By Sharma Krauskopf

On May 6th the people of Scotland will have their first opportunity in 300 years to vote for a national parliament. Not being a citizen of the country, I will not get an opportunity to vote. I will be sitting at Eshaness Lighthouse, my home in Scotland, watching the results. It is frustrating not being able to take part in something I feel so strongly about and will affect my Scottish home. I thought I would do the next best thing and share a few thoughts about the election.

A dear friend in Scotland told me recently "parliament will not make a difference and the same types of political interests will get in and muddle around with the decisions." I strongly disagree with that opinion. Yes, the people who will be standing for the parliament all have political agendas. That is what elected bodies are all about.

But - and that is a big BUT the new parliament will be dealing with agendas closer to the real issues in Scotland. That is the difference with the Scottish National parliament. It will deal with issues of Scotland and all of the decision makers will care about Scotland. The Scottish issues will not be mingled with Wales, London, and England. The people who are going to be elected on May 6th are all Scottish and they have a better chance of knowing what is best for the country. Having been a lobbyist for the issues of poor people in the United States for many years I know how frustrating it can be to get a minority opinion passed in among all of the forces who have numbers, power and money to make their issues come first. I found through the years the more knowledgeable the elected officials were about the local issues the more responsible their vote

It is my hope the Scottish people will see this as a beginning. I hope they will vote for the candidates who care the most about Scotland and the issues that matter to them and their family. This is a great opportunity for the country and everyone who lives there. Yes, there is danger the wrong type of person will get elected but the responsibility for that lies with the voters. There is also the potential that the right type of person will be elected and make Scotland stronger and better. Not many countries in this day and age get an opportunity for this kind of new beginning. I hope the Scottish people takes this opportunity and makes it a win for the country and all of its residents. I envy everyone with the opportunity to vote and will be sitting in the Shetlands listening to the results with more than a passing interest

If you want to know more about the election you can check out my article in Suite 101 or if you would like to celebrate the election go to our Parliament page.

You can contact me by email at information@scottishradiance.com

You can find more articles in the archive under Island Miniatures.

I am a contributing editor for Suite101.com which is devoted to guiding you to the best of the internet and if you would like to take a tour please join me at All Things Scottish.