Always Worth Saying’s Question Time Review

Question Time 26th June 2025

The Panel:

Anas Sarwar (Labour)
Andrew Bowie (Conservative)
Thomas Kerr (Reform UK)
Shirley-Anne Somerville (SNP)
Lesley Riddoch (Journalist & Broadcaster)

Venue: St Andrews

Shirley-Anne Somerville is the Scrounging Nasty Party MSP for Dunfermline. Representing the Auld Grey Toon continuously from 2016, Ms Somerville has been a member of the Scottish Parliament in one role or another, off and on, since 2007.

A graduate of Strathclyde, Queen Margaret and Stirling Universities, the 50-year-old boasts of a BA in Economics and Politics, and a Diploma in Housing Studies. A non-career in policy and public affairs, media and campaigns, and related consultancy, followed.

Never having had a job, Shirley-Anne is an example of the Holyrood Parliament’s only achievement to date. The creation of a generation of professional, full-time north of the border politicians with no experience of life outside of one or two exclusive postcodes in a Central Belt bubble. All paid for by the English taxpayer. Excuse me while I vomit.

On his own visit to Scotland earlier this June, Nigel Farage (Reform UK) referred to his party’s supporters as morning people who ‘are up early and working hard.’ In the case of Thomas Kerr (Reform UK), out of bed at daybreak to study PR and Advertising and be a Conservative Party councillor.

Until recently, Tomas was the Tory group leader on Glasgow City Council and joined Reform after the 2024 general election. Beyond setting the alarm clock for an eight-month stint as a retail assistant at Marks & Spencer a decade ago, the 28-year-old has never had a job.

Listing his skills as public relations and political communication, Thomas interned at the Scottish Parliament and was a campaign coordinator before getting his knees beneath the table at the City Council – as a Conservative specialising in licensing.

From Cranhill in the East End of the city – where the birds leave food out for the people and the people leave mangled shopping trolleys out for the birds – Mr Kerr attended the local Eastbank Academy. Here, the birds can’t get in for the razor wire, and even the upstairs windows need bars.

The school motto is ‘Quid Spectatis?’^[1]. Or rather, it isn’t. The school motto is ‘Reach for the stars’^[2]. This is what Mr Kerr eventually did when leaving the Tory Party and climbing into bed with Mr Farage, albeit, one assumes, only until about half past four in the morning.

Born of Scottish parents, Lesley Ann Riddoch’s peripatetic childhood included spells in Wolverhampton, Belfast and Glasgow, where she attended the private Drewsteignton School in posh Bearsden. The daughter of an insurance manager and a housewife, the 65-year-old went up to Oxford, where she graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and served as President of the Student Union.

Following Oxford, she pursued a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Cardiff. A distinguished career in Scottish media followed. The independence referendum Yes campaigner became Assistant Editor of The Scotsman in the mid‑1990s, founded the feminist magazine Harpies and Quines (Harpers & Queen groan), and became a broadcaster on BBC Scotland and Channel 4.

Further studies followed via a PhD from Strathclyde University. Her thesis, A comparison of Scottish and Norwegian hutting traditions, with particular reference to the communities of Carbeth and Lindøya 1905–2013, erm, compares the origins and development of hutting as a leisure activity in Scotland and Norway through statistical comparison. Hm.

Plus, the examination of historical context, analysis of hitherto unpublished Scottish Government research and case studies of two hutting communities set up near Oslo and Glasgow in 1922. Ah.

As every Puffin knows, the evidence suggests hutting blossomed in Norway because a history of widespread and relatively uncontested landownership made Norwegians feel connected to nature and able to obtain individual hut sites in desirable, secluded, wooded settings. Well.

Despite her military-grade skill in early 20th-century Norwegian huts, Lesley’s mighty work, McSmörgåsbord^[3]: What post-Brexit Scotland can learn from the Nordics, sits at a polar night on the Amazon best sellers list; a cold, dark and depressing 478,091 places behind the midnight sun that is the Marquis de Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom.

Be careful what you wish for. Anas Sarwar (Labour) and his clan have plenty of experience outside the bubble – much of it unpleasant. Previous QT Review biographies can be found here and here.

Puffins will discover that private school-educated Comrade Sarwar sends his children to private school. A current MSP for the Glasgow region and leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, he previously inherited a Westminster seat from his father.

The interesting Chaudhry Mohammed Sarwar was at one time the biggest expense claimant in the House of Liars and Thieves and at another time faced charges of vote rigging.

Anas takes political donations from a British Virgin Islands-based business, from a notorious sex offender and from a business associate of his brother. Mr Sarwar Junior’s own claims have included 2p for a pencil sharpener.

Another sibling was convicted (but subsequently acquitted) of an £850,000 fraud in the family firm. United Wholesale Scotland, a cash and carry concern, pays less than the living wage, doesn’t recognise trade unions and is part-owned by Anas Sarwar, whose 20% stake is worth £4 million.

Back in the old country, Chaudhry Mohammed gave up his British passport to become Governor of the Punjab. There, amongst other things, he set up the Sarwar Foundation. Puffins will be pleased to discover a branch exists in Glasgow and is happy to take your donation.

The vast majority of the Sarwar Foundation’s Scottish-raised funds go on ‘international projects’, i.e. are sent to Pakistan. Trustees include an A Sarwar and a P Sarwar. And so on, and so on, and so on. Avoid.

