Aiken MSP, Frank McAveety MSP. And the Glasgow MSYP Group who voted unanimously to support the petition .
Austin Sheridan MSYP for Glasgow Govan and Vice Chairman of the Glasgow MSYP Group said “I was very saddened when I heard the story about how Colin Love died, A death of a close family member is tragic but it is worse when you don’t know: why, when, where or how. It is not only frustrating that somewhere, someplace some undeserving person is in possession of these answers but won’t give them up.”
Austin Sheridan MSYP has also contacted First Minister Alex Salmond MSP MP and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP calling for them to rally behind the campaign that would help so many Scottish families and friends get the answers they deserve when a loved one dies aboard.
By Austin Sheridan MSYP on behalf of the Glasgow MSYP Group
__________________________________________
Background Information.
Section 1 of the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths (Scotland) Act 1976 excludes the operation of the Act from deaths furth of Scotland. This contrasts with the situation in England, where section 8 of the Coroners Act 1988 provides that the coroner must hold an inquiry where the final resting place of a repatriated body is England.
This lacuna in the law has meant that the sudden or unexpected death abroad of an English civilian will automatically trigger a coroner's inquiry upon the return of the corpse. This is in addition to any inquiry that may have taken place in the country in which the person died. Where there has been a robust inquiry already, it is arguable that the English system leads to wasteful reduplication. However, where there has been no such inquiry, the coroner plays a vital role.
In contrast, due to the operation of the 1976 Act, the sudden death of a person from Scotland in very many developing countries will never be the subject of a judicial inquiry. This situation is potentially dangerous for Scottish people abroad. The Scottish Government has a duty of care to ensure that the deaths of people from Scotland do not go uninvestigated and that families receive justice. At present, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service does not know how many people from Scotland have died abroad in recent years. This is disquieting.
Accordingly, my submission is that the 1976 Act ought to be amended to oblige the procurator fiscal of an individual's district of domicile to investigate the circumstances of a sudden or unexpected death abroad and to apply to the sheriff to hold a fatal accident inquiry unless he/she is satisfied that the matter has already been fully investigated by competent judicial authorities.
This issue came to my attention when a close friend of mine - Colin Love, 23, from Glasgow drowned while he was on a cruise when it docked in Margarita Island in the province of Venezuela. His mother, Julie, and the rest of her family were dismayed to discover that there would be no judicial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Colins death. Colins family feel that he deserves at least this much. Like many young people with a life ahead of him in Scotland, Colin was embracing a chance that had been offered to him to travel abroad. He was using his trip to reflect on where he wanted to go in life. This tragedy has taken Colins life and blighted those of his family. The Scottish legal system should have afforded them the right to a judicial inquiry and the prospect of closure that that would bring.
I researched the issue further and discovered that the UK Government, with the permission of the Scottish Parliament, has put into place legislation that would require the COPFS to hold a fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of service personnel abroad. This is an important step forward but it does not help people in the same situation as Colins family.
Dr Kenneth Faulds MSYP and Julie Love (Colin’s Mum) launched the campaign.
Posted by Austin Sheridan MSYP on behalf of the Glasgow MSYP Group
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Kenny's petition may change Scots law
Glasgow Shettleston MSYP Dr Kenneth Faulds this week launched a high-profile campaign which might close a loophole in Scots law and help families who have lost relatives in tragic circumstances.
Kenny's friend Colin Love drowned whilst on holiday in Venezuela, but was denied an inquiry in Scotland, as such incidents abroad can only be investigated in England.
On Tuesday, Kenny together with Colin's family, launched a petition to urge the Scottish Parliament to change the law to introduce coroner's inquests, which would allow the truth about tragic incidents to be uncovered. He'll be presenting the issue to MSYPs at the September Sitting to give the SYP a chance to back his bid, so you'll (MSYPs) have the chance to debate the issue very soon. In the meantime, the Glasgow Evening Times ran a story about the campaign this week.
