The Scottish Parliament was a dream for many Scottish politicians but has been subject to severe criticism due to the poor planning and massive over spending on the new building. Many of it's critics will point to it's limited powers as many of the main laws effecting Scotland still have to go through the houses of parliament at Westminister. When you think of the urgent work required on many housing projects in Scotland you can understand why spending nearly £500 million on a building for politicians has attracted almost universal criticism in Scotland.
The Scottish National party currently hold the most seats in the Scottish parliament and the first minister for Scotland is Alex Salmond, a formidable politician at debating and a supporter of independence for Scotland.
Despite being the home of the Scottish Parliament, many people in Scotland do not actively promote this building due to the controversial massive over spending on the new Scottish Parliament building. Set at the bottom of the famous royal mile in Edinburgh, visitors can enjoy free entry and guided tours of "Holyrood".
The Scottish Parliament was officially opened in 2004 but only has limited powers as many of the key decisions effecting Scotland are still made at the House of Commons (Westminister) in London. The building cost a staggering £431 million which was not popular with the majority of Scots and the building is still plagued by teething problems which has generated even more adverse publicity.
Edinburgh is such a wonderful city steeped in tradition and history and the Scottish Parliament building seems out of place due to it's modern design and location. Many Scots believe that the heavy hitters of Scottish politics head for Westminister in London where they have more power and have the opportunity of joining the Government cabinet.
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Source: www.articledashboard.com