Time to think about priorities

With only a few months left of this parliamentary session, MSPs really need to think hard about their priorities.

- BY WEST SCOTLAND MSP PAM GOSAL

The next Holyrood election is in early May, but Holyrood itself will dissolve in March.

That means there are only a few months left to deliver action on areas which really matter.

This week, another dreadful story emerged on the topic of domestic abuse, which should remind us all about one of Scotland's most deep-rooted and underestimated crises.

New figures have revealed that police receive a report of domestic violence every eight minutes.

That's yet another rise in this horrible crime; I remember this time last year lamenting how officers were contacted every 10 minutes.

So, despite all the noise, the concerns and the warm words from people in charge, things haven't changed.

In fact, for victims - the vast majority of whom are women abused by coercive and controlling men - things have got decidedly worse. The time for talking is over.