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/search..._scots_law.php
I am in full support of this campaign and I will be backing this by using my vote within the SYP to back the bid to change Scot's Law to allow Scotland to launch enquires. I would like to urge all other MSYPs to back this. If you think this is a good cause why not get in contact with your constituent MSYPs and ask him or her to support this. The more support we get for this the better!
If you do not have an MSYP or you can not find contact details for them then please send me an e-mail to show your support as I will be able to take this forward to the SYP in the debate. Every e-mail counts!
Please sign the petition to show your support too
http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/view_petition.asp?PetitionID=344
Well done Kenny and I hope that you get the support of the full SYP.If you need to contact me please
e-mail me at: austin.sheridan.msyp@sypmail.org.uk and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Posted by Austin Sheridan MSYP
___________________________
This article can be found at: http://austinactive.yolasite.com/blog.php
Kenny's friend Colin Love drowned whilst on holiday in Venezuela, but was denied an inquiry in Scotland, as such incidents abroad can only be investigated in England.
On Tuesday, Kenny together with Colin's family, launched a petition to urge the Scottish Parliament to change the law to introduce coroner's inquests, which would allow the truth about tragic incidents to be uncovered. He'll be presenting the issue to MSYPs at the September Sitting to give the SYP a chance to back his bid, so you'll (MSYPs) have the chance to debate the issue very soon. In the meantime, the Glasgow Evening Times ran a story about the campaign this week.
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/search..._scots_law.php
I am in full support of this campaign and I will be backing this by using my vote within the SYP to back the bid to change Scot's Law to allow Scotland to launch enquires. I would like to urge all other MSYPs to back this. If you think this is a good cause why not get in contact with your constituent MSYPs and ask him or her to support this. The more support we get for this the better!
If you do not have an MSYP or you can not find contact details for them then please send me an e-mail to show your support as I will be able to take this forward to the SYP in the debate. Every e-mail counts!
Please sign the petition to show your support too
http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/view_petition.asp?PetitionID=344
Well done Kenny and I hope that you get the support of the full SYP.If you need to contact me please
e-mail me at: austin.sheridan.msyp@sypmail.org.uk and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Posted by Austin Sheridan MSYP
___________________________
This article can be found at: http://austinactive.yolasite.com/blog.php
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Hardeep says heroin is better than alcohol
I attend the Edinburgh international book festival as a "Scottish Youth Debate" which was set up by the Scottish Youth Parliament and other organisations to discuss the youth of Scotland and where they fit in to the future of Scotland. The issue of Scotland's relationship with alcohol was brought up by Hardeep Singh Kohli who is a former TV presenter for the BBC show called the "One Show". He voiced views on how Alcohol should be taken off the supermarket shelves and how prices should be put up. He also went on to say that heroin should be make legal as the statistics show that less people are harmed by the drug. I was outraged at his views, Glasgow has a problem with heroin users and I can tell you that from personal experience that it is a much larger problem. People who take heroin will mug people no matter who you are, old and young. I said "Our European cousins have the right idea by having a relaxed attitude to alcohol. I think that Scotland would benefit from a relaxed attitude as this would educate young people that alcohol can be enjoyed socially". He too this statement personal and said "the statistics show that less people are affected by heroin" he then went on to say, "your views are stupid and you should get a train ticket to the real world" I said "the only reason less people are affected by heroin is due to less people using the drug, I am not denying that Scotland has a problem with alcohol, but I don't agree that raising the prices and banning supermarkets from selling it is going to help the problem". I was shocked and offended that he made things personal. I could have raised about how he was suspended from the One Show for sexually harassing a female college, but I decided that I was better than that. I personally think it was rich for him to tell me to get a train ticket to the "real world" with his track record!, however on a better note the event went really well and was a great success, people from all over the world attend including people from the USA and New Zealand.If you have any questions please e-mail me at:
austin.sheridan.msyp@sypmail.org.uk and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Posted by Austin Sheridan MSYP
________________________
This article can be found at: http://austinactive.yolasite.com/blog.php
austin.sheridan.msyp@sypmail.org.uk and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Posted by Austin Sheridan MSYP
________________________
This article can be found at: http://austinactive.yolasite.com/blog.php
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