Likewise, Andrew Bowie (Conservative), the MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kinross and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, whose real-life experience is of a less-than-stellar career in the Navy. The Brize Norton perimeter of the Senior Service, a previous QT Review biography of the 38-year-old sub-lieutenant can be read here.

***

Question one: Why is the UK Labour Government cutting welfare while increasing defence spending? La Bruce reminded us that Labour MPs are revolting. The world is an unsafe place, began Anas, the first responsibility of the government is to protect the citizens (by cutting their benefits). And increased defence spending helps Scotland – look at military shipbuilding north of the border.

He then blamed the Tories and read out a long list of things that we all agree on, suggesting a consensus was possible over Benefit Bill changes to avoid a government defeat next week. One in six young Scots is economically inactive. They need support and jobs.

Shirley-Anne reminded the audience that Anas supports the Labour Government in London. He disagreed. He supports reform. No, not Reform, reform. The Government’s cuts to disability have nothing to do with getting people jobs, continued Shirley-Anne. La Bruce wondered if Shirley wanted the welfare bill in Scotland to increase or decrease. Shirley was happy with an increase.

A gentleman with a tartan cap and grey beard spoke. He mentioned the pensioners’ winter fuel payment cut and benefits being taken from the vulnerable. He wanted, to applause, money to be taken from the millionaires. Andrew Bowie began by stating it was amazing to see a Prime Minister and Chancellor with such little authority so early in a parliament. Anas responded that the Tories had destroyed the economy. Zzzzzz.

This is why people get sick of politics, began Thomas Kerr. We’re at each other’s throats politically while welfare budgets are ballooning. The best way out of poverty is work. Reform will incentivise working by raising tax thresholds and in doing so will put more money into working people’s pockets. My word, does he talk fast!

Lesley didn’t see an escalating benefits time bomb, but did report an increase in mental health problems since Covid. Society these days is dog-eat-dog and precarious. Universal Credit is too low. Benefits here are ungenerous compared with other parts of Europe. Nobody who calls themselves a socialist can countenance Starmer’s cuts. A lady in the audience pointed to 18 wasted years of SNP government in Scotland.

Question two wondered if Scotland’s NHS was dying before our very eyes. Apparently, more and more of those poor people north of the border are using private health care. Everybody is touched by the NHS, began Shirley-Anne. Especially the unborn and the possibly terminally ill, one feels obliged to add. There are more operations this year than last year. Shirley-Anne got us bogged down in statistics – a word and number soup of operations, first treatments, appointments and procedures.

As for Girl War. Not going to lie, despite being the Girl War Daddy, I couldn’t tell Shirley-Anne and Lesley apart. Both have long blonde hair and are of a certain age. Added to which Shirley-Anne wasn’t wearing her usual Olive off On The Buses specs. Ceasefire called!

Anas wanted to operate on the SNP to get them out of office in next year’s Scottish election. He referenced Scottish Health Minister, Jenni Minto, who, with his posh, privately educated West of Scottish accent comes out as an unfortunate but appropriate ‘Jenni Mental’.

An audience member pointed out that all those private patients will be being seen by (the greedy?) NHS doctors, thus lengthening NHS waiting lists. A lady in the audience had just had a private procedure, but infuriatingly wouldn’t tell us what it was, other than that the private doctor had rushed her away to ‘have it removed.’ Tranny alert?

Thomas Kerr wanted the NHS to be more efficient, with the massive bureaucracy cut. Boy, does he talk fast! The NHS won’t get better just by throwing money at it. Another problem is Scottish doctors leaving because of the tax system.

Lesley Riddoch blamed Brexit. Yawn. She preferred the Norwegian model. Norwegian Sitehill? Norwegian Gorbals? Norwegian Easterhouse? Norway’s post-industrialised central belt of abandoned coal mines and closed-down steelworks? Norway’s net-zero crank Edmønd Milibønd banning the oil industry? Scotland’s nothing like Norway, darling.

‘The situation in Scotland is awful,’ said Andrew. He blamed the SNP. Thomas Kerr wanted the NHS to be more efficient, with the massive bureaucracy cut. Boy, does he talk fast! The NHS won’t get better just by throwing money at it. Another problem is Scottish doctors leaving because of the tax system.

Shirley made a telling point. You get free prescriptions here, so pay more in tax. Erm, then you’re no better off! Nobody suggested killing the insatiable dinosaur that is the BMA with fire and running the system for the benefit of the patients instead of the doctors and consultants.

Question three referenced a shallow marketplace of ideas in Scottish politics. If you think that’s a bit high-brow from a Scottish audience, you’ll be unsurprised to hear it was delivered in an English accent.

Lesley wanted Scotland to be decentralised and also wanted shot of electricity pylons which blight the countryside in order to help England to reach net zero. We’re the new kids shaking up the system, said Thomas. The old parties are still talking about Brexit and independence when we should be going to bed. Actually, he didn’t (should be talking about business, the economy, reform), but I’ve had enough, so I’m off to my kip.

With our hard-working representatives in the Houses of Liars and Thieves now talking a well-deserved four-month-long summer holiday, QT Review will return in September. In the meantime, more Railway Reviews?