A GREEN MSP has called for officials to lift a ban on using social media in the chamber.
Patrick Harvie wants the Scottish Government to follow in the footsteps of Westminister and allow ministers to use Twitter to engage with the public.
He said: “Holyrood has always been ahead of Westminster on public engagement, from the innovative Petitions Committee to the decision to allow TV interviews in the building, a move which led the House of Commons to open up too.
“Now Westminster has set a lead on Twitter and social media while Holyrood looks stuck in the twentieth century. This change should also be self-policing – any MSP who tweets about the football while there’s an important debate going on will quickly be found out.
“Public confidence in politics is still at a low ebb, and we should not be ruling out any constructive ways to engage people with the process. Twitter and Facebook can open up our discussions to the electorate, and we should have nothing to fear from that.”
