While the UK Government was tearing itself apart, it may have felt like all the attention was on Westminster this year.
But MSPs made sure they had their moments in the spotlight. Here’s a few of the best Holyrood moments of 2022 …
Gender Recognition Reform Bill (GRR) passes
It took two long days of debate but just before Christmas, the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed overwhelmingly by MSPs.
The chamber heard a mammoth 153 amendments with politicians forced to stay until well into the early hours.
But eventually, the bill passed by 86 votes to 39 with no abstentions.
It was a historic moment for what has undoubtedly become the most scrutinised piece of legislation in the history of the Scottish Parliament.
Ahead of the vote, Nicola Sturgeon pledged she would “never apologise for trying to spread equality” even after facing criticism from the Tories.
An applicant for a GRC will now need to have lived in their acquired gender for just three months - or six months if they are aged 16 or 17 - rather than two years.
There will also be a three-month "reflection period" during which they can change their minds.
The new rules will also lower the minimum age people can apply to change gender from 18 to 16 and the requirement for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria will be removed.
Tory filibustering over GRR
During the GRR debate, the Tories were criticised for deploying every “cynical” strategy in the book to try and stop the bill from progressing.
It took over an hour for MSPs to get to the first batch of amendments on the agenda after Tory MSPs repeatedly raised points of order.
And when it came to voting on amendments, they forced through every single one – even those from proposers who had decided not to move them, with a range of Tory MSPs moving them in their stead before they inevitably fell.
At one point, they forced a vote on whether or not to include “and” in a sentence.
It seemed at points as if the Tory filibustering was going to work, but supporters of the bill remained determined.
Stephen Kerr is a “potato”
This was a Twitter mishap that will go down in history – the moment when Tory education spokesperson Stephen Kerr was branded a “potato with more vitamin C than a lemon” in a perhaps unvetted post on the Scottish Parliament account.
Just me over here doing free comms for the Scottish Tories Stephen Kerr in parliament: "I am not a potato" pic.twitter.com/v3JHckcR7R
— Abbi Garton-Crosbie (@agc_reports) November 8, 2022
It meant to highlight how Kerr had brought forward a debate on gene-editing, but instead drew attention for all the wrong reasons.
The Tory MSP responded in surprisingly good spirits. "I've been called worse!" he joked.
John Swinney’s “obsessed” rant at Liz Smith
There was plenty of drama around the Scottish Budget at the end of the year which started with information about its details being leaked by the BBC.
The Budget session was actually suspended by the Presiding Officer to investigate the BBC breaking the news of impending tax changes which had been revealed by reporter Glenn Campbell.
This is the spiciest Budget announcement I've ever seen in Holyrood. High drama over leaks, heckling from the FM, the £20m indyref allocation cut, and Swinney not holding back. Indyref2 story here 👇https://t.co/KX3fGxacwu pic.twitter.com/Mp7wCQntFg
— Abbi Garton-Crosbie (@agc_reports) December 15, 2022
And when the session resumed, acting Finance Secretary John Swinney had a rant for the ages at Tory MSP Liz Smith who he claimed was “obsessed” with £20 million which had originally been set aside for an independence referendum.
Swinney had announced the money would now be used for a fuel poverty fund following the decision by the Supreme Court that it was not in Holyrood’s competence to hold one without Westminster’s permission.
But Smith continued to ask about the cash as Swinney replied in a spitting rage: “She is absolutely and completely obsessed by the whole thing!”
Rent freeze passed
MSPs proved their commitment to help two million tenants during the cost of living crisis by introducing a rent freeze in October.
In passing the emergency legislation, the Scottish Government set a maximum permitted rate increase of 0% on rents for private tenancies, social housing and Purpose Build Student Accommodation (PBSA). A six-month moratorium on evictions was also put in place.
The Scottish Government has just published an emergency bill to bring in a rent freeze and eviction measures. Housing is one of the biggest expenses people have in this cost crisis. Today’s Bill shows the impact of Greens in government.@patrickharvie 👇 pic.twitter.com/QCqtuZyoIN
— Scottish Greens (@scottishgreens) October 3, 2022
Tenants’ rights minister Patrick Harvie said: “While bills are rising for all of us, many tenants are more exposed as they are more likely to be on low incomes or living in poverty than other people.
“These measures aim to give tenants greater confidence about their housing costs.”
The freeze lasts until the end of March.
Sturgeon’s Brexit list
The First Minister was unimpressed as a Tory MSP suggested Brexit had nothing to do with the Scottish Parliament in November.
Sturgeon was asked by Stirling SNP MSP Evelyn Tweed whether she thinks Conservatives should reflect on their role in the UK leaving the EU but, as Tweed was posing the question, the FM clocked a Tory asking ‘what has this got to do with the Scottish Parliament?’.
She then said: “The state of the economy, the fact Brexit has caused a slump in our exports to the EU, the fact Brexit is making it so much harder to recruit staff into businesses, or into our public services including health, and social care. I’d suggest Presiding Officer that’s got an awful lot to do with the Scottish Parliament.”
Ross’s flip-flopping
Douglas Ross was hardly out of his holiday shoes the entire year. Flip-flop over Boris, flip-flop over the mini-Budget, it was never-ending.
And Sturgeon exposed it in the middle of FMQs in spectacular fashion in October.
“He called on Boris Johnson to resign, then he U-turned. Then he called on Boris Johnson to resign again, then he U-turned again,” she told the chamber.
“He demanded I follow the mini-Budget, then he applauded Liz Truss for scrapping the mini-Budget.
“Just last week, or the week before, he said Liz Truss would win the next General Election and days later he welcomed the resignation of Liz Truss.
“Today he backs Rishi Sunak, who knows what Douglas Ross’s position will be this time next week.”
Sarwar taken to task on backroom deals
There haven’t just been heated debates between Sturgeon and Ross though, she’s left Anas Sarwar red-faced too.
One of the best moments in FMQs was when she called out Labour’s “backroom deals” with the Tories on Scottish councils.
Sarwar had accused the SNP of "chasing headlines" over nationalising ScotRail.
But the First Minister hit back, saying: "'Chasing headlines', Presiding Officer. Could that be like, I don't know, perhaps saying in a council election that there will be no coalition and then doing backroom deals with the Tories after the council elections?”
‘Honest John’
This one was just a wee gem when Ross attempted to be witty by calling Swinney "Honest John" during FMQs but was then told off by Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone.
She said: “Mr Ross we will desist from nicknames in this chamber.”
Enjoy writing your lines in detention Dougie…
