Reflections on 26 years of devolution in the Scottish Parliament
Published: 4 November 2025
David McGill, Clerk and Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament, reflects on its past.
David McGill, Clerk and Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament, has worked at the Parliament since its establishment in 1999. In this lecture, he discusses his reflections on devolution, from being in the Chamber for Donald Dewar’s speech at the opening of the Parliament, to how the Parliament has fulfilled its founding principles, through to navigating the challenges of recent years, and finally, on whether Donald Dewar would have approved of what the Parliament has become.
First published: 4 November 2025